0 NItrates!

[mickeysreef <*))))<]

Finally hit 0 nitrates in my 29g biocube. YAY! Nitrates were not that bad on this tank, hovering between 20 and 40 for the last month or two (requiring strict weekly water changes), and recovering from a crash. but i wanted to step it up without breaking the bank so i added 3 cheap submersible led lights into one of the back chambers (the ones that look like heaters) and turned them to pink and red blasting 24hrs a day on some chaeto and that did it for me.

i'll be dosing phyto and red sea ab+ (slowly)

 

[Foxchase]

You don't want 0 nitrates. You'll end up with Dinos and that's worse than any other algae to deal with. Ive been fighting mine for like 3 months now

 

[mickeysreef <*))))<]

phyto and redsea will add nitrates

 

[mickeysreef <*))))<]

it

 

[mickeysreef <*))))<]

it's 0 on the API, going to order a salifert see if I can get exactly where it is

 

[john90009]

Doesn’t phyto help eat up excess nitrates?

 

[mickeysreef <*))))<]

i add nitrate to the phyto i grow plus there is die off in the bottle

Doesn’t phyto help eat up excess nitrates?

 

[john90009]

Ahh, I was unsure. I have zero nitrates in my biocube and I’m afraid to dose nitrates and bottom out my almost non existent phopahates so I just keep feeding heavier

 

[mickeysreef <*))))<]

I will let you know how it goes. I am reading very low phosohate as well

 

[Foxchase]

Ahh, I was unsure. I have zero nitrates in my biocube and I’m afraid to dose nitrates and bottom out my almost non existent phopahates so I just keep feeding heavier

Dosing nitrates is a lot easier than feeding more because you might need to increase your nitrates and not your phosphates. You can do one without the other with dosing it but you can't know how much of both you're getting with just heavy feeding. I've been using neophos/neonitro. I had 0 with feeding ab+ mixed with mysis, reef roids, pellets AND flakes. They'd bleep and by the next day, drop to 0.

 

[john90009]

Dosing nitrates would end up dropping my phosphates, which then I wouldn’t just have to dose nitrates, I’d also have to start dosing phopahates, and I don’t feel like buying another doser

 

[Deleted member 27248]

Dosing nitrates would end up dropping my phosphates, which then I wouldn’t just have to dose nitrates, I’d also have to start dosing phopahates, and I don’t feel like buying another doser

I would not recommend dosing nitrate of phosphate on a Doser...you won’t need that much anyway. I dose my tank by hand once a month or so.takes 3-4 weeks for levels to drop near zero.

 

[Hockeynut]

I would just feed a little heavier to get the phosphate to at least .03 to .07 and if the n03 is low dose nitrate to get it at least 5
I dose manually once a week or two whenever it goes below 5

 

[Deleted member 27248]

I would just feed a little heavier to get the phosphate to at least .03 to .07 and if the n03 is low dose nitrate to get it at least 5

I personally feed frozen, and the phosphate are undetectable...only when I use reef roids, zoo plankton, or other dry foods will phosphates
Raise...I like feeding frozen and adding a clean source of nitrate and phosphate...less sandbed cleaning, water changes, and filter sock swapping. Its truly amazing how efficient a refugium is.

 

[Yates273]

I would not recommend dosing nitrate of phosphate on a Doser...you won’t need that much anyway. I dose my tank by hand once a month or so.takes 3-4 weeks for levels to drop near zero.

Yep I learned that. I was dosing small amounts of nitrates and it got up to 80. Guess I wasn’t consuming as much as I thought. After a few water changes amd no longer dosing nitrates it’s at 20. I do have to say that my Chaeto is thick as hell now.

 

[Goodair]

Reduce the lighting and try reverse schedule from you main light. Is the chaeto growing well with 24h lighting or is it starting to bleach out? Eventually you'll figure out the balance of light to keep up with your filtration demand.

 

[john90009]

I am curious as to why nitrate kits everyone is using? The only kit I have ever used or tried using was red seas pro nitrate and I have never got a reading at all on it so I don’t even know if it’s correct. I sent in an icp ages ago and it was 0 nitrates on there. I am looking for another kit that’s easy. The Hanna one looks like a lot of steps.