Problem with 0 Nitrate 0 Phosphate

[iCoral]

Hi, I need some serious advise in troubleshoot this issues with 0 nitrate & 0 phosphate. I believe my corals especially my sps are dying or in poor health due to ultra low nutrients in my tank. I have googled this topic and founded some people with similar problems and many agreed it is not ideal to run a clean system with ultra low nutrients and having the risk of starving your corals to death. However, I couldn't find a solid solution to combat this issue with 0 nitrate & phosphate. Here are some advises people recommend me to try but wasn't effective and still have 0 nitrate & phosphate at the end.

1) Feeding more (Currently feed 1-2 times a day: one cube of un-rinse frozen mysis shrimp along with palettes and a piece of LRS reef frenzy.
2) Add more fish (Currently house 16 fishes)
3) Prolong water change ( I have tried prolonging to 3 months)
4) Removed any GFO or Bio Palette reactors
5) Turn off protein skimmer
6) Dont clean filter socks or pads
7) Dose Nitrate

My Tank info:
- 48 Gallon rimless tank with 20 sump.
- Reef Octopus classic 110sss Protein skimmer
- Filter socks
- 2x Vortech MP10
- 2x AI Hydra 26

Current Parameter: All test kits are new.
Nitrate:0 (Salifert test kit)
Phosphate:0 (Hanna Phosphate checker)
Alkalinity: 7.7dkh (Salifert test kit)
Magnesium: 1380 ppm (Salifert test kit)
Calcium: 390 ppm (Salifert test kit)
Salinity: 1.026

 

[ValorG]

You covered most of the bases. I would just stop using filter socks and feed more. 3-4 times a day.

 

[NYreefNoob]

start with how long have u had the lights ? how high do you run them setting wise and amount of time. how far off the water ?

 

[Chefjpaul]

Try dosing nitrate.

 

[gobywon]

You could try something like acropower, which is liquid aminos and trace elements. Your corals would probably thank you at this point. Good Luck.

 

[ZANYMASTER]

Sometimes it's the salt you're using.Got tired of dosing so went with Tropic Marin.It's expensive but well worth it.Just saying.

 

[Chefjpaul]

Salt doesn't give you nitrates, which is most likely what this tank is deficient in.

 

[ZANYMASTER]

I meant to say to replenish the nutrients for like say your sps.Also had trouble maintaining color.

 

[Dre]

TBS meter say?

 

[iCoral]

My currently running 2x AI Hydra 26 for about 8 months but before this I used AI Vega color. My setting are Blues: 100%, White 55%, Red 20%, Green 20%, Violet 20%, UV 20%. I run the blues from 8am-9pm and white from 11am-6pm. The lights are about 15" above the waterline.

 

[iCoral]

Chefjpaul - I dosed nitrates before but once i stop dosing it goes back down to 0 within a day or two.

 

[iCoral]

I used Acropower amino acid before but not much results then switch to Korallen-Zucht Amino Acid, Pohls xtra special, sponge power, Pohl's B-Balance, Pohl's K-Balance Potassium, and Coral Vitalizer. However, I stopped dosing these stuff after 4 months since i'm not getting good results.

 

[iCoral]

I have also tried switching salt. My first salt was Tropic Marin, then reef crystal salt and now i'm using Red sea salt.

 

[Chefjpaul]

You tanks bacterias munch up the nutrients, similar to a tank I had.

How long did you try dosing NO3?
Notice any difference?

I personally would go about changing only one thing and wait quite awhile to see if anything changes better or worse.

May try to constantly add NO3 until you stabilize it out to when you can get to a weekly dose or so.

Check this discussion out for NO3 dosing:
http://www.reef2reef.com/threads/potassium-nitrate-spectracide-stump-remover-dosing-steps.215730/

 

[jackson6745]

How long were you bio pellets off the system? How are your SPS dying? i.e. losing tissue from base or tips? RTN or STN? Do any SPS do well in the system? Did problems coincide with change to red sea salt?

 

[reefer4eva]

Noticed your alk and calcium is alittle low..you didn't specify how your maintaining these paremeters..are you manually dosing,dosing pump?I been dosing seachem flourish nitrogen in my tank due to the lack of bioload in my tank

 

[iCoral]

@Chefjpaul, Great link ! I dosed about 2 weeks before and stopped due to red slime. I'll give Potassium nitrate dosing another chance.

 

[iCoral]

bio pellets & GFO is off line for about 6-7 months. I had 2 sps RTN before but mostly STN some from bottom up & some from tips. I still have 5 sps alive but not in great coloration.

 

[iCoral]

I does ESV mag, cal, alk with a dosing pump.