Low Nitrate Problem in Fluval Evo 13.5

maalta · Mar 1, 2023

Hi everyone,

My fluval evo 13.5 is a little over 9 months old and I’ve reached a weird breaking point. After months of battling high nitrates (30s), within the last month my nitrates have started to bottom out ranging from 1-5.

Some background:
I run a LPS dominant mixed reef with a good amount of softies and SPS (including acropora). My alkalinity has finally stabilized by dosing All For Reef 3x a day. I spot dose magnesium and calcium as needed. I perform 10% water changes about once a week. Filter setup includes an In Tank chamber 1 with floss, chemipure blue, and MarinePure spheres.

Tank is stocked with an ocillaris clown, six line wrasse, tailspot blenny, and green clown goby. I also have an assortment of snails and 1 hermit.

I autofeed pellets twice daily and spot feed reef roids 2-3x per week.

My Issue:
I can’t figure out why my nitrates have started to bottom out. For about 8 months my tank would stay steady at Nitrates of 20. Phos between 0.04-0.1. My coral growth has really started to explode now that my tank parameters have stabilized and maybe I’m seeing the side effects of that with my nutrients.

Solutions?
I’m looking for ideas on how to keep my nitrates around 10. It’s a small tank and my fear is that dosing something like NeoNitro will destabilize everything. Any other solutions? Particularly things that have worked for small tanks.

Thanks!

MnFish1 · Mar 1, 2023

maalta said:
Hi everyone,

My fluval evo 13.5 is a little over 9 months old and I’ve reached a weird breaking point. After months of battling high nitrates (30s), within the last month my nitrates have started to bottom out ranging from 1-5.

Some background:
I run a LPS dominant mixed reef with a good amount of softies and SPS (including acropora). My alkalinity has finally stabilized by dosing All For Reef 3x a day. I spot dose magnesium and calcium as needed. I perform 10% water changes about once a week. Filter setup includes an In Tank chamber 1 with floss, chemipure blue, and MarinePure spheres.

Tank is stocked with an ocillaris clown, six line wrasse, tailspot blenny, and green clown goby. I also have an assortment of snails and 1 hermit.

I autofeed pellets twice daily and spot feed reef roids 2-3x per week.

My Issue:
I can’t figure out why my nitrates have started to bottom out. For about 8 months my tank would stay steady at Nitrates of 20. Phos between 0.04-0.1. My coral growth has really started to explode now that my tank parameters have stabilized and maybe I’m seeing the side effects of that with my nutrients.

Solutions?
I’m looking for ideas on how to keep my nitrates around 10. It’s a small tank and my fear is that dosing something like NeoNitro will destabilize everything. Any other solutions? Particularly things that have worked for small tanks.

Thanks!

Your nitrates are not bottoming out. Hopefully you have used a couple of tests to document your values

. A nitrate level of 1-5 is 'normal'. But - if you want a way to keep your nitrates at 10 - change your water change schedule to every other week

ElementReefer · Mar 1, 2023

Could you post a current tank pic? As the soft coral in my tank started to get big, they were nutrient pigs. I ended up putting them in their own little tank.

csturgis1989 · Mar 1, 2023

Just feed more. Reefroids will raise nitrate and phosphate.

soreefed · Mar 1, 2023

csturgis1989 said:
Just feed more. Reefroids will raise nitrate and phosphate.

I’ve had undetectable phos/nitrate for few months now. No matter how much I feed reef roids, frozen foods, or pellets the nutrient levels stay the same, but with that heavy feeding tons of nuisance algae and filter feeder growth. The corals are growing nicely and are colored up so the nutrients are there… over feeding isn’t always the answer to low nutrients

MnFish1 · Mar 1, 2023

There is no need for high nitrates/phosphates - unless there is a problem with the livestock. IMHO - Stop fiddling with the tests (first verify if they are correct) - and let things go. There is still nitrate - they (your livestock) - are not 'starving'

Reeflix · Mar 1, 2023

maalta said:
Hi everyone,

My fluval evo 13.5 is a little over 9 months old and I’ve reached a weird breaking point. After months of battling high nitrates (30s), within the last month my nitrates have started to bottom out ranging from 1-5.

Some background:
I run a LPS dominant mixed reef with a good amount of softies and SPS (including acropora). My alkalinity has finally stabilized by dosing All For Reef 3x a day. I spot dose magnesium and calcium as needed. I perform 10% water changes about once a week. Filter setup includes an In Tank chamber 1 with floss, chemipure blue, and MarinePure spheres.

Tank is stocked with an ocillaris clown, six line wrasse, tailspot blenny, and green clown goby. I also have an assortment of snails and 1 hermit.

I autofeed pellets twice daily and spot feed reef roids 2-3x per week.

My Issue:
I can’t figure out why my nitrates have started to bottom out. For about 8 months my tank would stay steady at Nitrates of 20. Phos between 0.04-0.1. My coral growth has really started to explode now that my tank parameters have stabilized and maybe I’m seeing the side effects of that with my nutrients.

Solutions?
I’m looking for ideas on how to keep my nitrates around 10. It’s a small tank and my fear is that dosing something like NeoNitro will destabilize everything. Any other solutions? Particularly things that have worked for small tanks.

