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05/24/2018, 09:29 AM | #1 |
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Dosing stump remover to raise nitrates NOT working??
Looking to get some opinions before I try something else. For awhile Iv been trying to figure out why some lps have been dying when all my levels are spot on minus phosphates....around 1-2 on my api est kit. Nitrates always at 0 and no algae in the tank. Last thought was raise nitrates to combat the phosphates and see if some corals improve. It just seems like I’m putting a lot of stump remover in a cup of water just to raise the nitrate level in the cup to 10ppm. Everything I read people are putting like 2 tablespoons of the stuff in a liter of water then only dosing 3ml. Iv put 4 tablespoons in a cup of water and added it to my 125g tank and I still can’t get my test kit water to come off of yellow. Iv tried 2 different test kits and I test the water I’m putting the stump remover in before I add it but like I said it’s taking a lot just to get the nitrates in the cup to go to 10.....is there aquarium specific potassium nitrate I can buy or anything else that will raise nitrates????
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05/24/2018, 09:42 AM | #2 |
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its been along time since I messed with nitrate but I do recall it can take awhile for the nitrates to rise. Its a balancing act and takes a bit to raise while dosing. I would really only suggest it if you have a heavily stocked tank as well. Heavy feeding should handle what your trying to do as well as feed the coral. Other problems can occur with dosing nitrates. It didn't work out well when I tried it in the past. No major issues just didn't seem to raise like I expected and messed with other readings and so no improvement. I think most run there tanks at 0 for nitrate. For along time my phosphate and nitrates where 0 and everything was fine.
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05/24/2018, 10:12 AM | #3 |
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I’m going to up my feeding of flakes and pellets. I just can’t have my phosphates go up anymore. I ran phosguard for 3 days and got it from 2 to 1.5ish. Think I may change it out and run more for another 3 days and hope I can get it down to a manageable level
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05/24/2018, 10:52 AM | #4 |
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Raising nitrates won't help lower phosphates unless your system uses some process that could be nitrate limited like carbon dosing, ATS, or macro algae fuges or reactors.
If you decide to dose a nitrate solution made from stump remover, check a "Reef Calculator" on line to see how to make a stock solution. It will tell you how much potassium nitrate (Stump Remover) to mix with 100 ml of RODI water. It may take several teaspoons. It will also tell you how much each ml of the solution is needed to raise nitrate levels in your tank by the desired amount. I would also make sure I had a good test kit i.e. Red Sea, Lamont, or Salifert. FYI, stump remover doesn't dissolve quickly or easily. Properly dissolved, it could only take a few ml to raise your nitrate level to 5 ppm or so. FWIW, I mix 30 grams (about 5 teaspoons) in 100 ml of warm RODI. It takes a while to dissolve. I let it sit overnight after shaking it for a while. 10ml of this solution gets me from 0 to about 5 ppm of nitrate in my 90. I use a Salifert test kit so the 0 & 5 numbers are approximate. Once you get the nitrates up, they usually stay a while.
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John, Current Tank Info: In-process, 90 Gallon SPS Reef |
05/24/2018, 11:09 AM | #5 |
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Thank you, that makes sense as to why I didn’t think I was using enough. I’ll let it sit overnight and test the solution to see what he reads
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05/24/2018, 12:37 PM | #6 |
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I used this calc to figure out exactly how much stump remover to RO/Di for my tank volume to get me up to 2ppm.
You can play with the formula to get the correct mixture for your tank. Just choose potassium nitrate as your additive. http://www.theplantedtank.co.uk/calculator.htm Not sure what test kit your using, but I killed a few corals with a faulty test kit(kept saying 0 when in fact I had 12ppm). Red Sea nitrate pro is whats recommended.
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80G SCA Build: http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2560256 Originally posted by der_wille_zur_macht: "He's just taking his lunch to work" |
05/24/2018, 02:11 PM | #7 | |
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+1 for the Red Sea Pro. Salifert works also.
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John, Current Tank Info: In-process, 90 Gallon SPS Reef |
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05/24/2018, 02:17 PM | #8 | |
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John, Current Tank Info: In-process, 90 Gallon SPS Reef |
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05/24/2018, 03:24 PM | #9 | |
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I just use api. I have a few nitrate kits and Iv used all of them. I mixed up a cup with a bunch of stump remover in it. If it doesn’t max out my test kit when I test it in the morning I’ll know something isn’t right |
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05/24/2018, 03:27 PM | #10 |
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Why not dose sodium nitrate? That’s what I use
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60x36x24 mixed reef. 40b sump. Regal 250int Varios. 4xHydra26HDs+t5s. 4xMp40wes. Apex2016. |
05/24/2018, 04:19 PM | #11 |
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Stump remover is super cheap, thats why. Way cheaper then anything you can buy on fleabay or amazon thats designed for tank usage. Think of this like using baking soda instead of some store bought ALK supplement.
