How do I increase nitrates?

[enb141]

after checking my tank with salifert nitrates test it didn't colored the water so I have almost 0 nitrates so I need nitrates because my SPS need tiny parts of nitrates to grow if not they bleach (correct me if I'm wrong) so what are the best options that I have to increase a little bit nitrates on my 20 gallon tank.

Current population:

2 Black Mollies
1 Ocellaris Clown fish
1 Neon Goby
1 Chromis viridis
1 Green Mandarin
1 Algae Blenny (Salarias fasciatus)

2 Mexican turbos
2 Astreas snails
2 margaritas snails

I was feeding once a day with live brine shrimp and shrinking pellets but I think I need to feed them at least twice a day.

What else do you recommend me to do?

 

[Xxero]

I would re-test or maybe take a water sample to your LFS to be tested.

I find it difficult to believe that you have 7 fish in a 20 gallon tank and you feed a meal of Mysis and pellets once a day, yet have zero nitrates!?!

If it is indeed the case, you could try feeding more or dose.

GL! :bigeyes:

 

[heathlindner25]

I would re-test or maybe take a water sample to your LFS to be tested.

I find it difficult to believe that you have 7 fish in a 20 gallon tank and you feed a meal of Mysis and pellets once a day, yet have zero nitrates!?!

If it is indeed the case, you could try feeding more or dose.

GL! :bigeyes:

This

 

[enb141]

Guys I forgott to mention that I've setup a super cheato riser and a super good skimmer after adding this two components to my tank the phosphates and nitrates went so low.

The salifert is brand new it says that should be used by 1/2018 so is pretty new.

 

[toothybugs]

I started dosing nitrate last week. Be careful with it and monitor it very closely - in my case, it all disappeared in to algae the first few days, now is lingering. My recorded values went 0 - 0 -0 -0 -0 - 15 - 25 and I quit until it drops back to single digits, but on the other hand, my phosphate is dropping nicely (which was the original intent).

 

[enb141]

How did you added nitrates?

 

[Mark426]

One easy way is to use KNO3. Google up dosing KNO3 , lots of info on it. I have used it and it was easy to hit the level I wanted on the nose.

Another way is just to feed more and reducing your water changes a bit. In some tanks you just end up increasing PO4 with not much of an increase in NO3, depending on what you feed.

IMO...using Salifert kits, increase the NO3 until its just barely detectable looking thru the side. Anymore is not necessary and can be detrimental.

p.s. Xxero has a point. Maybe try testing some tap water and see if you can detect any nitrates. There is usually some in tap.

 

[enb141]

I'll try feeding a little bit more, I got a couple Fresh water planted tanks so I'll check the phosphates in there which definitively will have nitrates.

and thanks for the advise about KNO3, I'll check it out later if I got no good results with feeding more.

 

[nvladik]

Local hardware store, look for stump remover.

 

[toothybugs]

I used sodium nitrate so I didn't mess up my potassium levels, but that's an SPS thing. Spectracide Stump Remover is a good product to use.

 

[Horace]

Just feed more....yes these other options work but imho feeding will have other benefits as well. Add fish and feed more.

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[Horace]

I actually find this thread amusing because back in 2007 I had a very low nutrient tank, with undetectable levels of both po4 and no3. My colors were pale and growth slow. I was told by everyone to add this and that, spent hundreds of dollars on additive to no avail. When I finally was given the proper advice to just add more fish and feed heavy until I could measure both nutrients, my growth and color exploded.

Prior to this I made the suggestion here on these forums that lack of po4 and no3 are often the cause of poor color and growth, and suggested that I might add Potassium Chloride and was ridiculed. Not only that, but I had people telling me to **** because I was spreading "dangerous" theory. How funny how this hobby evolves that it is now common to see people suggesting this exact thing now lol!

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[enb141]

I actually find this thread amusing because back in 2007 I had a very low nutrient tank, with undetectable levels of both po4 and no3. My colors were pale and growth slow. I was told by everyone to add this and that, spent hundreds of dollars on additive to no avail. When I finally was given the proper advice to just add more fish and feed heavy until I could measure both nutrients, my growth and color exploded.

Prior to this I made the suggestion here on these forums that lack of po4 and no3 are often the cause of poor color and growth, and suggested that I might add Potassium Chloride and was ridiculed. Not only that, but I had people telling me to **** because I was spreading "dangerous" theory. How funny how this hobby evolves that it is now common to see people suggesting this exact thing now lol!

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first of all will add more food and fishes to my tank, that's gonna be my first attempt so later if I can't archive the desired nitrates levels I'm probably gonna look to add something as you have mentioned so I'll post more info in this thread so other guys with the same "problem" that I'm having can get some advice and do the correct thing instead of trial and error.

Again thanks for the Potassium Chloride suggestion.

 

[Horace]

first of all will add more food and fishes to my tank, that's gonna be my first attempt so later if I can't archive the desired nitrates levels I'm probably gonna look to add something as you have mentioned so I'll post more info in this thread so other guys with the same "problem" that I'm having can get some advice and do the correct thing instead of trial and error.

Again thanks for the Potassium Chloride suggestion.

I just realized I said Chloride and not Potassium Nitrate.....my mistake! You would use KNO3.... Chloride would be used as a means to dose Potassium...

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[enb141]

I just realized I said Chloride and not Potassium Nitrate.....my mistake! You would use KNO3.... Chloride would be used as a means to dose Potassium...

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Ok, thanks for the correction so KNO3 will be my desperate way to add nitrates if adding more fish/food doesn't works (I doubt about it).

 

[oseymour]

What about the people who use ZEOvit and have ultra low nutrient systems? They don't dose nitrate to their tanks - they simple dose supplements for the corals to feed on. Have a friend that doses Vodka, has no nitrates for years now and uses the Red Sea reef care program for color and to feed corals. His tank is flourishing and the corals have good color.

Wouldn't feeding the corals be easier, make them overall healthier and a little safer than dosing nitrates just to get a detectable number?


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[enb141]

What about the people who use ZEOvit and have ultra low nutrient systems? They don't dose nitrate to their tanks - they simple dose supplements for the corals to feed on. Have a friend that doses Vodka, has no nitrates for years now and uses the Red Sea reef care program for color and to feed corals. His tank is flourishing and the corals have good color.

Wouldn't feeding the corals be easier, make them overall healthier and a little safer than dosing nitrates just to get a detectable number?


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What of all the products of ZEOvit are you talking about?

If you mean about amino acids, I'm already dosing them

 

[JohnnyHildo]

i would be very careful with overfeeding to increase nitrates as you may find a new problem in dealing with high phosphates which will result in corals dying and algae issues.
also, when i test for trace elements i find it helpful to test often (a couple of times daily) to see what effect my husbandry changes are having. those tests can have some variation and you wouldn't want to needlessly push your tank into a bad place before realizing it.

 

[Xxero]

Guys I forgott to mention that I've setup a super cheato riser and a super good skimmer after adding this two components to my tank the phosphates and nitrates went so low.

If these two components stole your nitrates then simply take one of them off-line. Maybe ditch the Chaeto for a little while and see if your nitrates begin to creep up.

 

[enb141]

If these two components stole your nitrates then simply take one of them off-line. Maybe ditch the Chaeto for a little while and see if your nitrates begin to creep up.

If I got rid of the chaeto I'll end up with 0.50 of phosphates, those were the phosphate values I got when I didn't had chaeto on my tank, so no way I won't remove the chaeto.