Phosphates and Nitrates

[mikey029252]

My phosphates are 0 and my nitrates are 160 ppm. How would I go about rating PO and lowering NO?

 

[Channas]

Double and tripple check the testing (redo them) then get back i wouldnt trust that result

 

[Channas]

Also share abit more history about your tank, how long it’s been running? Fish?

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Welcome to Reef2Reef!

There’s no need to make duplicate posts.

My questions from the other thread:


How are you measuring it?

Are you cycling? If so, the nitrate is likely a false reading from nitrite interference.

How big is the tank?

 

[Subsea]

My phosphates are 0 and my nitrates are 160 ppm. How would I go about rating PO and lowering NO?

I see this is your first thread on r2r. Welcome to the website. Without knowing your experience level or tank history, I doubt those test results.

With respect to raising phosphate, I suggest you consider dosing with calcium phosphate. With respect to 160ppm of nitrate, I would do nothing until the test number is validated. Algae assimilates nitrogen & phosphate in a ratio of 30:1. So, if phosphate is available in the water, when one molecule of phosphate is assimilated in seaweed biomass, 30 molecules of nitrate are also sequestered from the water.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

I see this is your first thread on r2r. Welcome to the website. Without knowing your experience level or tank history, I doubt those test results.

With respect to raising phosphate, I suggest you consider dosing with calcium phosphate. With respect to 160ppm of nitrate, I would do nothing until the test number is validated. Algae assimilates nitrogen & phosphate in a ratio of 30:1. So, if phosphate is available in the water, when one molecule of phosphate is assimilated in seaweed biomass, 30 molecules of nitrate are also sequestered from the water.

Calcium phosphate? It’s going to be hard to dose due to low solubility.

 

[Subsea]

Calcium phosphate? It’s going to be hard to dose due to low solubility.

If required to raise phosphate, what would you recommend?

PS: I just read the OP’s thread on chemistry forum and learned what I need to dose in seaweed growout tanks. Thank you.

“It's easy to dose food grade sodium phosphate, and there are lots of threads in this forum on it. “

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

I'm going to remove the emergency tag since it doesn't seem to be an emergency and the OP has not been on in a few days.

 

[Anonymous'Reefer90]

Randy, ¿podrías ayudarme con qué fosfato podría dosificar para mi acuario? ¿Sería correcto el nitrato de calcio?

Voy a quitar la etiqueta de emergencia ya que no parece ser una emergencia y el autor de la publicación no se ha conectado en los últimos días.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Randy, ¿podrías ayudarme con qué fosfato podría dosificar para mi acuario? ¿Sería correcto el nitrato de calcio?

Answered and can follow up in the other thread.