Ideas on getting nitrates up

[warriorcookie]

Originally Posted by Myka

Try using a cool white fluorescent tube for checking. Warm colored bulbs make the NO3 kit impossible to read, but yeah sunlight is easiest. When the Salifert kit is used up, try the Red Sea Pro nitrate kit - it has a second vial that you match the colors to each other. I find it easier to read than Salifert when NO3 is less than 10 ppm.

I've got a garage full of them. I'll try it this afternoon. I'll check in in both daylight and the garage and see if there's a difference.

Originally Posted by Ryanerickson

This is interesting as I have the exact issue zero nitrate and phosphate always .03-.07 by the way Hanna is your best bet for nitrate test kit screw the color matching game.

Ya, I agree but Hanna doesn't make a hand held colorimeter for Nitrate. Only Nitrite... They make a portable photometer, but it's $355 USD!

It feels so weird dosing nitrate.... I've been so proud I've had undetectable levels for the last year, but frustrated with the amount of cyano I've battled...
It makes sense. Bacteria, corals, fish, you, me all need Carbon, Nitrogen, and Phosphorus in different ratios. The ratios are different depending on the organism, but it's a triangle. My reef was deficient in Nitrogen. Some are deficient in Phosphorus or Carbon. If you feed the bacteria enough of all three they flourish. I'm pretty sure the cyano was doing so well previously because it was getting plenty of carbon and phosphate, and for nitrogen they are particularly good at "fixing" atmospheric nitrogen.