Dosing nitrate and phosphate?

[Jaycen B.]

What do you guys think would be the maximum daily increase of these two nutrients?
My no3 and po4 are undetectable at the moment.
no3 measured with red sea pro.
po4 with Hanna checker HI713 with a +/- .04, ugh.
I have Brightwells neonitro, and neophos.
Suggestions/ tips?

 

[Dmitri]

Stump remover for nitrates, don’t want to do anything with phosphates though. I’m sure you have phosphates where it needs to be.
Get yourself Hannah ULR HI-736 to test low range phosphates

 

[Jaycen B.]

That's just sodium nitrate right?
Yeah, I have been thinking about upgrading the Po4 meter. Probably need to do that.

 

[bzb]

I've used potassium nitrate in the past. Greenleaf Aquariums sells a bag super cheap. Just get the doser and there's calculators out there to make the solution to your liking.

Now I just feed my fish until they're super fat.

 

[jcook54]

I currently dose both in the form of a NaNO3 (curing salt) solution for nitrates and Seachem's "Flourish Phosphate." It doesn't take much and I've been doing it for a while. @Adam gave me 5 lbs of the NaNO3 and I use around 50 grams annually. If you'd like to get some, just let me know, I've got plenty. I'm happy with the results and went with NaNO3 because it was around, I didn't look in to may other options.

 

[Jaycen B.]

So, any idea on the max daily increase?

 

[ichthyoid]

Tropic Marin has 2 products that will increase both N & P
-Plus NP
-NP Bacto Balance

The Plus NP is supposedly just N & P, in a balanced ratio.

The Bacto-Balance is N, P, cations & an organic carbon source.

I will use Plus NP to raise those to detectable levels during cycling.

The Bacto-Balance involves carbon dosing & cations, so really should be a separate discussion.

 

[ichthyoid]

I should also mention one big difference in the Plus-NP. The nitrogen and phosphorous are bound to organic ligands, so they stay in solution until metabolized by bacterial enzymes.

The main reason that is a big deal is that the phosphate is mostly prohibited from precipitating on rock and gravels of calcium origin until taken up by the bacteria

 

[jcook54]

I thought dosing these nutrients was going to be a short term affair but it's been a year and I'm still at it. I just ordered some Plus-NP to give it a shot. I'm still astonished that I spent 15 years and a lot of money trying to keep these levels low and now I'm paying to get them up.

 

[ichthyoid]

I am determined to find the holy grail of reef biochemistry using a balanced input of nutrients, anions, cations & organic carbon forms.

All in order to yield a thriving ecosystem inherently ‘tuned’ to maximize not just coral growth, but also all of the organisms which support them as well.

This is the main reason I’ve chosen to use All for Reef, as it is based on a bacterial system of nutrient exchange & the resulting water chemistry.

 

[jcook54]

Hey man, I'm with you. I started dosing all for reef myself in my display tank for two reason. First, it's better balanced than 2 part. Second, it's a lot easier getting my teenage daughter to dose it for me when I'm gone that the 2 part has been. I'm hoping the Plus-NP works just as well.

 

[Dmac]

Are you getting rid of the seachems phosphate product?