Does anyone dose skimmate from protein skimmer to raise nitrates?

jiminy_crime · 06/11/2018, 08:20 PM

I know this may be a dumb question but I have really struggled to elevate nitrates and I don’t want an overstocked reef tank that I have to feed heavy.

My question is as stated above. Does anyone do this? Is there a better way? Stump remover? Everyone always says fish poop is great for corals and elevating nitrates and wondered if anyone has ever tried doing this before.

mcgyvr · 06/11/2018, 08:39 PM

Some studies have shown that there is very little nitrogen/nitrate in skimmate... There are much better ways to increase nitrate levels vs the little nitrate and much more "other" in skimmate...stump remover (potassium nitrate) is one of them...

Skimming doesnt really remove any nitrate at all but rather compounds that could break down into nitrate at a later time..

What is your nitrate level?...and phosphate?.. Are you running any reactors or carbon dosing? Refugiums (macro algae)?,etc... And what problems are you having that you can attribute to nitrate levels
There may be other ways....may be as simple as shutting down your skimmer....many have seen an increase in coral health when they stopped skimming

jiminy_crime · 06/11/2018, 09:13 PM

NO3 0 PO4 0

I dose 2 ml Nopox on 90 gal for algae control and run chaeto which grows but at a slow rate. I know it’s the Nopox causing the low nitrate and phosphate but I prefer a little carbon in the tank for nutrient control as I have been on the other end where nitrates were an issue.

I sort of feel like keeping nutrients down and controlling the amount of nitrates dosed to the tank is easier than trying to guess how much and how often to feed fish. I considered going down to 1 ml of Nopox for my 90 gallon tank to see if I could get a slightly elevated nitrate level.

sde1500 · 06/12/2018, 03:38 AM

I feel like this would be stating the obvious, but if you dump the skimate back in the tank, why not just turn the skimmer off?

I’d lower your dosing to see if that allows nitrates to rise on their own first before anything else. Doing one thing to reduce nitrates and simultaneously dosing nitrates is counterintuitive.

mcgyvr · 06/12/2018, 04:35 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jiminy_crime

NO3 0 PO4 0

I dose 2 ml Nopox on 90 gal for algae control and run chaeto which grows but at a slow rate. I know it’s the Nopox causing the low nitrate and phosphate but I prefer a little carbon in the tank for nutrient control as I have been on the other end where nitrates were an issue.

I sort of feel like keeping nutrients down and controlling the amount of nitrates dosed to the tank is easier than trying to guess how much and how often to feed fish. I considered going down to 1 ml of Nopox for my 90 gallon tank to see if I could get a slightly elevated nitrate level.

Your choice...
But with both nitrates/phosphates at zero I'd likely stop the carbon dosing or take the algae offline or whatever and see how it goes.. You can always start it back up again if needed..
With your numbers you would want to dose both nitrates and phosphates so I'm not sure why you are just talking about nitrate dosing only either..

dubmaneh · 06/12/2018, 05:16 AM

This is like reading my tank diary. Been exactly where you are. Lower the Carbon dose, feed a little more and start doing smaller/skipping water changes until you see N03/P04 start to rise. Go slow and monitor weekly until you find the sweet spot.

You can add sodium nitrate or seachem flourish phosphorous but that won't stop the current problem of stripping the water.

I'm finally seeing a little algae in my tank and never been happier. Good luck.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

mcgyvr · 06/12/2018, 06:00 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dubmaneh

I'm finally seeing a little algae in my tank and never been happier. Good luck.

I've always said a tank without some algae is an unhappy tank...

Fourstars · 06/12/2018, 10:22 AM

You have so much more control stripping it out by skimming or macro algae and then just dosing Nitrate and phosphate. I found the sweet spot and just add it to my top off system.

reefgeezer · 06/12/2018, 10:54 AM

2ml of Nopox isn't a lot carbon for a 90. If your tests are accurate, your .25 ppm of nitrate and 0 phosphate is really occurring without much help from it. It sounds like you just don't have a lot of nutrient input. What fish do you have in the tank? How much do you feed? What test kit are you using for nitrate? How do you test phosphate?

