Struggling with near undectable nitrates

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Reeferparty

New member
After being on vacation and tank sitter spiking my nitrates >40ppm, I've spent the past 2 months slowly but surely dropping it back down. Now, I'm struggling with undectable nitrates and can't seem to get them back up to ~5ppm. I'm using Red Sea test kit and barely can make a case for .25ppm. My po4 is at around .05 which I'm pretty ok with. Some of my corals are really unhappy and pale.


I tried feeding more but no luck. I tried dosing acropower but that gave me other problems (cyano and dinos) so I stopped that. I got a bottle of brightwell neonitro to dose nitrates but before I do, I'd like to know if anyone has any experience with dosage and if anyone had had any negative side effects with this stuff. Thanks


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it's very cheap & safe source to bring up no3. you can get them as pure as 99.8%.
1 lbs with ro/di water to make 1 g solutions. 60 ml bring my no3 from 0-0.25, about net 400g of water. of course, just like every tank, your result will be slightly different than mine.
 
Reeferparty said:
Is there a dosing calculator for this stuff? My tank is 85 total water volume


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Click to expand...

every tank use no3 differently, so no calculator that i know of. just start with a small amount. you can see the effects and base off that you should be able to get a pretty good educated guess.
 
ClownNut said:
every tank use no3 differently, so no calculator that i know of. just start with a small amount. you can see the effects and base off that you should be able to get a pretty good educated guess.
Click to expand...



Cool thanks! I'll give that a try


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I put mine on a doser and dose 85ml a day...a little each hour. My n03 is around 3 to 4. Of course ea tank is different.
 
ClownNut said:
it's very cheap & safe source to bring up no3. you can get them as pure as 99.8%.
1 lbs with ro/di water to make 1 g solutions. 60 ml bring my no3 from 0-0.25, about net 400g of water. of course, just like every tank, your result will be slightly different than mine.
Click to expand...



How many gallons is your take?


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CoralNerd said:
I put mine on a doser and dose 85ml a day...a little each hour. My n03 is around 3 to 4. Of course ea tank is different.
Click to expand...



How many gallons is your tank and what's your bio load like? I'm not looking to dose nitrates forever. I'm hoping to just get it to where it needs to be and hopefully forget it


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I figure 85 working gallons.
Mainly SPS
Feed 3 to 4 times a day, mostly frozen food.
I do have a nice refugium that I grow chaeto in.
I currently have:
"¢ 1 Yellow Coris Wrasse
"¢ 1 Tanaka's Pygmy Wrasse
"¢ 1 Pink Streaked Wrasse
"¢ 2 Leopard Wrasse
-----5 Wrasse
"¢ 1 Potters Angel
"¢ 1 Bellus Angel
"¢ 1 Yasha Goby
"¢ 1 Neon Blue Goby
"¢ 1 Greenbanded Goby
"¢ 1 Purple Firefish
"¢ 1 Zebra Barred Dartfish
"¢ 1 Blue Chromis
"¢ 2 Threadfin Cardinalfish
"¢ 1 Tailspot Blenny
"¢ 1 Mandrin Goby
"¢ 1 Platinum Mollies
"¢ 1 Ignitus Anthias
"¢ 1 Resplendent Anthias
"¢ 1 Evansi Anthias
(Pseudanthias evansi)
"¢ 1 Red Saddled Anthias
(Pseudanthias flavoguttatus)
"¢ 1 Purple Queen Anthias
Total = 23 Fish
 
Why do you want them higher? It is not necessary for anything. .25 is plenty for healthy and colorful coral - I would look elsewhere for your coloration issues like other parameter stability or lighting.

If you really need to raise them, stop growing chaeto.

FWIW - I shoot for .1N and .01P and can fill a tank from frags within three years that you need a saw and chisel to get out. I am not a fan of ULN systems, but I do consider my tank LN. I also use best of breed lighting. Color is very good.
 
Just feed more.... if you are feeding more and its not changing it, then you are not feeding enough :). Stopping growing of cheato etc def will make a diff too.
 
CoralNerd said:
I figure 85 working gallons.
Mainly SPS
Feed 3 to 4 times a day, mostly frozen food.
I do have a nice refugium that I grow chaeto in.
I currently have:
"¢ 1 Yellow Coris Wrasse
"¢ 1 Tanaka's Pygmy Wrasse
"¢ 1 Pink Streaked Wrasse
"¢ 2 Leopard Wrasse
-----5 Wrasse
"¢ 1 Potters Angel
"¢ 1 Bellus Angel
"¢ 1 Yasha Goby
"¢ 1 Neon Blue Goby
"¢ 1 Greenbanded Goby
"¢ 1 Purple Firefish
"¢ 1 Zebra Barred Dartfish
"¢ 1 Blue Chromis
"¢ 2 Threadfin Cardinalfish
"¢ 1 Tailspot Blenny
"¢ 1 Mandrin Goby
"¢ 1 Platinum Mollies
"¢ 1 Ignitus Anthias
"¢ 1 Resplendent Anthias
"¢ 1 Evansi Anthias
(Pseudanthias evansi)
"¢ 1 Red Saddled Anthias
(Pseudanthias flavoguttatus)
"¢ 1 Purple Queen Anthias
Total = 23 Fish
Click to expand...



Wow 23 fish in an 85g?! I'm only at 10..


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Combined tank 74g + 30g sump =104g minus 20% (equipment, sand rock) 20.8g
So 104g - 21g =83g use this amount for treatments.

Length x width x height divided 231 volume



TANK



Actual 46" x 24" x 21"

-1/2 inch front/back side to side

45" x 23" x 19.5"

Capacity with overflow = 87.3 Gallons



Capacity without the overflow (fish swim room)

45" x 19.5" x 19.5" = 74 Gallons


So I would indicate 85 Gallon tank.


SUMP



Actual 37.5" - 5" for ATO = 32.5" x 20" x 18"



-1/2 inch front/back side to side

Capaticty 31.5" x 19" x 18" / 231

= 46.63 Gallons Maybe a little less due to other materials.

Little less due to baffles---say minus 1" side to side.

30.5" x 19" x 17.5" / 231 = 43.90 Gallons



Running

30.5" x 19" x 12" / 231 = 30.1 Gallons

Assumption that the running water is at 12
 
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