Raising No3 Via Spectracide Stump Remover (Potassium Nitrate)

[fragit]

Well I my tank is not stocked yet. I got about 12 frags after Christmas and lost 8 of them. I picked up a bunch this weekend from a guy tearing down his tank. Here they are on the rack.

And a couple LPS I got from him too.

 

[ReeferMadness80G]

Any known reason/idea why you lost them?

 

[fragit]

Any known reason/idea why you lost them?

I'm pretty convinced that it was lack of nutrients an elemental imbalance, and too strong of lighting while using AquaForest. Since I stopped the program, my tank seems much happier. It is just speculation. The only way I could have confirmed it was to do an ICP test which I did not.

 

[ReeferMadness80G]

There is so many threads on lighting varying from type of light (LED T5 Halide etc.) it's hard to know which to follow. I however have gathered my opinion from experience and what my reef guy (Reef Addicted on eBay) sets his lights at. My AI Prime casts so much shadow that any sps without direct light dies off completely. I've checked his lights over his SPS frag tank which is a 6x8 tub that's about 8-10 inches deep. And with t5s and LEDs he gets about 5-8k LUX and has amazing growth and colors. While most threads from our local lighting pros who I'm sure you're familiar with say SPS lighting can range from 20k-80k lux. I think everyone has to find their own sweet spot and regardless what you run as long as it's not substantially too much or too little, you run it consistently. Stability is def the key to good if not great SPS or reefing in general. Which is why I believe I struggle with 20 gal TWV. I have to test daily and adjust my doser accordingly as well as manually dosing KNO3 and supplements like fuel and Acro power. Sorry for the rant!

Ps- FLOW..can't say enough about flow and its importance to an SPS dominated tank, but I'll spare you! Lol

 

[ReeferMadness80G]

Ok so I'm going to conclude my research of dosing KNO3.
I cannot say enough how important it is to have nitrates in an SPS tank! Things only got better after beginning my KNO3 dosing regimen, aside from some gha and red slime algae in some small areas my frags are really starting to color up! I'll post a few pictures! Feel free to keep this thread going and ask any questions!

 

[Triggreef]

Just to add to this thread since its grown so much. Out of anything I've read about here being the "miracle" "OMG I've never seen results like this" additions... I've seen a lot of those as products come out.... and not noticed much benefit if any. Acropower, goni power, triton elements, aquaforest, red sea part a and b, etc etc.

In the short time I began dosing this stump remover, results are unreal. I guess no3 was seriously lacking in my system. This actually is the missing link I've been looking for.

 

[ReeferMadness80G]

Just to add to this thread since its grown so much. Out of anything I've read about here being the "miracle" "OMG I've never seen results like this" additions... I've seen a lot of those as products come out.... and not noticed much benefit if any. Acropower, goni power, triton elements, aquaforest, red sea part a and b, etc etc.

In the short time I began dosing this stump remover, results are unreal. I guess no3 was seriously lacking in my system. This actually is the missing link I've been looking for.

This post hits it on the head! I stopped dosing everything that claimed to make sps explode, and I just dose Cal Alk and Mag and Stump Remover and my growth has really EXPLODED!

these pics are about 3 months apart! Since I started dosing KNO3

 

[fragit]

I've been keeping my nitrates up around 16. Tried bringing my alk up to 9dkh from 8.3-5. My few frags didn't like that. So alk back down, see how they respond. I've been dosing between 40-50mL a few times a week.

 

[Flyingbulldog]

Does kno3 bring the Kh does? Just curious

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

Does kno3 bring the Kh does? Just curious

Nitrate dosing has no direct impact on alkalinity, but raising nitrate may allow alkalinity to be raised higher for faster hard coral growth without as much risk of burnt tips (which may occur from skeletons growing faster than tissue can keep up). And, of course, faster growth means higher demand for alkalintiy dosing.

 

[Flyingbulldog]

Thanks Randy

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

You're welcome.

Happy Reefing.