06/11/2018, 08:20 PM	#1
jiminy_crime Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: Bixby, OK Posts: 981	Does anyone dose skimmate from protein skimmer to raise nitrates? I know this may be a dumb question but I have really struggled to elevate nitrates and I don’t want an overstocked reef tank that I have to feed heavy. My question is as stated above. Does anyone do this? Is there a better way? Stump remover? Everyone always says fish poop is great for corals and elevating nitrates and wondered if anyone has ever tried doing this before. __________________ 1.025 SG/High-pH 8.021 Low-pH 8.00/9-9.3dKh/Ca 440/Mg 1280/Temp 78.5/NO3 .25 ppm/PO4 0/ORP 380 Current Tank Info: 91 gallon RSR 350/RO 152s protein skimmer/36” ATI Dimmable/Neptune WAV/Neptune Apex

06/11/2018, 08:39 PM	#2
mcgyvr Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: North Carolina Posts: 20,050	Some studies have shown that there is very little nitrogen/nitrate in skimmate... There are much better ways to increase nitrate levels vs the little nitrate and much more "other" in skimmate...stump remover (potassium nitrate) is one of them... Skimming doesnt really remove any nitrate at all but rather compounds that could break down into nitrate at a later time.. What is your nitrate level?...and phosphate?.. Are you running any reactors or carbon dosing? Refugiums (macro algae)?,etc... And what problems are you having that you can attribute to nitrate levels There may be other ways....may be as simple as shutting down your skimmer....many have seen an increase in coral health when they stopped skimming __________________ Who me?

06/11/2018, 09:13 PM	#3
jiminy_crime Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: Bixby, OK Posts: 981	NO3 0 PO4 0 I dose 2 ml Nopox on 90 gal for algae control and run chaeto which grows but at a slow rate. I know it’s the Nopox causing the low nitrate and phosphate but I prefer a little carbon in the tank for nutrient control as I have been on the other end where nitrates were an issue. I sort of feel like keeping nutrients down and controlling the amount of nitrates dosed to the tank is easier than trying to guess how much and how often to feed fish. I considered going down to 1 ml of Nopox for my 90 gallon tank to see if I could get a slightly elevated nitrate level. __________________ 1.025 SG/High-pH 8.021 Low-pH 8.00/9-9.3dKh/Ca 440/Mg 1280/Temp 78.5/NO3 .25 ppm/PO4 0/ORP 380 Current Tank Info: 91 gallon RSR 350/RO 152s protein skimmer/36” ATI Dimmable/Neptune WAV/Neptune Apex

06/12/2018, 03:38 AM	#4
sde1500 Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2015 Location: Glocester, RI Posts: 3,336	I feel like this would be stating the obvious, but if you dump the skimate back in the tank, why not just turn the skimmer off? I’d lower your dosing to see if that allows nitrates to rise on their own first before anything else. Doing one thing to reduce nitrates and simultaneously dosing nitrates is counterintuitive. __________________ My build thread: http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2548422 Current Tank Info: 65 gallon mixed reef, Eshopps sump and HOB overflow, RO-110int skimmer, Reefbreeder 32" photons V1.

06/12/2018, 10:54 AM	#9
reefgeezer Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: Wichita KS Posts: 2,621	2ml of Nopox isn't a lot carbon for a 90. If your tests are accurate, your .25 ppm of nitrate and 0 phosphate is really occurring without much help from it. It sounds like you just don't have a lot of nutrient input. What fish do you have in the tank? How much do you feed? What test kit are you using for nitrate? How do you test phosphate? __________________ John, Current Tank Info: In-process, 90 Gallon SPS Reef

06/12/2018, 05:16 AM	#6
dubmaneh Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2012 Location: Toronto, ON Posts: 271	This is like reading my tank diary. Been exactly where you are. Lower the Carbon dose, feed a little more and start doing smaller/skipping water changes until you see N03/P04 start to rise. Go slow and monitor weekly until you find the sweet spot. You can add sodium nitrate or seachem flourish phosphorous but that won't stop the current problem of stripping the water. I'm finally seeing a little algae in my tank and never been happier. Good luck. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

06/12/2018, 10:22 AM	#8
Fourstars Registered Member. Join Date: Jan 2016 Location: Third rock Posts: 291	You have so much more control stripping it out by skimming or macro algae and then just dosing Nitrate and phosphate. I found the sweet spot and just add it to my top off system.