Zero NO3 and zero PO4 good or bad?

[Sgt Jonny Cat]

Hello all, is other posts I have been talking about NOPOX. My nutrient levels are at zero right now, and I and wondering if I should strive to keep them at zero? Or reduce the NOPOX dose until I see minimal amounts of nitrates and phosphates?

Thanks again....

[JoelA7]

No comment on NOPOX but...

There are several threads here - you can find them - which indicate that a little NO3 is helpful. PO4 still needs to be very low but still more than zero.

[droog]

It depends.

Read this on water chemistry its very good:
http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2004-05/rhf/index.php

And then this on Carbon dosing (i.e. NOPOX)
http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2008-08/nftt/index.php

NOPOX is carbon dosing (basically ethanol + vinegar).

Aquarists have success at various levels of No3 and Po4. It depends on many other factors including export mechanisms: Macro algae in fuge, ATS, GFO, PWC, skimmer and import mechanism feeding regimen, inhabitants. Your best bet is to read up and decide for yourself.

Added complication: are your levels really zero or just undetectable by your test kit. You need to know the margin of error for the test kit you are using. And you need to use the test kit very well/carefully. I doubt your levels are really at zero...

Added complication #2: A reading of 0 may not mean there are no nutrients in the water... you may have macro algae in a fuge - or nuisance algae in your DT that are consuming the nutrients before your test kit.

One approach is to target po4 ~0.03ppm and NO3 ~ 0.2ppm. This is recommended based on a combination of NSW levels (which can vary considerably) and observations of chemistry in hobbyist aquarium.

Another approach is "if it ain't broke don't fix it"

A third approach might be to target "undetectable" or "barely detectable" on your hobbyist test kit. Or the levels described on the NOPOX bottle.

I'm shooting for PO4<0.05 and 0.5ppm<NO3< 1ppm

-droog

[droog]

One more thing to add to the above: carbon dosing and coral nutrition are the result of biological processes and equilibriums that take time to establish. So you might want to run at one consistent level with no changes for (say) one month before drawing any conclusions.

Getting to "0" today and trying to get to "0.5" next week - that probably does't make much sense. Go slowly. Keep a log... take photos.

-droog

[adambom]

Red sea recommends reducing dose by half when you reach desired nutrient levels. My bottle has the optimal PO4 and NO3 levels on the back. They suggest 2.5 > NO3 > 1 ppm for accelerated growth of stony corals (or FO/Soft coral systems) and NO3 = 0.25 ppm, PO4 = 0.02 for enhanced coloration in established SPS systems.

Maybe try gradually reducing your dosing and monitoring coral health and algae growth.

[gaberosenfield]

Your corals must have nitrogen and phosphorous available to them, but, as stated above, 0 on a test kit may not mean 0 in reality. How are your corals looking? If they look good and are growing, why change anything? If they are pale, not growing, or have receding tissue, then raise the nutrient levels a bit. As stated in a previous post, go slowly!

[alexander_ktn]

How are your corals looking? If they look good and are growing, why change anything? If they are pale, not growing, or have receding tissue, then raise the nutrient levels a bit. As stated in a previous post, go slowly!

Agreed 100%.

(As I stated in my answer to the OP's other thread.)

[Sgt Jonny Cat]

Thanks everyone....im going to slowly reduce the amount of NOPOX dosing....you guys are the BEST!