Adding nitrate?
Printed From: Utah Reefs
Category: Specialized Discussion
Forum Name: Reef Chemistry
Forum Description: A place to discuss reef chemistry.
URL: http://www.utahreefs.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=43490
Printed Date: June 26 2025 at 7:31am
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Topic: Adding nitrate?
Posted By: chosen1
Subject: Adding nitrate?
Date Posted: September 18 2010 at 4:39pm
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What would be the best way to add nitrate back in to a system? Should I just take my skimmer offline or should I take my eco bak off for a while? ------------- |
Replies:
Posted By: bugzme
Date Posted: September 18 2010 at 4:45pm
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Overfeed! ------------- Jeff 125 tank 50 gallon sump T-5 lighting Rum drinker, Carbon User I KNOW ROCKS THAT ARE YOUNGER THEN ME!! I AM A Realist! I write what I think!! |
Posted By: chosen1
Date Posted: September 18 2010 at 4:49pm
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I've up the amount I feed to 3 times a day and my corals are still pale.
I've beginning to think the tank is way to sterile. ------------- |
Posted By: bugzme
Date Posted: September 18 2010 at 5:00pm
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Did you supplement your led's yet? I'm sure my tank is very sterile and I have awesome colors ------------- Jeff 125 tank 50 gallon sump T-5 lighting Rum drinker, Carbon User I KNOW ROCKS THAT ARE YOUNGER THEN ME!! I AM A Realist! I write what I think!! |
Posted By: Chris Scott
Date Posted: September 18 2010 at 5:11pm
wow, I've never heard of someone wanting to up their nitrate levels!!  ------------- 55g Bowfront Corner Reef |
Posted By: bugzme
Date Posted: September 18 2010 at 5:18pm
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I have undetectable Nitrate and phosphates! Where did you read you need to have higher nitrates for color? Sps love clean systems! IMHO. Let me know if I can help. BTW, If you want Nitrates to go up Take the EB out of your system. It's works great! ------------- Jeff 125 tank 50 gallon sump T-5 lighting Rum drinker, Carbon User I KNOW ROCKS THAT ARE YOUNGER THEN ME!! I AM A Realist! I write what I think!! |
Posted By: chosen1
Date Posted: September 18 2010 at 5:44pm
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I've read it on another forum. That if you can keep your nitrate alittle higher it will give your corals a darker color. The reason behind all this is I have a few corals right now that is fluorescent in color. I have a green millie that looks like a highlighter. So thats the reasoning behind trying to add some nitrate. Other corals in my tank are pale I have a borelis that is not show its original color at the moment. All others in tank are fine. I have been supplement with t-5. My pink millie is showing up now finally. I have been dosing amino acid and koralcolor not sure if thats doing anything. Oh and I added 3 orange striped chromis in the last month to see if that will help.
I have decided to take ecobak off-line for a week to see if that will help out. I will keep everyone posted. I'm hoping that the phosphate level doesn't go up. I'm not using gfo so I hope this will work. ------------- |
Posted By: MadReefer
Date Posted: September 18 2010 at 6:00pm
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Try some corals foods and a refugium will grow coral food. Phyto might help also. |
Posted By: chosen1
Date Posted: September 18 2010 at 6:10pm
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I've been using zooplankton to feed the coral as well as sps coral grow. As for the refugium I have no room under the stand for one. Thats the reason I decided to grow with the pellets for nurtient control. ------------- |
Posted By: sterling18
Date Posted: September 18 2010 at 6:19pm
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Nitrate or nutrient? A nutrient rich environment is different than a nitrate rich environment. One is beneficial and one is not. I think what you want is a nutrient rich environment. Over feeding to a point is considered nutrient rich, while overfeeding with lots of decay of left over food will cause a nitrate spike. A nitrate spike is caused by a ammonia and nitrite spike. I don't think that's what you want. Did your coral bleach out or just lack color and it's just brown? |
Posted By: MadReefer
Date Posted: September 18 2010 at 6:26pm
pellets?
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chosen1 wrote:Posted By: chosen1
Date Posted: September 18 2010 at 6:32pm
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no corals are just pale. Reading others experience with ulns that if you can keep your nitrate to .5 colors tend to get richer and less of a flouresent look to them. The goal is to find a sweet spot. I'm going to slowly raise my nitrate up to .5 and see if the reason behind the pale colors on some of the corals are due to starving the tank. EcoBak is a very efficient at exporting nitrate and phosphate. I think its stripped away the nutrients I needed. Since there is no test to see measure the amount of nutrients in the system I will have to measure the amount of nitrate that is left. Unless you can tell me another way to measure the amount of nurtient.
Another choice would be to add potassium nitrate. I have not been able to track any down locally. This would be the way I would like to go if truly the system is to sterile. ------------- |
Posted By: bugzme
Date Posted: September 18 2010 at 7:02pm
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When you take the EB off line remember you are taking alot of benificial bacteria out of your system. Watch what happens Very closely! Also remember a change in lighting my take weeks to show improvement. ------------- Jeff 125 tank 50 gallon sump T-5 lighting Rum drinker, Carbon User I KNOW ROCKS THAT ARE YOUNGER THEN ME!! I AM A Realist! I write what I think!! |
Posted By: sterling18
Date Posted: September 18 2010 at 9:53pm
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Give it time. I wouldn't start dumping a ton of chemicals or food. Ecobak pellets are to export nitrate and phosphate. So those will be at zero when they are fully running. So you will not detect nitrate as they are being consumed by the pellets. So your corals are looking a little dull, give it time. I wouldn't do anything for the next 30 days. Just feed as normal if not a little more. They will color up in time. |
Posted By: chosen1
Date Posted: September 18 2010 at 10:48pm
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Sterling, I'm at the 45 day point on ecobak right. I clean the glass about every 8-9 days and its just has a light film on it. I'm trying to find symptoms of a sterile tank if you have any info it would be great. Is there a chance that the ecobak and heavy skimming is taking the nutrient before the corals can get to it? Btw the tank is and all sps tank. ------------- |
Posted By: sterling18
Date Posted: September 19 2010 at 12:10am
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Ok, they should be fully running by the 45 day mark. What are you feeding and how do you feed? Reefroids, Coral Frenzy, Rod's, DIY? |