Sodium Nitrate

[ajhudson15]

I have been out fo the hobby for some years and now that im back in ive been trying to source Loudwolf sodium nitrate but i found thats its pretty much unavailable now. I do not need to raise my phosphates at all. What is everyone using these days to increase only nitrates other than more fish and more fish food?

 

[BriDroid]

I have been out fo the hobby for some years and now that im back in ive been trying to source Loudwolf sodium nitrate but i found thats its pretty much unavailable now. I do not need to raise my phosphates at all. What is everyone using these days to increase only nitrates other than more fish and more fish food?

I've been using this stuff ordered directly from Modernist Pantry. A lot of people will say to use ammonium bicarbonate, but I personally like the sodium nitrate better. It's much easier to dose and keep the NO3 stable with it.

 

[ajhudson15]

I've been using this stuff ordered directly from Modernist Pantry. A lot of people will say to use ammonium bicarbonate, but I personally like the sodium nitrate better. It's much easier to dose and keep the NO3 stable with it.

Ive seen this one floated around on some forums so this is my first option as of now. I not inclined to even try the ammonium lol

 

[BriDroid]

Ive seen this one floated around on some forums so this is my first option as of now. I not inclined to even try the ammonium lol

I found it extremely hard to keep a targeted NO3 value with it. I also found that I was just constantly increasing the dose to the point that my corals lost color. It is all the rage, but it just didn't work for me.

 

[ajhudson15]

I found it extremely hard to keep a targeted NO3 value with it. I also found that I was just constantly increasing the dose to the point that my corals lost color. It is all the rage, but it just didn't work for me.

good to know. i was always thinking lab grade was better than food grade

 

[ReneReef]

A lot of people prefer to dose ammonia in stead of nitrate these days, as it's more easily used as nitrogen source by corals:
https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/diy-ammonia-dosing-for-low-nitrate-systems.987087/

 

[ajhudson15]

A lot of people prefer to dose ammonia in stead of nitrate these days, as it's more easily used as nitrogen source by corals:
https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/diy-ammonia-dosing-for-low-nitrate-systems.987087/

if im reading that article right i think its best to choose the ammonium bicarb but the question i have is - It says only to dose enough at one time to raise nitartes by 0.36 ppm. Im trying to go from 2ppm to around 10ppm. im guessing id have to dose this stuff several times a day to spread it out most likely needing a doser. am i reading that right?

 

[ReneReef]

A nitrate of 2 ppm is just fine.
I would not do anything about that.

If you do anything, then go slow.
Why are you in a hurry to change a parameter that is fine as it is?

 

[ajhudson15]

A nitrate of 2 ppm is just fine.
I would not do anything about that.

If you do anything, then go slow.
Why are you in a hurry to change a parameter that is fine as it is?

Honestly i say 2ppm but its probably more like 0.5 to 1ppm. Ive read a lot about coloration with nitrates being closer to the 10 mark so figured id raise it slowly and see what happens. i can always bring it back down and leave it if i see negative effects

 

[BriDroid]

Honestly i say 2ppm but its probably more like 0.5 to 1ppm. Ive read a lot about coloration with nitrates being closer to the 10 mark so figured id raise it slowly and see what happens. i can always bring it back down and leave it if i see negative effects

If you are trying to target a specific value, sodium nitrate is the way to go. If you are just trying to have some available nitrogen then the ammonium is a good way. My issue was that I was trying to target 5ppm, and I kept having to increase the dose with ammonium, and it caused me to does a TON of it and the corals became brownish. It is just hard to dose X amount of ammonium and get X amount of NO3. At least for me it was. It didn't happen overnight, it took a few months.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

good to know. i was always thinking lab grade was better than food grade

No. Food grade has actual legal specifications. Lab grade can mean anything. Food grade is the best way to go for reasonable cost.

 

[ajhudson15]

No. Food grade has actual legal specifications. Lab grade can mean anything. Food grade is the best way to go for reasonable cost.

Thanks for the clarification. Any specific sodium nitrate you recommend since Loudwolf is out?

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

I have the one pictured above in post 2. :)

 

[EricR]

Loudwolf still sells Calcium Nitrate, which is what I've always used,,, just FYI.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Loudwolf still sells Calcium Nitrate, which is what I've always used,,, just FYI.

That’s a perfectly good way to go. It’s actually a balanced alk and calcium additive.

 

[ajhudson15]

I have the one pictured above in post 2. :)

Are there specific mixing quantities with this with rodi to dose just like the loudwolf? i wasnt sure if all brands would be the same mixing quantities

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

All are the same in terms of amount to dose.