Phosphates and nitrates dangerously low

[JosephM]

I have a 29gal DT with 20 gal sump (~35-40 gal total) nitrates read zero (salifert) and phosphates 0.01 (Hanna ULR). I change out 12% once a week, have a skimmer rated for 37 gal, filter sock that all water goes through, big bag of matrix, lots of chaeto, and carbon reactor. I have one six line, sea hare, 5 astea snails, 2 turbo snails, and one short spine urchin. Just getting over a GHA outbreak that the sea hare is taking care of. I feed Nano reef frenzy lightly 1-2x daily, 20ml of phyto daily, and a good amount of reef roids 2x a week. What can I do to raise these up to appropriate levels. I’d like to keep phosphates between 0.03-0.1 and nitrates between 3~10. Any advice please, I don’t wanna get dinos!

 

[laverda]

I doubt you numbers are as low as you thing if you have been having GHA issues. The GHA is using your N&P as food sources, so it is common to get low readings for that reason. What have you done to control the GHA besides the sea hare? Stop or reduce that. If just the sea hare you will probably see the numbers increase the more it eats. You could also reduce the light cycle for your refugium.

 

[JosephM]

I doubt you numbers are as low as you thing if you have been having GHA issues. The GHA is using your N&P as food sources, so it is common to get low readings for that reason. What have you done to control the GHA besides the sea hare? Stop or reduce that. If just the sea hare you will probably see the numbers increase the more it eats. You could also reduce the light cycle for your refugium.

Okay. I haven’t done much to control it other then throwing in chemi pure elite when my numbers got high... then they got too low so I took it out and then they got to a good level and now I’m back low. Hopefully it’s just the GHA. He’s taken out about a quarter of the GHA. I’ll test again in a couple days when it’s reduced even further. I’m planning on trimming down my chaeto as well... from my understanding the less mass it has the less exporting it does.

 

[Tcook]

How old is this tank with multiple nutrient export methods?

 

[JosephM]

How old is this tank with multiple nutrient export methods?

A little under a month. Cycled within 1 week with KP live rock.

 

[Tcook]

That's moving too fast. I would back off or remove the chaeto. Regular water changes. Reduce the feeding. Let things settle. If the PO4 remains low after the gha is gone you could dose a little PO4. This tank needs to mature slowly without all the chemicals.

 

[JosephM]

That's moving too fast. I would back off or remove the chaeto. Regular water changes. Reduce the feeding. Let things settle. If the PO4 remains low after the gha is gone you could dose a little PO4. This tank needs to mature slowly without all the chemicals.

I haven't added much chemicals at all? Unless you call activated carbon a bunch of chemicals. Planning on trimming some Chaeto, trying to find someone who wants it though, I don't want it to go to waste. I can't reduce feeding much more or my fish will starve. Won't reducing feedings just lower my nitrates and phosphates more that will make it worse?

 

[laverda]

I haven't added much chemicals at all? Unless you call activated carbon a bunch of chemicals. Planning on trimming some Chaeto, trying to find someone who wants it though, I don't want it to go to waste. I can't reduce feeding much more or my fish will starve. Won't reducing feedings just lower my nitrates and phosphates more that will make it worse?

I think you have a good plan there. Yes reducing feeding will reduce you numbers further. Algae blooms are a pretty natural event in new tanks. I do agree you need to slow down and let your tank mature. Nothing good happens quickly in a reef tank. Relax, learn and enjoy.

 

[JosephM]

I think you have a good plan there. Yes reducing feeding will reduce you numbers further. Algae blooms are a pretty natural event in new tanks. I do agree you need to slow down and let your tank mature. Nothing good happens quickly in a reef tank. Relax, learn and enjoy.

Okay, thank you. That brought me some consolation. I will report back if my numbers are still super low after GHA has been taken care of

 

[waverider]

Hey! Are you in Lincolnton NC??!!! Im in Mooresville NC by Lake Norman. Sounds like we have similar issues. First: Are your fish and Corals doing welll? Looking healthy? If so... relax. If your organic levels (Nitrates/phosphates) are low, and you spot feed your corals and fish, thats great, relax. (spot feeding means turning off your pumps and using a feeder tube to feed the fish and corals directly so they consume most of the food directly, vs "dosing" the entire water column). Spot feeding will cut down big time on excess nutrients that become Nitrates. Im in a similar situation -like you I am running a new system only 3 months old. You've got 90 gallons to work with, thats plenty for a stable environment. Are you using Dry Rock or seasoned/aqua cultured or cured live rock? Thats a big deal because established coraline encrusted rock makes for a stable reef out of the gate. Either case, in a new system eventually those Nitrate levels are going to rise. If you have hair Algae already, then guess what? You already have had a nitrate spike. I started my 65 gallon tank 3 months ago with 50Lbs of real Indonesia coraline encrusted Live Rock. -Gorgeous Coraline encrusted pink, red and purple aged rock. It was the best investment I ever made. I have -yet to get an Algae bloom and I feed 3x a week. I feed all my corals and fish directly using a feeding tube 3 times a week and my Nitrates are < 5. ***In fact I have lost two large clumps of Chaeto in my refugium to disintegration from lack of Nitrates -but despite low nitrates my corals are great because I feed them directly: Reef Frenzy, Reef Roids and Red Sea Energy using a feeding tube.. I had been running a hang on refugium but my Chaeto keeps disintegrating and flooding my tank with broken bits of Cheato. So this weekend I discarded what little was left of my Chaeto for the time being. I also dose weekly with Brightwell Aquatics Microbacter 7 and I occasionally dose Vibrant. If your having an Algae issue check out Vibrant. It works and will help with Algae issues.. I have ZERO algae issues 3 months in and I believe its because of my rock.... in addition, have been dosing Vibrant and Microbacter 7 weekly since the start. Let me know how your tank is going. I'd love to chat about it. -We're local! -WaveRider.

