nitrates or phos algae

lwolfe44 · 01/08/2010, 06:11 PM

i know that phosphates causes algae and a lot of times it is undetectable because the algae uses it first but do high levels of nitrates cause algae outbreaks and if i have algae and a reading of 15 ppm is it possible that the levels are actually higher and that the algae is eating that too

bertoni · 01/08/2010, 09:40 PM

Algae will consume nitrate and lower the level in the tank. That's why harvesting a macroalga out of a refugium can help with nutrient reduction. Many animals won't care about 15 ppm of nitrate, so you likely could just ignore it.

01/08/2010, 06:11 PM	#1
lwolfe44 Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: palmyra pa Posts: 104	nitrates or phos algae i know that phosphates causes algae and a lot of times it is undetectable because the algae uses it first but do high levels of nitrates cause algae outbreaks and if i have algae and a reading of 15 ppm is it possible that the levels are actually higher and that the algae is eating that too

01/08/2010, 09:40 PM	#2
bertoni RC Mod Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Mountain View, CA, USA Posts: 88,616	Algae will consume nitrate and lower the level in the tank. That's why harvesting a macroalga out of a refugium can help with nutrient reduction. Many animals won't care about 15 ppm of nitrate, so you likely could just ignore it. __________________ Jonathan Bertoni