0 Nitrates and 0 Phosphates

[CarolinaReef]

Hello all. I Could use some advise on how to safely raise my nitrates and phosphates on my 20 gallon waterbox cube. I’ve tried increasing the amount of feeding. Currently i feed once a day (frozen brine) and a couples times a week I’m even feeding twice a day (pellets at night). There are some Dino’s forming which I’m not thrilled about but my main concern is my torch coral. It hasn’t fully come out lately and at night it closes up (which i know is normal, but it closed up so much last night i could see the skeleton). Although it still comes back and the flesh is not retracting at all from what i can tell. Should i be dosing anything to help with this? Or do you have any other recommendations for me? Also the tank has been running for a little over 8 months now.

Tank Setup:
Waterbox 20 cube
Filter Sock
Submersible UV
Chemi Pure Blue
Small Powerhead
Cobalt heater
Ai Prime 32 HD

Livestock:
2x Fancy Snowflake Clowns
2x Bangai Cardinals
3x Turbo Snails
3x Nassarius Snails
1x Sand Sifting Star
1x Blue Legged Hermit Crab

 

[CarolinaReef]

Here are some pictures for reference. The one is a night shot when it’s mostly retracted but not as bad as it was last night. Then the other is it not fully extending and then the polyps on the sides seem to be turning brownish.

 

[Lavey29]

With those zeros your starving your corals to death. Remove the chemipure blue because that removes nitrates and phosphate for your tank. You should be feeding 2 or 3x daily. Water change every 2 weeks. You can dose neophos and neonitro to raise numbers otherwise dinos will take over. You can give corals reef roids once a week to raise phosphate also.

 

[CarolinaReef]

With those zeros your starving your corals to death. Remove the chemipure blue because that removes nitrates and phosphate for your tank. You should be feeding 2 or 3x daily. Water change every 2 weeks. You can dose neophos and neonitro to raise numbers otherwise dinos will take over. You can give corals reef roids once a week to raise phosphate also.

That’s good to know. I didn’t realize the chemi pure would be doing that much but I’ll remove it for sure. I may do some dosing as well as i feel it’s been too long that they’ve sat at 0.

 

[Tony the Fish]

I dose ESV Nitrate and Flourish Phosphate- I use a Hanna Checker to test and aim for .08 Phosphate - 8 Nitrate

 

[Lavey29]

That’s good to know. I didn’t realize the chemi pure would be doing that much but I’ll remove it for sure. I may do some dosing as well as i feel it’s been too long that they’ve sat at 0.

You can run a bag of carbon to keep the water clear. I had to double dose neophos and neonitro for multiple weeks before my numbers came up.

 

[CarolinaReef]

I dose ESV Nitrate and Flourish Phosphate- I use a Hanna Checker to test and aim for .08 Phosphate - 8 Nitrate

I’d like to get a hanna checker someday but right now I’ve just been spending too much. But it’s on the list lol.

 

[Jib]

Does with Neo Nitro & Neo Phos if you have to. I couldn't get my Phos up by feeding alone. Ended up doing doses up to 5X what the bottle said to get a phos reading. Once things stabilized, I don't need to dose anymore. I'd try feeding more first, but don't be afraid to dose. I dont think I could have got the phos up by feeding alone.

 

[Acros]

I have a similar tank (IM25 lagoon) and I feed 3-4 times a day. My nitrates are at 7 and phosphates at 0.02. Only mechanical filtration is filter pads changed out twice a week. I change about 20% water once a month.

Every tank is different and you have to find your tank’s balance. Feeding once a day is too little. Spread across all my feedings, I feed half a cube of brine shrimp or mysis shrimp a day.

 

[CarolinaReef]

Does with Neo Nitro & Neo Phos if you have to. I couldn't get my Phos up by feeding alone. Ended up doing doses up to 5X what the bottle said to get a phos reading. Once things stabilized, I don't need to dose anymore. I'd try feeding more first, but don't be afraid to dose. I dont think I could have got the phos up by feeding alone.

I ended up buying some and they should be here tomorrow so I’m hoping it helps! I’ve never had to dose before but I’ve also never really had coral before. Hopefully it will settle and i won’t have to keep doing it.

 

[CarolinaReef]

I have a similar tank (IM25 lagoon) and I feed 3-4 times a day. My nitrates are at 7 and phosphates at 0.02. Only mechanical filtration is filter pads changed out twice a week. I change about 20% water once a month.

Every tank is different and you have to find your tank’s balance. Feeding once a day is too little. Spread across all my feedings, I feed half a cube of brine shrimp or mysis shrimp a day.

I never realized how much feeding i needed to do. I was originally told to only feed once a day and to feed light but I’m seeing that i was told wrong now lol. Also I’ve been debating removing the UV sterilizer but haven’t fully decided on it. I got it cause my lfs recommending me to get it to help with the ugly stage of just starting the tank but i feel it’s overkill.

 

[ffmurray]

I’d like to get a hanna checker someday but right now I’ve just been spending too much. But it’s on the list lol.

Just a thought, don’t dose what you can’t measure…

 

[ffmurray]

Auto feeders are great to drop in a few pellets a couple times a day. Clowns are herbivores,

 

[Nate Chalk]

Plus 1 on the neo phos and neo nitrate

 

[CarolinaReef]

Just a thought, don’t dose what you can’t measure…

I do have an api kit, which i know isn’t always 100% accurate. I just don’t have anything more accurate then that yet.

 

[CarolinaReef]

Auto feeders are great to drop in a few pellets a couple times a day. Clowns are herbivores,

I do have one. I honestly never thought of using it. It came with the used tank i bought. Thanks for the input I’ll have to set it up

 

[ffmurray]

I do have an api kit, which i know isn’t always 100% accurate. I just don’t have anything more accurate then that yet.

To quote Jake from reef builders, you won’t kill anything by under dosing… I wait to dose something till I have a good kit and have the time/energy to use it.

 

[Acros]

I never realized how much feeding i needed to do. I was originally told to only feed once a day and to feed light but I’m seeing that i was told wrong now lol. Also I’ve been debating removing the UV sterilizer but haven’t fully decided on it. I got it cause my lfs recommending me to get it to help with the ugly stage of just starting the tank but i feel it’s overkill.

That is not bad advice. Most people have the problem of over feeding when starting out. There are a number of things that you can do to increase nutrients. Avoid changing filter socks or increase feeding. Dosing is a viable short term solution. Again, you will have to find your tank’s balance. I would suggest testing daily if you are dosing nutrients. Test weekly if you decide to just feed more. Either way, use Hanna Nitrate HR and phosphate ULR to make your life easier.

@ffmurray clowns are omnivores.