Thanks!

you really dont want "artificial nutients" and your nitrates are perfect! dont change anything at all! so if you are making your nitrates higher for coral growth then spot feed reefroids. there is a extremly long thing that i compiled on this so really what it is is that coral use nitrates in the ocean from plankton as the nitrates in the ocen are inthe parts per billions. the nitrates you dose sre for the 10% that they cant get from the food they naturally eat in the ocean. the nitrates you have are enough to supply them their needed 10% so just spot feed them reef roids and you should be fine!

Reeflix · Mar 1, 2023

artifical as in dosing. my tank wants to be sterile so i need to dose them as the coral wouldnt be happy other wise without those. the reef roids are all you really need!

jda · Mar 1, 2023

Your corals are likely getting all of the nitrogen that they need from ammonia, so just feed your fish. Your no3 is likely lower now because anoxic bacteria have colonized in the rock/sand in your tank and turning no3 into nitrogen gas - this is the last step in the nitrogen cycle and happens in that 6-12 month range. You don't need any more no3 than you have and even undetectable levels are plenty fine. It is not food or fuel and not even a preferred source for corals to get nitrogen. Nitrate can inhibit calcification, so of course coral can grow faster with lower nitrate levels.

csturgis1989 · Mar 1, 2023

soreefed said:
I’ve had undetectable phos/nitrate for few months now. No matter how much I feed reef roids, frozen foods, or pellets the nutrient levels stay the same, but with that heavy feeding tons of nuisance algae and filter feeder growth. The corals are growing nicely and are colored up so the nutrients are there… over feeding isn’t always the answer to low nutrients

Since you have nuisance algae that is what’s probably taking up all the nitrate and phosphate. Try to manually remove as much algae as possible. What kind of algae are you seeing? Since I did not know that you were seeing algae from your original post you might actually be over feeding.

soreefed · Mar 1, 2023

csturgis1989 said:
Since you have nuisance algae that is what’s probably taking up all the nitrate and phosphate. Try to manually remove as much algae as possible. What kind of algae are you seeing? Since I did not know that you were seeing algae from your original post you might actually be over feeding.

Sorry I’m not the op I was just adding my two cents. Currently I don’t have nuisance algae much but do when I feed heavy. Going through a bit of cyano at the moment.

MnFish1 · Mar 1, 2023

csturgis1989 said:
Since you have nuisance algae that is what’s probably taking up all the nitrate and phosphate. Try to manually remove as much algae as possible. What kind of algae are you seeing? Since I did not know that you were seeing algae from your original post you might actually be over feeding.

I'm not sure - but I didn't see where he mentioned nuisance algae

csturgis1989 · Mar 1, 2023

soreefed said:
Sorry I’m not the op I was just adding my two cents. Currently I don’t have nuisance algae much but do when I feed heavy. Going through a bit of cyano at the moment.

Sorry just realized you weren’t the original poster. Biggest thing I have realized in this hobby is to just stay the course and keep things steady. Different nitrate and phosphate parameters can work in different tanks, as long as the fish and corals look happy you shouldn’t chase numbers.

Randy Holmes-Farley · Mar 2, 2023

IMO, it is perfectly acceptable and desirable to dose nitrate and phosphate as needed to maintain appropriate levels, which, IMO, are 2-10 ppm nitrate and 0.02 to 0.1 ppm phosphate, with levels above that range better than below it.

Of course, if you need both N and P, feeding more is a fine plan, as long as other issues do not arise such as bacterial blooms, etc.

If someone is concerned about nitrate, it is also fine to dose ammonia or amino acids to boost N overall and boost nitrate.

MnFish1 · Mar 2, 2023

csturgis1989 said:
Just feed more. Reefroids will raise nitrate and phosphate.

IMHO - there is no reason to raise anything - since there is no problem

MnFish1 · Mar 2, 2023

Reeflix said:
artifical as in dosing. my tank wants to be sterile so i need to dose them as the coral wouldnt be happy other wise without those. the reef roids are all you really need!

Your tank 'wants to be sterile'? OK - so use frozen foods - Or pellets or something else. Now - of course - your tank - whether it 'wants to be sterile' or not - is not sterile.

MnFish1 · Mar 2, 2023

Randy Holmes-Farley said:
IMO, it is perfectly acceptable and desirable to dose nitrate and phosphate as needed to maintain appropriate levels, which, IMO, are 2-10 ppm nitrate and 0.02 to 0.1 ppm phosphate, with levels above that range better than below it.

Of course, if you need both N and P, feeding more is a fine plan, as long as other issues do not arise such as bacterial blooms, etc.

If someone is concerned about nitrate, it is also fine to dose ammonia or amino acids to boost N overall and boost nitrate.

So - his numbers are already in the ranges you're talking about?

Reeflix · Mar 2, 2023

MnFish1 said:
Your tank 'wants to be sterile'? OK - so use frozen foods - Or pellets or something else. Now - of course - your tank - whether it 'wants to be sterile' or not - is not sterile.

i feed a TON for the fish i have. and yes, i do frozen food but it is not a problem if it is sterile, i like to have nitrates low, and the coral are happy because they get all the nitrate and phos they need from the food