I used 32grams in 115ml of RO/DI, added 15ml to my tank, and got 2ppm(exactly what the calc said I should have). Never read anything to increase the amount by X for marine tanks, and trust me I read for a month on any forum I could find before I started dosing it. It mixed right up with a spoon in seconds to a clear liquid. Not sure where everyone is saying it doesn't mix well?
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80G SCA Build: http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2560256 Originally posted by der_wille_zur_macht: "He's just taking his lunch to work" |
05/24/2018, 04:26 PM | #12 | |
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While API gets a bad rap, they are generally pretty reliable. The problem lies is the test starts 0 and the next step is 5. No where near delicate enough for nitrate dosing. The Red Sea kit has a low range(starts at .25 and ends at 4), and a high range in the same kit. You just dilute the sample with RO/DI to get the high reading. Ideally you want some where in the neighborhood of 2PPM and the API kit starts at 5. You do the math, and tell me which kit you should be using.
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80G SCA Build: http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2560256 Originally posted by der_wille_zur_macht: "He's just taking his lunch to work" |
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05/25/2018, 09:47 AM | #13 | |
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John 100 gallon DT and 50 gallon sump with refugium. Reefbreeders Photon V2+. |
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05/25/2018, 05:54 PM | #14 |
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I didn’t look sodium nitrate up but I researched the stump remover long enough to feel like I could make it work. Iv added like half the jug and still don’t have a nitrate reading in my tank but the test kit does seem to change a little off of 0 and I’m getting some algae growing on the glass which makes me think there’s some nitrates in the water finally.
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05/25/2018, 06:17 PM | #15 | |
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Sodium Nitrite / Fine Powder / 4 Ounces / 99.6% Pure / Food Grade / SHIPS FAST FROM USA https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00M1OADSW..._RDkcBbVT1W6TF
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60x36x24 mixed reef. 40b sump. Regal 250int Varios. 4xHydra26HDs+t5s. 4xMp40wes. Apex2016. Last edited by FullBoreReefer; 05/25/2018 at 06:26 PM. |
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05/25/2018, 06:26 PM | #16 |
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Opps...double post
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60x36x24 mixed reef. 40b sump. Regal 250int Varios. 4xHydra26HDs+t5s. 4xMp40wes. Apex2016. |
05/25/2018, 08:06 PM | #17 |
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If u are going to dose nitrate I would get a Red Sea or salifert test kit & ditch the api. U don’t want to raise the nitrate more then a couple ppm & with api u wouldn’t know it if u did. I like Red Sea because it is precise & u can get a exact number for the most part. Salifert u can get a close enough number & it is easier & quicker to use then the Red Sea. Both work well but I would invest in one of them.
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05/25/2018, 08:09 PM | #18 |
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All I'm seeing are comments about water quality....not a single comment of what kinds of light, what intensity, how many hrs of a lighting cycle.
Certain lights like T5s and MHs can COLOR SHIFT into burning 4-6k lighting spectrums with age. You may be burning up LPS that are deepwater low light corals HATING 4-6k burning light |
05/25/2018, 08:57 PM | #19 |
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Been running kessils for 2 years on the tank. It wasn’t until I upgraded my sump and skimmer that I noticed corals dying here and there. Found it odd that waving hand died along with some lps (this is over a 6 month period). Then I started researching for hours and hours to find that maybe I’m lacking nitrates. So here I am dosing stump remover to see if I notice a difference lol
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05/25/2018, 09:00 PM | #20 | |
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05/26/2018, 07:01 AM | #21 | |
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I have very little knowledge of my PAR readings but I am waiting for some info from Reefbreeders and once I get that I will tweak the lights to match my corals. I have not been real happy with the coloration and have lost a few corals over the past few months. Most likely the problem is a combination of lighting and nutrients because my other params are fine. This tank is only 10 months old so it is still settling in. If I were to do it over I would have waited longer before I started adding lps and sps corals.
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John 100 gallon DT and 50 gallon sump with refugium. Reefbreeders Photon V2+. |
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05/26/2018, 09:38 AM | #22 | |
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05/26/2018, 10:41 AM | #23 |
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Have no plans to QT corals and my lights are fine, I just need to dial them in.
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John 100 gallon DT and 50 gallon sump with refugium. Reefbreeders Photon V2+. |
05/26/2018, 06:59 PM | #24 | |
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All tanks are different though. Some thrive at less then 1 ppm & some thrive at 20. U may find yours thrives at a wide range, but if experimenting with dosing I would want to know what i have so if I find the sweet spot I know what it is. Instead of bouncing back & forth between to low & to high |
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06/01/2018, 11:32 AM | #25 | |
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