Zero Nitrates = Pastel Acros (dosing nitrates)

[Rakie]

I have tested everything.. And tried everything

Where on the coral did the STN originate? If it's STN from the base up, that can be caused by excess Zinc.

My 3 Go-To's when stuff starts getting unhappy and you have NO idea why.
- Series of LARGE water changes (change 100% or more in 3-5 WC)
- Carbon (Who knows when that febreeze was just a little too close to the tank)
- Seachem Prime (Detox heavy metals, like Zinc)

The nuke
- Triton Test (Do this BEFORE the above 3 steps, or the test wont help determine what the problem was)

 

[swnoob]

I have tested everything.. And tried everything(i have even taken equipment off). The only thing I can possibly think of was that I tried switching salts from red sea regular to instant ocean.. Besides that, I can only think of no nitrate.. I see no bugs, no webs, nothing.. It's frustrating and I'm literally trying everything.. My alk has remained stable at 7.5(what it always has been)..

I even, purchased a poly filter, just to see if it would change color.. Nothing.. But it's really breaking my heart because things have gone so well and looked and grew awesome for so long..

From note 5

You mentioned your alk being stable at 7.5. Did you measure your alk right after a water change? Red Sea blue bucket is right around 8 to 8.5 in alk. I've had Instant Ocean measure as high as 12.5 when mixed at 1.026. Dependent on how large of a water you do I can see that being the source of your problem.

Keep in mind you sometimes will not see stn for a couple weeks have gone by after an alk spike. The same happened to me months ago. Went from 7.5 to 9.25 after a large water change and got stn on several corals weeks later

I now do multiple small water changes throughout the month to have minimal affect on alk using Instant Ocean.

 

[DamonG]

Where on the coral did the STN originate? If it's STN from the base up, that can be caused by excess Zinc.

My 3 Go-To's when stuff starts getting unhappy and you have NO idea why.
- Series of LARGE water changes (change 100% or more in 3-5 WC)
- Carbon (Who knows when that febreeze was just a little too close to the tank)
- Seachem Prime (Detox heavy metals, like Zinc)

The nuke
- Triton Test (Do this BEFORE the above 3 steps, or the test wont help determine what the problem was)

Yep.. Base up on every one that it has happened to..

From note 5

 

[DamonG]

You mentioned your alk being stable at 7.5. Did you measure your alk right after a water change? Red Sea blue bucket is right around 8 to 8.5 in alk. I've had Instant Ocean measure as high as 12.5 when mixed at 1.026. Dependent on how large of a water you do I can see that being the source of your problem.

Keep in mind you sometimes will not see stn for a couple weeks have gone by after an alk spike. The same happened to me months ago. Went from 7.5 to 9.25 after a large water change and got stn on several corals weeks later

I now do multiple small water changes throughout the month to have minimal affect on alk using Instant Ocean.

No, I generally don't measure the alk after a water change, simply because I do 20 gallon changes to minimize any shock(which for my system, that's even less than 10%).. And that's after the water has mixed for at least a day in the mixing container(which I have cleaned it, my ato chamber, and my di holding chamber with peroxide in the last week, but this has been happening for about a month)..

It's strange because everything was great and the bam! All of a sudden.. I got through maybe 3/4 of a bucket of the instant ocean, and it began..

And I haven't put any new carbon in, since I normally have a small bag of purigen in the sump..

From note 5

 

[Rakie]

Yep.. Base up on every one that it has happened to..

From note 5

Well if that's the case, and all testable parameters are fine -- id suggest looking into what you dose, and see if some (or all) of them contain Zinc.

Sounds like it may be Zinc issues to me.

 

[DamonG]

Well if that's the case, and all testable parameters are fine -- id suggest looking into what you dose, and see if some (or all) of them contain Zinc.

Sounds like it may be Zinc issues to me.

Let me look into it because I really only use 2 to 3 things.. One of them is a trace element, and the other is simply amino acids..

I did put some prime in the system(i had thought about metals myself, but that's why I purchased the poly filter as it would supposedly tell me any metals by the color), but I'm sure that's not perfect either..

Oh, I did have an impeller split on my calcium reactor recirculation pump. I replaced it last week, but that's where I thought maybe metals..

From note 5

 

[Breadman03]

I have calcium nitrate in a dry form.. Can I use that also?

From note 5

I saw a post from Randy, I'm pretty sure on another forum, that calcium nitrite is acceptable. I'd bet it's even preferable.

I'be never been able to have coral success, even doing everything "right". I'm thinking Triton is about to get some of my money.

 

[DamonG]

Well, after 100ml of my solution, I finally got 2ppm nitrate.. I am going to see how long it lasts.. In the back of my mind, I'm thinking not too long.. A day maybe?

From note 5

 

[FDAWG]

Well, after 100ml of my solution, I finally got 2ppm nitrate.. I am going to see how long it lasts.. In the back of my mind, I'm thinking not too long.. A day maybe?

From note 5

What test kit are you using?

 

[DamonG]

What test kit are you using?

Red sea..

From note 5

 

[organism]

First I would try to find why your corals are STNing, sounds like you have another problem to me.

I had a lot of STN that turned out to be from low nitrates, didn't know that's what it was from until it stopped after a few days of nitrates dosing. Had a setosa colony that I was about to give away for free, 4 weeks later it looks awesome again. Pink lemonade had STN on the base and stopped after a couple of days, same with some montis.

 

[Grant W]

Funny, I'm having the same issues. I thought it was way too low on nitrates thx guys

 

[pga7602]

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, are you dosing this stuff in dry powder form? You say 1/4 tsp is why I ask.

 

[solitude127]

Hey Mike, are you dosing this stuff in dry powder form? You say 1/4 tsp is why I ask.

Yes, my KNO3 is in powder form. I put 1/4tsp and mix it with some RO/Di water and dump the whole solution in my sump.

 

[evoreefer11]

Whats ur guys recommend nitrate level so everything is coloring up fine??

 

[solitude127]

I try to keep mine between 5 - 10

 

[SPotter]

5-10

 

[watchguy123]

Consensus is perhaps 2-10 ppm nitrates. But of course that depends on the group giving "consensus". I presume the range is larger. There are a number of caveats to a consensus in nitrate levels.

First, I'm unaware of anyone doing anything scientific with most reef keeping and specifically with nitrate levels. There are profound differences between NSW and a tank full of coral to begin with. So consensus seems to be totally dependent on anectodatal responses.

Secondly, nitrates undoubtedly interact with other components in salt water like phosphates and so it may foster different benefits or disadvantages at different ratios or absolute levels. I also don't think anyone knows how nitrate level react with alk levels either.

Lastly, test kits suck. Doing this for years and I still am not positive between 2, 5 and 10 on a salifert nitrate test kit--maybe it's just me. So variability may come from our testing limits

 

[evoreefer11]

Need help what test kit would you guys recommend to test nitrate?

 

[FDAWG]

Need help what test kit would you guys recommend to test nitrate?

Salifert or Red Sea Pro.