DIY Ammonia dosing for low nitrate systems

[Tuna Melt]

I used to get RTN when dosing nitrate. I tried switching from Sodium to Potassium Nitrate (USP) and then to AF N Boost with no success.

So far ammonia dosing has helped tremendously. I did loose a red dragon but it was due to a dino outbreak. I've been dosing 0.2ppm, which is enough to keep my nitrates at 2.5-5ppm and my PO4 at 0.03.

Good to hear!! I'd love to be able to increase N availability in my system but every time I add nitrates I get RTN! I'll give ammonia a shot.

 

[Miami Reef]

My ammonium chloride 99.9% pure has clumps. Are the clumps still good to use to make a stock solution or should I use the unclumped portion?

I want to know if moisture causes the ammonium to evaporate?

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

I dont know if moisture causes clumping, but it would not surprise me if it did.

I would recommend good grade materials.

 

[Miami Reef]

I would recommend good grade materials.

Isn’t 99.9% a good grade?

Eh, I decided I’d rather use ammonium bicarbonate. I just ordered this food grade with no purity rating. I think it’s good.

https://a.co/d/eNTTzgC

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

Isn’t 99.9% a good grade?

Eh, I decided I’d rather use ammonium bicarbonate. I just ordered this food grade with no purity rating. I think it’s good.

https://a.co/d/eNTTzgC

it may be fine. The problem is not knowing what the impurities are. Food grade checks metal impurities such as lead.

 

[Miami Reef]

it may be fine. The problem is not knowing what the impurities are. Food grade checks metal impurities such as lead.

Thank you.

Do you know the difference between ammonium vs amino acid dosing? What does amino acids accomplish that ammonia can’t and vice versa?

Are there benefits of amino acids beyond a nitrogen source?

 

[ReeferZ1227]

Thank you.

Do you know the difference between ammonium vs amino acid dosing? What does amino acids accomplish that ammonia can’t and vice versa?

Are there benefits of amino acids beyond a nitrogen source?

If you read the first 10 pages or so, there's discussion around the possible benefits of ammonium dosing. If the ammonia is available to the coral it's easier for the coral to use the ammonia for energy. The unknown is if it's converted to nitrate before it's available to the coral, if it is, the coral just uses the nitrate. I think that's all there is to it.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

Thank you.

Do you know the difference between ammonium vs amino acid dosing? What does amino acids accomplish that ammonia can’t and vice versa?

Are there benefits of amino acids beyond a nitrogen source?

Amino acids may drive some extra bacterial growth that ammonia does not, since it provides organic carbon.

I have see no clear evidence relating to the pros and cans of each.

 

[East1]

Amino acids may drive some extra bacterial growth that ammonia does not, since it provides organic carbon.

I have see no clear evidence relating to the pros and cans of each.

I vaguely recall some literature indicating that ammonia uptake will cause a coral preference for uptake of ammonia and not amino acids, though in my coral tanks I dose both ammonia and amino acids on a schedule.

Since switching from nitrate to ammonium I've noticed that the previously high levels of dosing aminos now cause nuisance algae and bacterial growth on the glass, and so I now dose less.

 

[Miami Reef]

Can I mix vinegar with the ammonium bicarbonate solution? I manually dose both at the same time and I want to know if I can use the same beaker to measure both of the volumes to hand dose.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

Can I mix vinegar with the ammonium bicarbonate solution? I manually dose both at the same time and I want to know if I can use the same beaker to measure both of the volumes to hand dose.

Mixing them will bubble off CO2 and effectively make ammonium acetate, which is fine and will work the same.

 

[East1]

Mixing them will bubble off CO2 and effectively make ammonium acetate, which is fine and will work the same.

does this have the same risk of off-gassing the ammonia?

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

does this have the same risk of off-gassing the ammonia?

No, the acid tends to keep it as NH4+ and reduces the off gassing.

 

[LgTas]

Not sure if mentioned already but there's a good discussion on ammonia dosing on the reefbum podcast. They were looking at aquabiomics mapping of bacterial diversity and abundance pre and post ammonia dosing with no real change in nitrying bacteria abundance. They did mention increased coral growth noted from increased supplement uptake and observations.

I've just switched from nitrate to ammonia dosing and am interested to see if there are any changes