Sodium nitrate

[trout]

I often wonder why we bother measuring phosphates and nitrates at all. The best indicators for excess nutrients and dissolved organics are algae on tank glass/live rock/sand bed, cyano, diatoms and (dis)colouration of corals. Even the slightest hair algae on live rock tells us that there is something not right even though our nitrate test kit shows a low reading.

 

[Boomer]

Glad you liked it guys

What, you want to add Nitrate and Phosphate. !!!

Why, those levels on Coral reefs are on the level of being well below your test kit reading. PO[SUB]4[/SUB] is ~ 0.005 ppm and NO[SUB]3 [/SUB]is 0.2 ppm. Any of these that get elevated much of these levels can reduce coral growth but in many reef tanks they don't.


Redfield Ratio:

What ! If one took the time to understand that is is a ratio for marine Plankton. The RR differs for different plants, bacteria and animals, be they marine or FW.


Cyano do not need ANY PO4 in the water at all, as the can extract it extrcellularly from organics.

There is no such thing as zero of these in the water. It is your kit that is incapable to detect low levels and the ACCURACY of that kit / meter. Even if levels are undectable means nothing. Many have tanks with undectable levels and have issues with algae and Cyano. Yet, others have levels way above NSW with no sign of algae. In some systems or reefs, plants and animals can extract them as fast as they are being produced and are not limited at all. The real issue is how the tank is run and maintained. Each and/ or ever tank is different. Raising Phosphate and or Nitrate only becomes an issue if your tank is low and you add new corals from a high nutrient system. Corals can have the same issues if they come from a high nutrient system and are put in a low nutrient system. It is a water quality issue that they are not use to and need to be acclimated to it over time.

One needs to get a grasp on their system not somebody else's system and try to solve your own problems with these two parameters, Nitrate and Phosphate. 75 % of the time it is the competition for these nutrients, lack of it, that cause issues. That is why a refugium is usually a good thing, as long as it has proper care.

If one looks at the data sheets on many of the best reef tanks in the world, in Tony Vargas book, '"The Coral Reef Aquaium" you will all be shocked. Most do not even measure PO[SUB]4 [/SUB]and NO[SUB]3[/SUB] ranges from 0-50 ppm. Yet, in all of them, there is very little unwanted algae issues and the coral grow like weeds.

 

[trout]

What, you want to add Nitrate and Phosphate. !!!

It is not me who wants to add PO4 or NO3. It is the guy who I tried to help.

Redfield Ratio:

What ! If one took the time to understand that is is a ratio for marine Plankton. The RR differs for different plants, bacteria and animals, be they marine or FW.

I was intrigued by redfield ratio and did a lot of reading on this. I came to the same conclusion as you. However, some reefers in the UK keep going on about this ratio, arguing strongly that the imbalance between PO4 and NO3 is one of the causes of cyano. I keep asking them to show me just one scientific study that links cyano to Redfield ratio. Noone has yet responded to my request.

If one looks at the data sheets on many of the best reef tanks in the world, in Tony Vargas book, '"The Coral Reef Aquaium" you will all be shocked. Most do not even measure PO[SUB]4 [/SUB]and NO[SUB]3[/SUB] ranges from 0-50 ppm. Yet, in all of them, there is very little unwanted algae issues and the coral grow like weeds.

Thanks Boomer.

Thanks for the book information. I have just ordered a copy from amazon.com as a new year treat for myself, which has worked out cheaper than ordering from amazon.co.uk despite the delivery cost. Why is everything cheaper over there?

 

[Boomer]

I know it was not you Trout and you were trying to just help the guy I should have said "What ! He wants....."

Nice to see you "beating" on them for an answer. You might want to direct them to the book, Biology of Cyanobacteria, +600 pg and not one word on RR, non even in the index. People like to throw out their options to make it look like they know what they are talking about, when most of the time it is so much gibberish nonsense.

 

[pandora32]

Gibberish...is that a technical term? Hahaha. I really need to read up on the different kinds of nuisance algaes. Any good/decent book that talks about the different kinds that you would suggest?

 

[Boomer]

Julian has a nice little book, Algae: A Problem Solver..