Weird issue with NO3 and PO4

[MalDyl]

So my tank has been running for a whole year, It's a 60g AIO cube.
Runnong only filter wool, no protein skimmer and other equipment not even a refugium.
I've battled Dino's, cyano within this year and currently just brown algae growing on glass, nothing a scrapper can fix.

I barely do water changes probably a 20% once every 4 months, since I have only 4 small corals and 3 fish.
I have an Urchin and a couple of different snails.

Now this is where things get weird, I just purchased a Hanna Nitrate HR and Phosphorus ULR.
Nitrate is showing 0, I've tested 3 times to make sure.
Phosphorus ULR is showing 11 which is 0.034 ppm.

Tank doesn't have much in algae, just a couple of hair algae which the Urchin eats up.
But the brown algae is insane, have to clean the glass every 2 days.
The strangest is there is a coupel of spots on the rocks with small solid brown algae and a couple of long brown algae with bubbles on top, this might be Dino and could make sense for why my NO3 and PO4 is so low.

When I was checking my back sump area there is huge now I mean huge amount of what it looks to be pineapple sponges and so many what looks to be white solid spots of won't call it snails but a type of solid white shells??? everywhere, I'll see if I can get a picture when I get home.

My question is should I leave the tank as is? I really want a refugium and don't want my PO4 and NO3 bottoming out.
I feel my 2 clowns and yellow tail springer, twice a day with pellets and at night some Mysis shrimp.
Corals have been growing really well, can't complain about that at all.

Should I feed more to increase nutrients or use supplements to assist?

 

[Sophie"s mom]

So my tank has been running for a whole year, It's a 60g AIO cube.
Runnong only filter wool, no protein skimmer and other equipment not even a refugium.
I've battled Dino's, cyano within this year and currently just brown algae growing on glass, nothing a scrapper can fix.

I barely do water changes probably a 20% once every 4 months, since I have only 4 small corals and 3 fish.
I have an Urchin and a couple of different snails.

Now this is where things get weird, I just purchased a Hanna Nitrate HR and Phosphorus ULR.
Nitrate is showing 0, I've tested 3 times to make sure.
Phosphorus ULR is showing 11 which is 0.034 ppm.

Tank doesn't have much in algae, just a couple of hair algae which the Urchin eats up.
But the brown algae is insane, have to clean the glass every 2 days.
When I was checking my back sump area there is huge now I mean huge amount of what it looks to be pineapple sponges and so many what looks to be white solid spots of won't call it a snails but a type of solid white shells??? everywhere, I'll see if I can get a picture when I get home.

My question is should I leave the tank as is? I really want a refugium and don't want my PO4 and NO3 bottoming out.
I feel my 2 clowns and yellow tail springer, twice a day with pellets and at night some Mysis shrimp.
Corals have been growing really well, can't complain about that at all.

Should I feed more to increase nutrients or use supplements to assist?

There are things you can add to bring up nitrates, I am not sure what they are because I do not have that issue. I think glass cleaning is something we all have to do. The little white shells you are talking about are spirornid worms. harmless, just filter feeders. The same thing that causes pineapple sponges causes them.

 

[MalDyl]

There are things you can add to bring up nitrates, I am not sure what they are because I do not have that issue. I think glass cleaning is something we all have to do. The little white shells you are talking about are spirornid worms. harmless, just filter feeders. The same thing that causes pineapple sponges causes them.

Well that's good to hear! Thank you so much! I actually feel like I'm negleting my tank most of the time but this past year by just letting it be and leaving it alone and seems to have "corrected" itself. I'm assuming adding No3 and Po4 is simple? In South Africa only brands we got is Aquaforest and Seachem, does Seachem sells any products I could use?