 

[waverider]

by the way... since you are Local; "Salty's of Lake Norman" (704) 799-6547 has amazing aged, seasoned coraline encrusted rock from Indonesia. Hands down it would be the best foundation for your reef. Ask for Ryan or Ray. Tell them John sent you. They sell it to me for $8/lb and its a steal. Here are some pictures of the rock I got from them:

Thats real Indonesia rock. Crusted in Pink, Red and Purple Coraline. Bursting with real ocean bacteria. No dry rock will ever come close.

 

[JosephM]

@waverider yes sir I am in Lincolnton NC. And thank you for all of that. I’m trying to ‘stay out of the tank’ as much as possible and let it do it’s thing. I do spot feed my corals and they’re all doing great minus my leather coral that got mad when I took him off his plug a couple days ago. I bought my live rock through KP and already have some great coralline on it. I have been to Saltys, I’ve gotten a couple corals from there. Right now my sea hare is taking care of my algae but if it doesn’t get it completely I’ll look into vibrant, thank you for the post!

 

[waverider]

Sounds like your doing fine!

 

[JosephM]

Well I've been letting it run its course and such and nitrates are still at 0 and phosphates steady at 0.01. I plan on picking up a pair of clowns in the next week but not guaranteed. I've upped my feeding to two generous feedings of nano reef frenzy twice a day, 20 ml live phyto daily and generous amounts of reef roids every 3 days. The super low nitrates and phosphates are starting to take a toll on my softies. They still have all their color just not seeing the growth that I was seeing. Any new advice?

 

[Spare time]

I just use neonitro and neophos or tune my refugium time down. Right now I am at 0.00 phosphate on the hanna ulr phosphate so I dump a decent amount of reef energy in daily and dose neophos if I need to after I test phosphates.

 

[JosephM]

I just use neonitro and neophos or tune my refugium time down. Right now I am at 0.00 phosphate on the hanna ulr phosphate so I dump a decent amount of reef energy in daily and dose neophos if I need to after I test phosphates.

Just looked into those, might purchase after I do a little more digging or get some more responses on here. Would it be worth it to take out my sock or turn the skimmer off?

 

[Spare time]

Just looked into those, might purchase after I do a little more digging or get some more responses on here. Would it be worth it to take out my sock or turn the skimmer off?

Keep the sock in. You can just change it less. You can keep the skimmer on if you want. You could also just feed the fish some pellets or flakes whenever you walk by the tank (I do that so my fish get fed several times a day which is far healthier than once a day feedings for most fish we keep)

 

[JosephM]

Keep the sock in. You can just change it less. You can keep the skimmer on if you want. You could also just feed the fish some pellets or flakes whenever you walk by the tank (I do that so my fish get fed several times a day which is far healthier than once a day feedings for most fish we keep)

I have a picky six line and have tried feeding a couple types of flakes and he doesn’t seem to like it. Do you have any recommendations?

 

[Spare time]

I have a picky six line and have tried feeding a couple types of flakes and he doesn’t seem to like it. Do you have any recommendations?

Usually the one or two fish that ignored foods when I first fed started to eat it after a while, I guess from seeing the others eat it. I feed a wide mix of foods but their favorite is ocean nutrition prime flakes. All of my fish slowly start to eat new dry foods when they go in the tank but eventually somehow pick up eating it. You can try and mix it with the frozen food to associate the two but I can't guarantee that would do anything.

 

[JosephM]

Usually the one or two fish that ignored foods when I first fed started to eat it after a while, I guess from seeing the others eat it. I feed a wide mix of foods but their favorite is ocean nutrition prime flakes. All of my fish slowly start to eat new dry foods when they go in the tank but eventually somehow pick up eating it. You can try and mix it with the frozen food to associate the two but I can't guarantee that would do anything.

Okay. I’ll try out some different foods. I guess either way food is food and it’ll turn into nitrates and phosphates