Zero Nitrates = Pastel Acros (dosing nitrates)
- Thread starter SchnitzelReef
- Start date
you stopped using it huh?
Not sure how much you paid, but for $10 shipped I got a 1lb bag of Potassium Nitrate, and that looks like it'll last a long, long time.
ReefTron5000
Member
Well I'm about a month in to dosing Calcium Nitrate in my 130 mixed reef. Nitrates and Phosphates were under 0/0 long term. Phosphates continue to be near 0 but I've got nitrates at around 2-3 ppm right now. Its kind of hard to tell if changes are happening with most corals. I think my Setosa might be getting brighter and a some frags I've purchased aren't losing color the way previous SPS frags have.
There is this one coral that is clearly changing. This birdnest was purchased from Garrets SPS at RAP 2014. Its grown but color has been essentially non-existent.
I took these pics with no lights
I do not remember seeing that clear pink before. The thing is, it completely disappears when the lights come on. Gonna keep at it.
There is this one coral that is clearly changing. This birdnest was purchased from Garrets SPS at RAP 2014. Its grown but color has been essentially non-existent.
I took these pics with no lights
I do not remember seeing that clear pink before. The thing is, it completely disappears when the lights come on. Gonna keep at it.
organism
code monkey
I wanted to bump this one up to see how everyone's tanks are doing now with a few months of nitrate dosing? Also have you guys noticed the nitrates drop crazy fast when you first start dosing?
I started dosing stump killer yesterday due to some chronically pale corals and nitrates staying at 0 no matter how much I feed. I bumped the nitrates to 2, then within a couple hours they're back at 0. In the past 24 hours the tank has gone from 2 to 0 around a half dozen times... I read a post by RHF where he said the bacteria that eat nitrates are starved and will grow exponentially when you first start dosing until you get an equilibrium where you don't have to dose as much, wondering if that's been the case for you guys.
I started dosing stump killer yesterday due to some chronically pale corals and nitrates staying at 0 no matter how much I feed. I bumped the nitrates to 2, then within a couple hours they're back at 0. In the past 24 hours the tank has gone from 2 to 0 around a half dozen times... I read a post by RHF where he said the bacteria that eat nitrates are starved and will grow exponentially when you first start dosing until you get an equilibrium where you don't have to dose as much, wondering if that's been the case for you guys.
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solitude127
Proud user of IO Salt!
I started dosing a while ago and stopped because my nitrates got up to 16 and back at it again but it took like 2 months to get it that high with me dosing 1/4tsp twice a week. Funny thing is that when my NO3 was that high, I stopped and then within 3 or 4 days it went back down to 0. Kind of crazy. Now I'm only dosing 1/4tsp a week to hopefully maintain some NO3.
Hey Mike,
What type of nitrate did you dose? Looks like I need to start dosing but not sure which I should go with. I may try the spectracide stump remover but not sure just yet.
So many people have terrible results with the stump remover months from when they started.. It just sounds like a terrible idea.
Go to a freshwater planted site and unarse $3 to get pure KN03, potassium nitrate. It's clean, mixes clear, it's pure, and cheap. You can get a lifetime supply for like $3.
bif24701
New member
Here is a calculator you can use to find the correct mix for your system. Find the appropriate mix where adding each 10ml of the mix will raise your Nitrate by 1ppm.
http://www.theplantedtank.co.uk/calculator.htm
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http://www.theplantedtank.co.uk/calculator.htm
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bif24701
New member
In the last 10 years we have discovered/learned how to remove more and more DOCs/nutrients. Also with the old idea that nitrates and phosphates are bad umm K. We are starving our corals, literally. So this helps ensure they get what they need without adding too much foods and increasing phosphates or some other problem. Some can't even get Nitrates to read on a test no matter how much they seem to feed. This solves that problem and many are seeing positive results including I.
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solitude127
Proud user of IO Salt!
As Rakie mentioned, I'm using KNO3 in the form of dry fertilizer from nilocg.com
Razor Blade
New member
KNO3 is very difficult/impossible to get in Canada and if you order outside the country it will be confiscated at the border; but it is very easy to get Calcium Nitrate or Magnesium Nitrate. I would assume the latter two would also add additional calcium and magnesium.
Has anyone had experience with either of those two?
Has anyone had experience with either of those two?
organism
code monkey
Do you have links for these many people? I'm curious to see if there was something else going on.
MSDS says 100% potassium nitrate
http://www.homedepot.com/catalog/pdfImages/86/861a9ce8-72f6-4c77-8324-dc6162edf7bf.pdf
Thanks! Juts placed an order.
BeanMachine
Active member
I think partly due to the advancements in mechanical and chemical filtration from 10 years ago... but I agree with you.
It does say it's 100% kn03, but truthfully that can be easily fudged. In America for example the FDA allows 0.9g sugar to be 0g, because it's not technically one entire gram. With that in mind, the stump remover may be 99% pure and round up.. It's really hard to trust companies when you start looking into labelling laws..
As for stump remover causing problems I've just seen more than a few people end up with problems in the long run. Sorry, i didn't save any of these and I don't recall the thread.. I think it's because of what I mentioned above. Lots of products that are 'pure' aren't so pure. They're 'close enough' to be labelled as pure.
Nailed it, imo
organism
code monkey
Interesting... I picked up some food/reagent grade potassium nitrate just in case, stuff's so cheap it's not worth chancing on the stump remover.
bif24701
New member
The SDS (formally MSDS) information is required by the EPA and entirely different division than FDA. That comparison is ludicrous. The SDS must be accurate. The EPA strictly and actively enforces the law governing SDS information. That info listed on an SDS is required and used for many uses and reasons. If the SDS says it's 99% pure than it is.
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