Something else to consider: if you put in too much vinegar in it will create a large bacterial bloom that will quickly consume the N and P in the water. So it should be in small amounts and directed exactly where you want it to go.
Something else to consider: if you put in too much vinegar in it will create a large bacterial bloom that will quickly consume the N and P in the water. So it should be in small amounts and directed exactly where you want it to go.
Last edited by cdm2012; 08-22-2013 at 02:06 AM.
by large i have stayed away from vinegar, sugar, or vodka dosing cus once u start, there is no ending - like a junkie
I hope u have a large segment of ceramic rings or life rocks to nitrify the ammonia. Recently i had about 50 odd yumas wh melted away. i throw them away but kept them in the tank to save it. i guess the N and P went sky high, but ammonia was ok cus of the ceremic rings n life rocks
I am afraid to have opposite situation. I need more control over ammonia and less for N+P .
Measured total ammonia today using Salifert test and found it at 0.3
Is it very bad ?
Randy Holmes advices to shout alarm if ammonia rises above 0.1 , but Salifert test scale dont even have that low marking. 0.25 being the lowest.
I feel like there is kind of confusion between ammonia NH3 and total ammonia (ammonia NH3 plus ammonium NH4+). Other salifert test kits has instructions and recommendations on it. But not the ammonia one.
Any measureable ammonia is an indicator of a problem. It should always ready dead on 0.0, so yes, something could be wrong. I personally don't much care for Salifert's ammonia scale, I would use API if you can get it, or another kit besides Salifert. You are probably at 0.
TAN (total ammonia nitrogen) is a as you stated, NH3 / NH4+ and concentration is a function of pH.
http://www.aquaworldaquarium.com/Art...ts/Ammonia.htm
I'm surprised more people arent agreeing with Santamonica. Think your live rock as a P sponge. Once it cant absorb anymore, you get algae in the DT. Your readings are always low because the algae growing consumes the P (and before since it was bound in the rock). P level cant get high if its constantly being food for algae.
Now to find the source of the P!
1. I am ready to agree with any theory that helps solve or avoid problem . I use RO/DI water. My fish and corals are starved to death, because I feed them only 1/4 what they able to eat in hopes to get rid of algae. Dosing lab grade two part.Originally Posted by Brent1128
2. I never has high P that could be soaked in rocks. If there is 0.00 P in aquaria - how can it deposit somewhere. There was no algae in DT as well.
3. Now per your theory , wehen rocks are saturated I still have same 0.00 P. Why it is not elevated ?
4. How someone can start looking P source as a problem in system when getting constant reading of low or undetectable P ?
5. Recommended P for SPS is 0.04 (never had that high-that's why my corals dont look the way they have to) How many algae one should then have in DT ? Usually I dont see too mush nuisance in nice SPS tanks.
6. Soaking-leaching was explored in another topic. For me its hardly believable those things happening on the 0.00 bacground.
hello,
just to highlight a few things heredont shoot me, just trying to help. i might be wrong so please ignore me if i am.
"Story began 5 month ago." = SM stated that "Looks exactly like phosphate coming out of rocks. Can go on for a year.", "it takes longer if your scrubber is weaker."
"Nitrates at 3-5 and phos at 0.02-0.04. Usual readings for my tank." = seems your scrubber is weak
"My scrubber was able to keep
n=4
p=0.02
at all times" = i read alot of people's SW here running at 0.0 "P level cant get high if its constantly being food for algae."
"Measured total ammonia today using Salifert test and found it at 0.3" = "filter sponge exchanged every day." u have no Beneficial Bacteria to convert your ammonia to nitrate but your scrubber should do the trick, since it absorbs it primarily.
"If there is 0.00 P in aquaria - how can it deposit somewhere. There was no algae in DT as well." = "Think your live rock as a P sponge. Once it cant absorb anymore, you get algae in the DT."
what is your screen size and feeding?
I understand where you go . But how it can be p=0.00 , when my sponge (rocks) cant take P anymore ? It should have been rocketed to the milky way. But no - it droped from 0.02 to 0.00. You probably will say that algae now is consuming all P , but then algae should be growing more and more everyday. It is receding every day instead. But not at the rate I would like to see. It will take another year to disappear finally at this tempo. But it took only one week to appear !
I feed 0.3gr (weighted on jewelers weights to be sure) daily and my screen is roughly 20sq inch one sided . It grows algae nicely only when I double or triple on feeding and P rises to 0.04. But I has done it only few times to check what effect it will have(It was year ago as I can recall). At the moment screen looks very week and it has weakening tendencies over last few month.
My scrubber parameters are unchanged and feeding is unchanged. Before I didnt have algae in DT. Only few occasional patches that were removed manually.
Lastly - SPS require some P to be present . Guys that tell you their P is zero dont have SPS or they use test instead of Hanna meter. If they really had 0.00 phosphate their corals would be extremely pale or dead. Mine are really pale and dont look the way I want them. There I make conclusion that I dont have excess P and my problem probably is ammonia related. Sure I can be wrong.
Check out this guys reef.
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/sh....php?t=2301583
He is DOSING phosphates to keep them stable at 0.04-0.08 !!! Mine imagination is not that powerfull to see how my tank would look with 0.08. Most probably it would look like one big sink floating scrubber if P is reason for algae bloom. So how ones dont have algae problems with high P and I have with zero. P flow ? Or however its called. Why that guy dont have P flowing , when his meter is constantly shows 0.04-0.08 ? Othervice he urgently doses P to reach that reading. And his tank is awesome - I would like one like his.
I would like to hear practical advises at some point . Theoretical brain exercises are nice but its time for action.
Try feeding more again.
Ok , I will .
Would be interesting what theory I will be trying to examine this way ?
There are currently 1 users browsing this thread. (0 members and 1 guests)
Posting Permissions
Reply With Quote