Algae and Nutrient Balance

[Sundog]

I've this asked on other forums, but I can't seem to get a clear answer. This is kind of a general algae question, not algae scrubber specific, I hope it's ok. I can't really find an answer and I figure you guys are the algae experts Basically I can't seem to have any detectable nutrients in my tank. It's either zero or algae outbreak.

I have a softy/lps tank and would like to keep some n03 and p04 in low levels. In this tank I'm actually carbon dosing (I previously had an ATS), and whenever I cut back the dose, I just get algae in the display, no nutrients. It seems like whenever I start to raise the levels, algae in the display just sucks them up, no matter how low. I'm curious if I just quit carbon dosing all together if I would ever get nutrients.

Does anyone know how to have some detectable nutrients without algae sucking them up immediately?

Thanks!

[SantaMonica]

You don't need detectable nutrient. By the time they are detectable, they are overflowing the consumption capacities of the organisms. And since you don't have a scrubber, there is no competition for the nuisance algae.

If you want to have slightly more nutrients for softies etc, increase slowly but not enough to measure. Better yet, just feed more.

[Sundog]

Thanks for the reply. I'll probably look into getting another scrubber if things don't clear up. I just don't understand algae and it bugs me haha. You see tanks that have high n03 and p04 (not that's its a good thing) with zero algae. What is stopping it? If it has everything it needs to grow, even with lower levels, I don't know why it doesn't grow. Shouldn't the algae grow up until the point that it has used all of the resources (n03&p04)?

[SantaMonica]

They usually have lots of corals, which secret glucose into the water to feed bacteria that they then eat. The bacteria consume the nutrients.