My Nitrates Too low

[praba775]

Hi, my nitrates are 5ppm which is just on the borderline. I need a way too increase my nitratss. I have and always do over feed but it does nothing. Once, I even left a dead fish in there overnight ( in case your wondering, the dead fish was one of my fish that was in that tank that died ). My tank is 20 gallons.
My tank inhabitants:
Yellow foxface: 1
Blue leg hermit crab: 2
Green chromis: 3
Cleaner wrasse: 1
Sand sifting starfish: 1
Now, I know a few of you say my tank is too packed but it is very sucessful.

 

[FindingNem0]

Dose nitrate.

 

[sixty_reefer]

5 is a good number to have, is there any particular reason you would want to change it.

 

[rishma]

Hi, my nitrates are 5ppm which is just on the borderline. I need a way too increase my nitratss. I have and always do over feed but it does nothing. Once, I even left a dead fish in there overnight ( in case your wondering, the dead fish was one of my fish that was in that tank that died ). My tank is 20 gallons.
My tank inhabitants:
Yellow foxface: 1
Blue leg hermit crab: 2
Green chromis: 3
Cleaner wrasse: 1
Sand sifting starfish: 1
Now, I know a few of you say my tank is too packed but it is very sucessful.

I think many people would not consider your nitrates too low. I know I am happy at 5 PPM.

If you want to increase further, you can dose nitrate or ammonia supplements.

 

[Subsea]

Corals & macro will consume ammonia before nitrate. I dose ammonia instead of feeding more. Because I have ornamental macros in my display tank, they consume large amounts of nutrients.

I sent Gracilaria Parvispora to a regional agriculture lab for analysis: the ratio of N/P was 30/1 and the ratio of Na/N was 5/1 so the ratio of Na/P was 150/1

Note: Does Foxface in a 20G display have enough swimming room?

 

[Waters]

5 nitrates are fine.....I would leave it. If you do want to increase, you can just dose nitrates.

 

[Gumbies R Us]

5 nitrates are fine! If you want to raise them I would feed more, or you can dose nitrates

 

[Mr. Mojo Rising]

How long have you had these fish together? Success in this hobby is measured in several years..... if you had those fish together for just a couple of weeks or months, that is not success and the worst is yet to come

 

[twentyleagues]

5 is fine. Why do you want it higher?

Its going to increase in time. How long has this been running?

 

[praba775]

5 is fine. Why do you want it higher?

Its going to increase in time. How long has this been running?

About a year

 

[praba775]

Last time when my nitrates were 5 it was fine until siddenly it drop to 2 which killed some of my corals. So, I want to have some buffer zone. By the way the foxface is happy he swims quite a lot all around and for some reason my chromises love to swim with him.

 

[praba775]

Dose nitrate.

That was what my lfs asked me to do. But, I was thinking, could I just add more livestock too increase the nitrates. I was planning to add a pair of clownfishes but I wanted to get some thing fluffy for them first like a large lps coral.

 

[west co reefer]

Last time when my nitrates were 5 it was fine until siddenly it drop to 2 which killed some of my corals. So, I want to have some buffer zone. By the way the foxface is happy he swims quite a lot all around and for some reason my chromises love to swim with him.

The tank is 20 gallons...those fish are swimming together whether one goes left and the other right

 

[west co reefer]

On a constructive note, please do reconsider your stocking list. You may think your fish is happy but you can't deny the need for territorial space, and what comes with their particular diet. The type of diet the livestock in your tank have will naturally require a larger tank for success, due to many factors.

 

[Mr. Mojo Rising]

That was what my lfs asked me to do. But, I was thinking, could I just add more livestock too increase the nitrates. I was planning to add a pair of clownfishes but I wanted to get some thing fluffy for them first like a large lps coral.

Your tank is already very overstocked. The faxface should be in 125 gallon tank, the cleaner wrasse should be 65 gallons, and the 3 chromis should be in a 30 gallon for one single chromis, but you have 3. You might think your fish are happy, but but they are suffering and they will not be alive at Christmas time, sorry to tell you. What you are doing is cruel and irresponsible. Please do not add more fish.

 

[praba775]

On a constructive note, please do reconsider your stocking list. You may think your fish is happy but you can't deny the need for territorial space, and what comes with their particular diet. The type of diet the livestock in your tank have will naturally require a larger tank for success, due to many factors.

About the territorial spadw each of them have they're own space. The three chromis live behind a large rock, the cleaner wrasse lives in a crevice in the large rock and the foxface lives behind the wave maker.

 

[praba775]

Your tank is already very overstocked. The faxface should be in 125 gallon tank, the cleaner wrasse should be 65 gallons, and the 3 chromis should be in a 30 gallon for one single chromis, but you have 3. You might think your fish are happy, but but they are suffering and they will not be alive at Christmas time, sorry to tell you. What you are doing is cruel and irresponsible. Please do not add more fish.

As for the overstocking, I have seen tinier tanks that are way more overstocked but I will monitor they're behaviour.

 

[praba775]

The picture right above this sentence shows the crevice where the cleaner wrasse sleeps.

 

[CHSUB]

why would you increase no3? This is contradictory to even the most basic principles of reef management. I know it’s vogue or the “in thing”, however looking at your tank, imo, there is absolutely no reason to increase no3. I would suggest lowering no3.

 

[praba775]

why would you increase no3? This is contradictory to even the most basic principles of reef management. I know it’s vogue or the “in thing”, however looking at your tank, imo, there is absolutely no reason to increase no3. I would suggest lowering no3.

Last time when my nitrates were 5 it was fine, until suddenly it drop to 2 which killed some of my corals. So, I want to have some buffer zone.