Zero Nitrates = Pastel Acros (dosing nitrates)

SchnitzelReef

SchnitzelReef

Active member
To start off I have a 250g tank. Main filtration is protein skimmer and a small refugium. No carbon dosing, no bio pellets. I have been trying to get my sps to color with deep dark colors. My whole tank is pastel and growth is so so. Parameters have all been in check, HOWEVER nitrates have been ZERO for months. I used to have more fish and run bio pellets, but I sold a few fish and had a few more die. I took the BPs offline, and never tested nitrates after that. Well now that I have been paying more attention, I just can't get nitrates to go up. If I try feeding a lot more, I end up getting algae problems and phosphates jump up...but still no nitrates. I just bought a new salifert nitrates test kit, because I thought maybe I had an old kit...but this is the reading I get with my new test kit



So after doing some research I ended up buying some potassium nitrate powder from eBay


I think I paid like $10, and this should last me about 5 years. Hahah. I found an article online that said if you wanted to raise nitrates by 1ppm in 1 gallon of water, add 1/4 tsp into 400ml of ro/di. (According to this guy, he was also able to lower his phosphates just by dosing nitrates. Which ended up being an added bonus)

And for the people worried about raising potassium levels, he said after a few months he saw no rise in potassium. He said you would need to dose a ton of this stuff for it to really affect potassium levels.


I dosed potassium nitrate for the first time today. I'm hoping this will help balance my nitrate/phosphate level, and I'm hoping I start seeing better growth and colors from my acros.

I'll keep this thread updated and we'll see how it goes.
 
Have you checked the side of the testing cup? I think it magnifies it by 10 or something. Just so you can get a more accurate reading.
 
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how are your phosphates? That was my issue. couldnt get any sps to stay alive for a 4 month period.. I run gfo now and all my sps have colored up and have polyp extension again.

I think at the highest they were around .40... Lost many colonies before I found out what it was and corrected it. I also have a hanna kit for phosphorus and I would be happy to test your water if you want to swing by.
 
We just went through the exact same thing, in a ~200 gal SPS system. Low-mid bioload (2 good size yellow tangs, one large rabbit fish, two large clowns, about 6-7 other small fish). Heavy pellet feeding on a daily basis. Crummy old ASM G3 skimmer. Macro in sump. Had pale SPS for a while. Then, brown SPS. Then pale SPS again.. Tested nitrates.. very low to almost undetectable. Finally, started dosing phyto and other concentrated, zooplankton type refrigerated supplements on a daily basis. Noticed a huge difference within days. Within a week, colors were returning and stuff was coloring up. Some stuff is still a bit brown, but growth is fantastic and noticeable daily. The new growth has the correct colors. Never would of thought that the nutrients were too low.. I always guessed it would be the opposite!
 
? regarding nitrates.....my nitrates are are very low- undetectable with my test kits anyway. Is that too low??
I'm curious what nitrate levels some of you guys and girls have who are growing thriving SPS corals. Is it better to have a slightly higher nitrate level?
( I've always tried to keep the water so clean, fearing any algae outbreaks).
 
I feed my in sump refugium a little frozen food and sometimes phyto when I want more pods. I never clean the fuge either. My nitrate stays at around ~10.

I have only 3 fish in a 150. But I overfeed with frozen only. 2 times a day. Every 2-3 days I feed frozen to my chalices and BTAs

I think my acros have great color. Yellow/Green/Purple/Blue/Pink are really showing.
 
My nitrates run low as well, and I have been using the same Salifert test. I read it through the side as well, and believe I detect it to be around 2-5. But I also have a refugium full of chaeto which grows well. My phosphates are around .06 with a Hanna checker ultra low phosphorous tester. I have a lot of fish and feed at least twice daily some form of pellets and flakes. I am surprised that my nutrient level aren't higher with all the food and fish.

I am waiting for the idip tester to be delivered to see how it compares to my test kits and then will test against triton as well. Given how significant nutrients are, I'd like to feel I have a more accurate handle on what the levels may truly be. I'm always concerned that my test kits are whacky. I actually test nitrates with api and Salifert. I'm hopeful that a photo metric kit will be more reliable, accurate and trustworthy (and of course quick and easy)
 
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elvis142 said:
Hold on wait a minute! I thought our goal to have sps was to have ZERO nitrates and PHOSPHATES?
Click to expand...

A group of people on the SPS forum say that having some nitrate/phosphate is good for SPS growth and color. Within them, some say that low nutrient tanks are more prune to crash in long term. Higher nutrient combined with strong lighting works well together.

it's pretty contradicting with all the Zeo folks. I am a heavy feeder, so my tank stays high nutrient by itself. I've only had my SPS tank for half a year.. I guess I'm testing out high nutrient, high light combo
 
elvis142 said:
Hold on wait a minute! I thought our goal to have sps was to have ZERO nitrates and PHOSPHATES?
Click to expand...

NO3 and PO4 are food for corals and w/o them, corals go pale and don't grow as quick. It's a fine line between too much PO4/NO3 and too little PO4/NO3
 
Update:
After just a few days of dosing, my skimmer has started started pumping out quite a bit more gunk. I usually would drain my skimmer once every 7-10 days. It was almost half full after just 2 days. So for sure my skimmer has noticed the higher nitrates. Didn't have time to test nitrates yet. I will do it as soon as I get home. I have noticed that the few lps I have are feeding a lot more. I got home yesterday and my chalices and favia all had feeders out, which is not normal for my tank. Haven't made any other changes besides dosing nitrates
 
I get good colors on my sps from feeding the tank a variety of stuff and also doing weekly water changes that replenishes any elements that I'm not dosing (alk and calc) but also removing waste. For food I do flakes, coral pellets, frozen coral food, frozen fish food, live brine. I have a coco worm rock that has been healthy and thriving for over a year, and PE on sps is great.
 
I was tempted to do this when I was running biopellets... my nitrates were 0 but my phosphates were slowly creeping up.

But I discontinued them a few months ago and haven't noticed a change in either nitrates or phosphates. Nitrates are still really low, and my phosphates have been holding at about .08.

isseym328 said:
I get good colors on my sps from feeding the tank a variety of stuff and also doing weekly water changes that replenishes any elements that I'm not dosing (alk and calc) but also removing waste. For food I do flakes, coral pellets, frozen coral food, frozen fish food, live brine. I have a coco worm rock that has been healthy and thriving for over a year, and PE on sps is great.
Click to expand...

I've been taking this approach the last year. Colors and PE are very good.

I like to broadcast Reef Nutrition Oyster Feast and Rotifeast once a week, along with feeding my fish and dosing acropower aminos and seachem reef plus for other trace and vitamins.
 
Fascinating subject: nutrients too much or too little. The nice thing about nitrates is you can test for them. Would be nice to know if there was a specific ratio of nitrates to phosphates that is most ideal ( aside from the 16:1 deal, unless that is the real deal ) and what level is most ideal of absolute levels.

Supplements like amino acids or "coral foods", can't tell if snake oil or a successful addition to coral husbandry. Heck , not even sure if you need to change your water. Separating fact from fiction seems be a big challenge
 
I think you want to find that "fit" for your tank, and then stick with it. What I do might not work with other tanks, but it has been doing well with my tank. I feed well, but also export nutrients with weekly changes. I can't do one w/o the other imo and still have good colors and PE. What does happen every single time though is that I lost something when I go on vacation. :D
 
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