Nitrate Reduction - the real facts

[atos]

May&Bryce, you have now no choice than support the approach , I saw your tank . As long as it work good for your animals and for you, I hope for ever will

[May&Bruce]

atos...me too. I would not like to consider changing to a BB. I will rather keep studying about plenum / DSB systems and ensure that it works.

[FuEl]

Rofl must post picture of my algae infested tanks when I'm home. No water changes since febuary, weipro skimmer, no DSB..nitrates are at 2 ppm (Salifert). Maybe the single bag of biohome or the algae itself? After solving phosphate problems maybe can keep sps already

[cityofangels]

oh i leave the water bought from the LFS aside for about a week b4 i use it.

I hope you circulate the water with a pump!

[itchyhand]

The flaming starts from me

I agree with your point..

Nitrate always over 50 but then why LS still alive n kicking??

My nitrate level is measured at 25ppm sometimes 50ppm. Using tetra kits.

I do agree that my corals are blooming nicely EXCEPT my sun corals.... from the initial setup of my tank till now 8mths. They are dying off about 3mths ago. Till now only few suns left.

So in the midst of deciding whether to throw in money to get the becks or schran....or just get a marco.

Read from somewhere that high nitrate level inhibits coral growth but my hammer is growing from 3 stalks to now 6 stalks.

Colleague from US said that high nitrate level inhibits coraline algae growth but promotes green coraline alage(means green instead of purple).

[May&Bruce]

i have no problem with coraline algae growth....bot red and also green

[vito]

Better phos high or Nitrate high ..? which one more toxic ..?

[madmac]

None for both if you can help it... high P is bad for stoney corals. If you have NO3, you have PO4.

the aerobic respiration of Redfield organic matter yields 106 moles of carbon dioxide (CO2), 16 moles of ammonia (NH3) and one mole of orthophosphate (PO4)... i.e. in balance, if you have 1 PO4, your ANN would be 16. And all it takes is 0.03 total phosphate for your water to be considered eutrophic.

[shin]

Better phos high or Nitrate high ..? which one more toxic ..?

PO4 can be easily reduce by running rowa but NO3 for me is pain in the a**

no matter how much water u change NO3 will be present unless u be veri strict in ur feeding and bio load cos NO3 built up veri fast.... at least for me

Can run zeovit so u need not spent too much time worrying high NO3 and PO4

[madmac]

What you measure is always orthophosphate, a water soluble, highly reactive form of phosphate. Test kits can't measure organic phosphate. Orthophosphate, is something everybody wants, bacteria gets it firsts, then pyptophantom, then your micro algae, then.... by the time you get any measure its means nobody wants it anymore... they already full of it. Its getting the rid of the source that produces orthophosphate thats very difficult. No one wants to completely eliminate it, as you can't, it is essential to life. It takes jus that little nano bit, anymore is so bad.

[shin]

So anywhere below 0.03ppm is ok lah but not zero?

No wonder someone asking whether need to bring up his PO4 from zero sometime ago......

[shin]

What you measure is always orthophosphate, a water soluble, highly reactive form of phosphate. Test kits can't measure organic phosphate.

Agreed wif u.... Although testkit show below 0.03 but now got algae bloom after going BB

So i think DSB is also effective in some and other way

[weileong]

that is transition period, the algae will be gone if you can keep your tank clean.

[loster]

i have undetect n03 (salifert). it is possible to achieve that. i feed my fished everyday. i don't have sandbed. i have good skimmer and good LR to achieve low nutrients. as for skimmer, i skim it wet. so, the n03 will not take place. i used DI water for water change and water top up. 5% weekly water change for me is not to export nutrients but to provide a balance elements from the salt mixed for the corals and LS (so i don't waste $$ for additive)

i have good coraline algae cover every part of my LRs, now it started to spread to the overflow box and some part on the tank base. i have snails to help me do the cleaning work for my tank

[tigershark]

hope I'm not starting another flame war here.... my NO3 is always maintain around 5~10ppm.... change water once around 1~2 months at ard 20% . DSB around 6" in the display tank (2'x2'x2') and another 7" of sandbed in the sump... LR? at least 50kg at this point of time....

skimmer? using cheapo weipro 2012. my secret? I really cant remember when is the last time i feed my demsel... anyway, there is only 4 small demsel in my tank now and they are still surviving...

as for my LPS, i only feed them once a month using chopped market prawn My softies? same thing, cant remember when is the last time i feed my mushroom and leather and both of them still growing in my tank....

[FuEl]

Nitrate reduction using buckets