Nitrate Level in Zoa Tanks
- Thread starter strout
- Start date
I'm usually at 10 ppm.
Small to negligible amounts are ok.
Only 2 responses? Wow
Mucho Reef
Small to negligible amounts are ok.
Only 2 responses? Wow
Mucho Reef
Jason S
New member
Because my main tank is a T5 lit SPS dominant, mine are kept at effectively zero. I have seen some good results in growth and color. The two PH's I got recently have already spawned two babies. My biocube on the other hand seems to stay at around 20 Nitrates, and my zoa's in that tank do well too, but I do not get the same growth and color that I get in the main tank.
jrb_dakine
Member
You guys scare me with those numbers.... LOL..... Mine is 0-2 ppm (mostly zero) but I do 5 to 10 gallon water changes every week depending on how heavy I feed that week.
So far z's and p's are doing good and I'm starting to get some growth.
So far z's and p's are doing good and I'm starting to get some growth.
Why does it scare you? Lets talk about it.
SIR PATRICK
New member
I keep mine at undetectable on your standard/typical nitrate testers.
I get some really cool color morphs holding this parameter! I get good growth to, but have to give the heavy broadcasting whole tank feedings to that. Doubt they would grow well (or even sustain themselves long) without the feedings.
I get some really cool color morphs holding this parameter! I get good growth to, but have to give the heavy broadcasting whole tank feedings to that. Doubt they would grow well (or even sustain themselves long) without the feedings.
DanRhomberg
New member
PERFECT Thread, at a perfect time.....
I normally Have a 0-nitrate, 0-ammonia, and a 0 nitrite at all times.
This last week I have been creeping up to 5ppm and then 10ppm in nitrates.
amm. and nitrite are still a constant 0. I have added 2 very small neon gobys from the group buy in the socal forum. I also added 2 small pices of SPS.
I did my normal 20% water change, once a week, today and measured before and after the water change, and the level didnt change!!??? (10ppm)
I was taught(good or bad???) that you always want the three levels at 0, right???
My concern is ....
1- why are my levels rising?
2- Why didnt the water change drop the level back down....at all???
Help would be greatly appriciated.....:worried:
Any ideas guys???
I normally Have a 0-nitrate, 0-ammonia, and a 0 nitrite at all times.
This last week I have been creeping up to 5ppm and then 10ppm in nitrates.
amm. and nitrite are still a constant 0. I have added 2 very small neon gobys from the group buy in the socal forum. I also added 2 small pices of SPS.
I did my normal 20% water change, once a week, today and measured before and after the water change, and the level didnt change!!??? (10ppm)
I was taught(good or bad???) that you always want the three levels at 0, right???
My concern is ....
1- why are my levels rising?
2- Why didnt the water change drop the level back down....at all???
Help would be greatly appriciated.....:worried:
Any ideas guys???
jrb_dakine
Member
I didnt really care about my nitrates before my tank crashed. But losing everything makes you rethink your game plan. I thought back to what changes I made before the crash happened and what I was doing when my tank was thriving.
Last FTS 10/2008 before my tank crashed:
Some of my favorites:
When I started back up (Feb 2010), I decided that I was going to just keep it simple stupid (kiss), no dosing and just water changes. I would check my parameters before my water changes and after (yeah yeah @N@L).
Its been over 4 months and I'm now starting to see some growth in some of my z's and p's.
jrb : What were your numbers before the crash, when you say you thought back to the changes you made to your tank, before the crash, what were those changes and what are you doing differant now? I really thought the numbers being reported would be higher than what they are, some where around the 40 to 50 range on nitrate levels. Just learning here, but I had thought, low nitrate levels would mean low growth rates.
jrb_dakine
Member
Hey Strout, my nitrate lvl was almost undetectable. Nitrate wasn't the issue.
My problem was that I started to keep SPS in my tank and I started to dose 2part and mag to adjust for the drop in Calcium, alk, and Mag. Now I had a tank that was unstable! Once I got my parameters under control, that's when my zoa garden started to melt.
I really think its way too hard to keep sps, lps, and z's & p's in a 24 gal AIO tank. I was well stocked w/ z's & p's and then I added way too many sps frags. The SPS were doing great and my z's & p's started melting. Too much adjusting, maybe allelopathy (MUCHO'S word of the day), and then everything I did to save the z's & p's (huge water changes, dips, fragging, hospital tank).
Stability, patience, and less is best are my advice when keeping a small AIO system. Sorry so long.
Friday Night
New member
I have never bought a test kit or even tested.. i use my corals/znp's as test markers.. they look upset angry stressed.. i know something is up and most of the time its a water change and were all good...
BTW Killer pics JRB! :beer:
BTW Killer pics JRB! :beer:
blasterman789
New member
Softies and LPS need nitrate, and just because your test kit says '0' simply means it's being consumed. Detectable nitrate simply means you have a surplus.
Last fall I set up several frag tanks intending to grow SPS and threw zoas in the tank as an afterthought. No fish in the tanks. Hermits died because there was nothing to eat and starved. Nitrates and phosphates obviously tested zero and SPS liked the pristine water.
Zoas did not grow at all over a 5 month period. Some large green button palys grew a little.
A couple months ago I threw a single domino damsel in one of the tanks, and quarter sized patches of watermelons and oranges (gorilla nipples?) *doubled in size* in about a month, and growth is accelerating. I see new babies every day. Button Palys are now growing fast enough they will soon become a nuisance.
So, the 'fish poop' theory is clearly not a myth in my book. Just how much surplus nitrate yields good zoa growth is still a mystery because I still test at '0', but I know it's there.
Last fall I set up several frag tanks intending to grow SPS and threw zoas in the tank as an afterthought. No fish in the tanks. Hermits died because there was nothing to eat and starved. Nitrates and phosphates obviously tested zero and SPS liked the pristine water.
Zoas did not grow at all over a 5 month period. Some large green button palys grew a little.
A couple months ago I threw a single domino damsel in one of the tanks, and quarter sized patches of watermelons and oranges (gorilla nipples?) *doubled in size* in about a month, and growth is accelerating. I see new babies every day. Button Palys are now growing fast enough they will soon become a nuisance.
So, the 'fish poop' theory is clearly not a myth in my book. Just how much surplus nitrate yields good zoa growth is still a mystery because I still test at '0', but I know it's there.
jrb_dakine
Member
Do you run a skimmer on your tank?
DanRhomberg
New member
at least someone answered the question here......lol. It only took three day. lol sheezzz.
Thanks Blasterman
