NO3 PO4 question

[rona74]

hi
jumping from fresh water to salt water can be mind blowing when it comes to understanding all that chemistry thing.
i have been reading that it's important to control NO3 PO4 levels

my questions are
1. what levels of NO3 PO4 should i aim for if i go on fowlr setup and what levels should i try to keep for a reef
2. in order to control those levels i heard about few technic like refugium and bio pellets
a friend of mine recommend me to use NO3O4x by red sea.i have read alot of good reviews about this product.
my question is simple although its probably complex subject,why not every one use this product (or similar product by other company) in order to control the levels of No3 Po4 ?
if its working and easy to use and not so expensive why hobbyist buy expensive equipment when simple solution available?

what am i missing here?
is there side effects for those additive?
is it working for some and not for others?

thanks

 

[CStrickland]

It's important to control several parameters in a salt water tank. The most critical ones are: temperature, salinity, nitrogen (ammonia, nitrites, and nitrates are different forms of nitrogen), phosphate, and alkalinity. If you want coral you need to also watch magnesium and calcium. Here's is some info on parameters: http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2004-05/rhf

waste products of fish can build up if you are adding more than you are removing, including nitrogen (usually in the nitrate form) and phosphorus (usually in the phosphate form). These will fertilize algae and can interfere with animal health if they get too high for a particular species. So, we use different techniques to keep up with how much we are adding when we feed the tank. Carbon dosing is one of a great many techniques, nopox is a brand of carbon. Here is some info on carbon:
https://joejaworski.wordpress.com/2015/07/12/should-i-be-dosing-carbon/

That all might be a bit overwhelming out of context. Reading the "setting up" sticky will give you the background knowledge to understand other parts of the hobby http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1031074

Welcome and good luck!

 

[rona74]

thank you CStrickland
very informative links

 

[CStrickland]

You're welcome

 

[billdogg]

thank you CStrickland
very informative links

OMG! Somebody read the links they were referred too!!!

You will do well in this hobby if you keep that up.

Welcome to RC. Please feel free to post any and all questions - we all want you and your tank to succeed.

 

[rona74]

lol billdog
there is so much to read so much to learn so much moeny to spend
trying to find the time to do all while my system is cycling and while my wife keep asking me why our credit card is 5 figure the last few month
but i enjoy it and excited to see fish real soon

 

[NS Mike D]

hi
jumping from fresh water to salt water can be mind blowing when it comes to understanding all that chemistry thing.
i have been reading that it's important to control NO3 PO4 levels

my questions are
1. what levels of NO3 PO4 should i aim for if i go on fowlr setup and what levels should i try to keep for a reef
2. in order to control those levels i heard about few technic like refugium and bio pellets
a friend of mine recommend me to use NO3O4x by red sea.i have read alot of good reviews about this product.
my question is simple although its probably complex subject,why not every one use this product (or similar product by other company) in order to control the levels of No3 Po4 ?
if its working and easy to use and not so expensive why hobbyist buy expensive equipment when simple solution available?

what am i missing here?
is there side effects for those additive?
is it working for some and not for others?

thanks

The Red Sea videos are very good. The web site also lists target parameters for your type of tank (soft, lps, sps growth, sps color). What I like about Red Sea is that they simplify a very complex balance for the new and average aquarists. There is a better program out there, but my head would explode trying to figure out what and when to add to the tank.