0 NO3, 0 PO4 and still have hair algae

[Numi13]

Any thoughts?

 

[greg 45]

All the no3 and po4 is in the algae
Google remedies for hair algae
or look on the sight

 

[Boomer]

Num

Being 0 in the water column is not a value meaning no unwanted algae. The algae and other life forms can suck it out of the water as fast as it enters. There is not any one method that works for all. I know people and one friend that has 2 ppm PO4 and NO3- ~ 100 ppm and is one of the most stunning reef tanks you can see, owned by Richard Ross.

 

[Mattl22]

Boomer how does he keep po4 down?? Lots of Gfo??

 

[wharris]

are you sure its hair algae? I thought that I had hair algae and lowered my nitrates and phosphates in an attempt to starve it. only to find out that it is bryopsis and that starving it wont work. ive heard the only way to remedy that situation is by raising mag, though i havent tried it yet.

 

[Rob&Gab]

how long have you been using it for? BRS told me when i asked them about it, they said it takes 6-8weeks for any signs of anything starting to take place. i wouldnt even use it after they told me about a few things. Just use some GFO and stick to your water changes to keep the PHOS down , as well as nitrates. maybe cut down on feeding habits .

 

[duke62]

Rob he didn't mention any product

 

[Rob&Gab]

oh.. 0.o i need to read more careful lol. i thought he was talking about using the
No3-Po3-x. silly me . LOL. thanks for that duke .

 

[Boomer]

Matt he does not run GFO. The PO4 is sucked up by the animals. 2 ppm in a tank is not low but very high. And his Nitrates are > 100 ppm.

We have been trying to figure why and all are stumped. One reason maybe that when you do WC you add some nutrient and we do not know which one that fuels algae. He does not have that nutrient and he is not big on WC as some are. So, the mystery nutrient missing is starving out the algae. Look at that tank closely and the density of corals. The corals are out competing the algae. Sanjay's 500 has also been high but not as high as Richards. I will add many just mess around with their tanks to much which can off- set things giving issues of x, y or z.

Another pic

 

[Dan_P]

Rapid Consumption of NO3 andPO4?

Num

Being 0 in the water column is not a value meaning no unwanted algae. The algae and other life forms can suck it out of the water as fast as it enters. There is not any one method that works for all. I know people and one friend that has 2 ppm PO4 and NO3- ~ 100 ppm and is one of the most stunning reef tanks you can see, owned by Richard Ross.

Trying to get my head around the oft quoted notion that 0 nitrates could mean tank production of nitrates = consumption of nitrates by nuisance algae or bacteria.

What sort of biomass would you need to have to quickly remove say a daily production of 0.1 ppm nitrate? For example, would you need a big ball of Chaeto to accomplish such a feat? Would a tank full of cyanobacteria consume that much nitrate? Same question applies to phosphate consumption.

Thanks

 

[Dan_P]

Num

Being 0 in the water column is not a value meaning no unwanted algae. The algae and other life forms can suck it out of the water as fast as it enters. There is not any one method that works for all. I know people and one friend that has 2 ppm PO4 and NO3- ~ 100 ppm and is one of the most stunning reef tanks you can see, owned by Richard Ross.

What a gorgeous tank!

Examples like this upset the notion that high nitrate and phosphate are the cause of unwanted blooms. Clearly not true here!

I still monitor these inorganic levels out of habit but as I look more closely at the subject of unwanted blooms, I am skeptical that inorganic nutrients are the explanation. I am afraid though that I cannot offer an alternative explanation.

 

[Moneymaks24]

So 0ppm nitrate = hair algae
100ppm nitrate= no hair algae

So basically nobody knows anything about anything and chasing numbers is pointless. Got it thanks.

 

[Boomer]

Dan it is more than just algae, if we are taking reef tanks where the Corals pick it up for there Zoozanthella.

I have never seen such a study of what biomass is actually needed for a tank. There are allot of issues here. For example: How are you going determined the biomass of a corals zoo's without a very well set up research lab to do it ? And not all algae consume at the same rate. How are you going to measure the population density of bacteria that are going to consume it ?

 

[Dan_P]

Dan it is more than just algae, if we are taking reef tanks where the Corals pick it up for there Zoozanthella.

I have never seen such a study of what biomass is actually needed for a tank. There are allot of issues here. For example: How are you going determined the biomass of a corals zoo's without a very well set up research lab to do it ? And not all algae consume at the same rate. How are you going to measure the population density of bacteria that are going to consume it ?

I have come across several posts this year suggesting that the explanation for an algae or cyano problem AND zero nitrates and phosphates is that the offending microorganism is using them up. So, I figured that there must be some intuitive, back of the envelope estimate to support this sort of statement. Can X square feet of hair algae or cyano suck Y ppm of nitrate when actively growing? Or what about cheato? Don't we have feel for how much nitrate it can suck up?

 

[Boomer]

One may get a feel for their tank, all others will not be the same.