 

[Triggreef]

Nitrate dosing has no direct impact on alkalinity, but raising nitrate may allow alkalinity to be raised higher for faster hard coral growth without as much risk of burnt tips (which may occur from skeletons growing faster than tissue can keep up). And, of course, faster growth means higher demand for alkalintiy dosing.

That makes great sense. I've noticed my alk has climbed some lately though I'm unsure why. I suspected the potassium nitrate could be why but as you say it could easily have the opposite effect.

 

[fragit]

This post hits it on the head! I stopped dosing everything that claimed to make sps explode, and I just dose Cal Alk and Mag and Stump Remover and my growth has really EXPLODED!

these pics are about 3 months apart! Since I started dosing KNO3

What are all of your parameters?

 

[ReeferMadness80G]

What are all of your parameters?

Temp-78 F
Salinity 1.026
Calcium-460
Alkalinity-10 dkh
Magnesium-1400
Phosphate-.25
Nitrate-20-40 ppm <--crazy right?
pH-8.3

Just started dosing fluconazole for Bryopsis and GHA so hopefully everything stays going as good after the 2 week treatment

 

[Second Shot]

Nitrate dosing has no direct impact on alkalinity, but raising nitrate may allow alkalinity to be raised higher for faster hard coral growth without as much risk of burnt tips (which may occur from skeletons growing faster than tissue can keep up). And, of course, faster growth means higher demand for alkalintiy dosing.

Randy,
I thought I read in one of your articles that when Nitrate was broken down it released Alk back. Did I read that wrong?

 

[ReeferMadness80G]

BEFORE KNO3 dosing

after KNO3 dosing these are the same corals from January when I started,frags that were previously bleached due to lack of nutrients. Present day.

 

[Triggreef]

BEFORE KNO3 dosing

after KNO3 dosing these are the same corals from January when I started,frags that were previously bleached due to lack of nutrients. Present day.

crazy

 

[Triggreef]

Its taking a ton of kno3 for me to register any no3. I'm dosing about 30 to 40 ml per day (about 350g system) and the solution I'm using is double concentrated from what I read others using. I'm using 4 tbsp per liter of ro water. This is getting me about .75 ppm no3 in the tank. I'm about to put this stuff on a dosing pump. lol.

I'm going to venture a guess that its helping po4 get used up as well as I have not been running any gfo and the po4 is staying down

 

[ReeferMadness80G]

Its taking a ton of kno3 for me to register any no3. I'm dosing about 30 to 40 ml per day (about 350g system) and the solution I'm using is double concentrated from what I read others using. I'm using 4 tbsp per liter of ro water. This is getting me about .75 ppm no3 in the tank. I'm about to put this stuff on a dosing pump. lol.

I'm going to venture a guess that its helping po4 get used up as well as I have not been running any gfo and the po4 is staying down

I don't run any gfo or carbon and my po4 is like .025 , I turned my skimmer down to run at night only. 350 gallons is a lot. Well here is what I got. I run 2 tbsp per liter of RO and I usually dose 10 ml every 3-4 days to achieve 20-30 ppm. If you used that same formula on your tank.

.5(KNO3) x 350gallons=175 mL of KNO3

However you said you doubled it
So I just divided 175 by 2 and you get roughly 87-88mL of KNO3 at 4 tbspn per 1 Liter RO

NOTE: I have a 20 gallon nano, with 20 or so frags in it. This is what my system utilizes.
I technically dose .5 ml per gallon in my tank, now check my math but that would mean you need to dose 175 ml to achieve what I do.(please don't take my word and dose that. Please check my math)
Are you skimming?

Seems about right if you are only able to achieve .75 ppm dosing 0.12ml per gallon.

I would mix a new batch at 2 tbspn per Liter and try dosing 175 ml. NOTICE I said what " I " would do, you do whatever you please and just a disclaimer but I am no way shape or form telling you what YOU should do and I'm not responsible for any loss of coral. Ugh now that's out of the way. If you have an sps dominated tank that benefit from nutrients or higher than normal KNO3 seems like the worse that happens is you get to high and have to do a water change. Skim hard and run carbon.

Go easy and work however your comfortable. Your corals are hungry! Feed them! Haha good luck bud sorry for the rant. I hope it makes sense.