Phosphates vs Nitrates

[clffthmps]

I’m just a little confused. I’ve been in the hobby for a little over four years. I’ve always read online, and been told that I need to keep my nutrient levels low in my aquarium. Phosphate 0.01 and nitrates around 5ppm. But within four months I’ve had 3 small outbreak of Dino’s. I have read a lot of articles and forms on nutrient control. I have watched hundreds and hundreds of videos of people keeping crystal clear glass and The whitest sand bed, because they vacuum the sand bed once a week. My question is where is the natural phosphates and nitrates are coming from if their tanks or that clean without dosing? Im using Hanna checker for phosphate and Nyos for nitrates.

 

[BlennyTime]

Nitrates and phosphates come from fish waste or uneaten food in a tank. Phosphates can also leach out of rocks if they were previously on a high phosphate environment.

Whether they are an issue or not and the ideal levels depends on the types of coral you are planning to keep, or if it’s a fish-only system. Some corals like dirtier water, whereas others (like SPS) do better in cleaner conditions.

 

[Nano sapiens]

Most 'natural' phosphate and nitrate comes from feeding. Just because a test kit shows that these are undetectable in the water column, that doesn't necessarily mean that they aren't in the system since a healthy and vibrant reef aquarium's inhabitants (micro and macro organisms) can rapidly consume both. Removal of waste (vacuuming, cleaning filter floss, skimming, etc.) removes food particles that could further break down and add to a system's nutrient load as well as keep the bacteria productive/reproducing. On the flip side, a reef aquarium can truly be nutrient starved when food input is very minimal or non-existent for a good while (especially when efficient/regular waste removal processes are utilized).

The theory as it currently stands is that dinoflagellates tend to bloom when they are able to outcompete the many other in-tank micro organisms that would normally keep them in check. Many dino species do quite well in very low nutrient conditions, whereas other common reef micro organisms often do not. Hence, the recommendation to increase P04 and N03 if they are very low or '0' on a test kit to encourage competition.