What Nitrate should I have?

[CHSUB]

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

I would like to hear from Randy and would disagree with your assessment. I have never read anything from him, for example, that a specific po4 level is needed depending on no3 or any other readings you listed. Imo, nothing is correlated and the only criteria is availability and range.

 

[Ling_Thing]

I would like to hear from Randy and would disagree with your assessment. I have never read anything from him, for example, that a specific po4 level is needed depending on no3 or any other readings you listed. Imo, nothing is correlated and the only criteria is availability and range.

To each their own for sure. But I’m going off real life experience and testing. Here’s my tank grown from all frags in less than 2 years I feel like the pictures speak for themselves…

 

[CHSUB]

To each their own for sure. But I’m going off real life experience and testing. Here’s my tank grown from all frags in less than 2 years I feel like the pictures speak for themselves…

Looks good…mine less than 2 years also and with no connection between light, Alk, po4, and no3; just all available similar to ocean reef levels.

 

[Waters]

The two last posts just shows you that there is no right way......lots of different ways to accomplish the same goal

 

[StartingATank]

I keep my nitrates at 20-40, and phosphates at around .5-1. It also depends, are to trying to go a mainly LPS softie tank, or a softie SPS. For SPS, you want lower phosphates and nitrates on the spectrum. For LPS, you want higher nitrates and phosphates on the spectrum. I run a mostly LPS softie tank, so I keep my water a little "dirtier"

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

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

It is well below my target range of 5-50 ppm. That does not mean N is insufficient, but it might be.