What Nitrate should I have?

[FlameangelLover]

Hi i was just given a hanna ULR nitrate checker and my Po4 is always between 1.0 and 1.5 what should i be hoping i see on this Nitrate checker i dont really understand the whole ULR PPM part so i dont know what numbers are good and bad

 

[painter1982]

What nitrate number are you seeing?

 

[FlameangelLover]

What nitrate number are you seeing?

I haven’t started testing yet I just ordered more regents . I got the Checker for free but the regents are old

 

[mh0ward]

Hi i was just given a hanna ULR nitrate checker and my Po4 is always between 1.0 and 1.5 what should i be hoping i see on this Nitrate checker i dont really understand the whole ULR PPM part so i dont know what numbers are good and bad

If your phosphate is at 1.0-1.5, your Nitrate is likely going to be beyond the LR checker's test range of 5.0ppm.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

I recommend 5-50 ppm nitrate for most reef tanks, unless you determine by observation that something else is better.

 

[FlameangelLover]

I recommend 5-50 ppm nitrate for most reef tanks, unless you determine by observation that something else is better.

Omg 5-50 is such a big range lol.

 

[FlameangelLover]

Hi i was just given a hanna ULR nitrate checker and my Po4 is always between 1.0 and 1.5 what should i be hoping i see on this Nitrate checker i dont really understand the whole ULR PPM part so i dont know what numbers are good and bad

If your phosphate is at 1.0-1.5, your Nitrate is likely going to be beyond the LR checker's test range of 5.0ppm.

Oh no, well I’m glad it was free so my test may be wrong then?

 

[CHSUB]

If your phosphate is at 1.0-1.5, your Nitrate is likely going to be beyond the LR checker's test range of 5.0ppm.

it was very common years ago to have reef tanks with undetectable levels of no3 and po4 levels in the >.5 to 2 ppm range. Here is my tank from 2000 with just those levels. Po4 was both hard to detect and control then..

 

[CHSUB]

Oh no, well I’m glad it was free so my test may be wrong then?

I think the LR is great. My levels are in the .1 ppm range and find that fine without any extra effort or equipment.

 

[Enchanted Reefs]

If your corals are healthy and growing keep doing what you’re doing. If they aren’t looking so good try lowering/raising them based on where you’re currently staring at

 

[FlameangelLover]

If your corals are healthy and growing keep doing what you’re doing. If they aren’t looking so good try lowering/raising them based on where you’re currently staring at

Yeah I’m a softy tank I mainly just got it because it’s free lol. I do weekly water changes so I should be fine regardless lol. I do wonder if more Nitrate means more growth

 

[Gumbies R Us]

Yeah I’m a softy tank I mainly just got it because it’s free lol. I do weekly water changes so I should be fine regardless lol. I do wonder if more Nitrate means more growth

Just be aware that high nitrates 50+ can potentially lead to an algae outbreak. I had a bad case of gha due to my nitrates being out of control

 

[Waters]

I have always kept my tanks at 7-10 nitrates and .06-.09 phosphates but as stated, every tank is different.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Omg 5-50 is such a big range lol.

Yes, it allows for less stress over exact numbers, which may not be needed. :)

 

[FlameangelLover]

Omg 5-50 is such a big range lol.

Yes, it allows for less stress over exact numbers, which may not be needed. :)

Okay just checked and I have 0.50 Low range PPM nitrate. Is this good?

 

[FlameangelLover]

What nitrate number are you seeing?

Okay just checked and I have 0.50 Low range PPM nitrate. Is this good?

 

[CHSUB]

Okay just checked and I have 0.50 Low range PPM nitrate. Is this good?

How is the tank? Corals, if any, are healthy and growing is the only real question? If they are good, now you know .5 ppm no3 is good and you answered your own question…

 

[Ling_Thing]

Omg 5-50 is such a big range lol.

It depends on your alk, p04 and light intensity for coral demand it’s all correlated hence the wide range

 

[FlameangelLover]

Okay just checked and I have 0.50 Low range PPM nitrate. Is this good?

How is the tank? Corals, if any, are healthy and growing is the only real question? If they are good, now you know .5 ppm no3 is good and you answered your own question…

Tank looks fine my softies are growing my clam and anemone is happy also my torch and sometimes I get algae. Only coral doing bad is my cyphastrea

 

[CHSUB]

Tank looks fine my softies are growing my clam and anemone is happy also my torch and sometimes I get algae. Only coral doing bad is my cyphastrea

Then you are good. I have lower no3 than you, so .5 ppm is a decent amount. Keep doing what you are doing and use the results as an indicator of what is needed. Tests results are a confirmation not necessarily a “call to action”. A single individual coral not doing well is not an indicator of a problem.