No Nitrate measured = no nitrates in system?

[Anonymous]

Ok all having some annoying Algae issues (I have a feeling it is byropsis) and I thought I was likely having Nitrate issues, as I run a barebottom plus a phosphate reactor so phosphates should be limited (hard to measure of course). Anyways, do Nitrate tests behave in a similar way to phosphates where it is hard to detect them even if they are in the system in abundance due to the algae/other stuff sucking it up right away? My test kit pretty much read zero, so right now I am running out of ideas on how to deal with this issue. Thanks for any help you can provide.

 

[Anonymous]

IMO phosphate kits are garbage. I had a full tank of hair algae and had 0 readings on the PO4 kit. Some say that its because the algae is using it up. I say its a scam.

Now if you have hair algae there is PO4 or nitrates and excess nutrients.

There may be a high end lab type PO4 test but not the normal run of the mill kits.

WC's and siphoning and blasting the LR should help.

 

[Anonymous]

WC's and siphoning and blasting the LR should help.

I've been keeping up with this, but I guess I can do larger water changes (right now about 5-10%/week). Also I may get some more algae critters to try and put a dent in it. Its funny, it isn't growing in NEW places, just where there already is some algae.

 

[Anonymous]

Yeah - I had that problem too. I think my LR was loaded up with junk. I also cranked my skimmer up as well.

 

[cyro]

IMO phosphate kits are garbage. I had a full tank of hair algae and had 0 readings on the PO4 kit. Some say that its because the algae is using it up. I say its a scam.

Now if you have hair algae there is PO4 or nitrates and excess nutrients.

There may be a high end lab type PO4 test but not the normal run of the mill kits.

WC's and siphoning and blasting the LR should help.

maybe the point is the si not po4 :wink:
use silicat filters..

 

[DBW]

High silicate levels will do nothing to encourage "hair algae" growth, since it is not an important nutrient for that type of algae. Diatoms, sure, it will encourage them since they use silicon to build their testes. But even then, diatoms are typically not an issue, all you need is some appropriate snails and it is under control.

Control of problem algae, the trick is to use what a natural reef uses, herbivores. Keep nutrients as low as you can helps, but if you don't have the appropriate herbivores then you will still have issues. To see this at work in the wild, all you have to do is see the results for a section of reef when they eliminate the hebivores from it, within a week it is overgrown with algae, even though with a hobbyist test kit there is no detectable nitrate / phosphate (what are typically attributed to contributing to problems with algae).

 

[pcardone]

not all algae are bad?

 

[spaulr]

I had the same problem a month or so after setting up my tank. Pick up a bunch of snails - Astrea work great. My new nickname for them is lawnmower snails :lol: .

 

[spaulr]

A few other things you could do to help get the algae under control-

Snails (already mentioned)
Water changes more often (temporarily)
Shorten photo period (temporarily)
Feed a bit less, and drain the goo the cubes are frozen in (uneeded protiens)
Get some macro algae in your sump to help remove the nutrients (Chaeto)

 

[spaulr]

Oh, and just because the test kit reads 0 for nitrates doesn't mean there aren't a ton. It just means that the algae is consuming most of them. Hence the increase in water changes mentioned above to remove most of the nitrates slowing the algaes growth.

 

[cyro]

and lightning is also important on algs. wrong lightning causes alg problems..
and wrong built ca reactors; much carbon dioxide also causes alg problems!

 

[Anonymous]

Ok all having some annoying Algae issues (I have a feeling it is byropsis)

Take a pic and let us know. Strategies for battling bryopsis are different than for other algae - herbivores are unlikely to help at all and the nutrition sources are prolly very localized and not in the water column.

and I thought I was likely having Nitrate issues, as I run a barebottom plus a phosphate reactor so phosphates should be limited (hard to measure of course). Anyways, do Nitrate tests behave in a similar way to phosphates where it is hard to detect them even if they are in the system in abundance due to the algae/other stuff sucking it up right away?

My understanding is that nitrate is not as 'uptakable' as po4.

My test kit pretty much read zero, so right now I am running out of ideas on how to deal with this issue. Thanks for any help you can provide.

To really be helpful, we need to know what algae you are dealing with.

 

[Anonymous]

WC's and siphoning and blasting the LR should help.

I've been keeping up with this, but I guess I can do larger water changes (right now about 5-10%/week). Also I may get some more algae critters to try and put a dent in it. Its funny, it isn't growing in NEW places, just where there already is some algae.

How old is the live rock? It sound like bryopsis to me, and if so, manual removal is your best bet.

 

[Anonymous]

Control of problem algae, the trick is to use what a natural reef uses, herbivores. Keep nutrients as low as you can helps, but if you don't have the appropriate herbivores then you will still have issues. To see this at work in the wild, all you have to do is see the results for a section of reef when they eliminate the hebivores from it, within a week it is overgrown with algae, even though with a hobbyist test kit there is no detectable nitrate / phosphate (what are typically attributed to contributing to problems with algae).

In tanks, even with the appropriate herbivores you can still have nuisance algae issues. IME, biological controls in the aquarium are hit and miss.[/i]

 

[Anonymous]

Oh, and just because the test kit reads 0 for nitrates doesn't mean there aren't a ton. It just means that the algae is consuming most of them. Hence the increase in water changes mentioned above to remove most of the nitrates slowing the algaes growth.

If the algae is consuming the nitrate so quickly that it doesn't show on a test kit, it seems water changes wouldn't be a great way to combat the algae because the nitrate isn't in the water to remove.