2 ppm NO2 and 0 ppm phosphate, softie tank not looking so happy

[Nanorock1970]

56 gal softie tank, no protein skimmer, running a canister filter. Tank has been running a little over 2 years, I had been hanging on around 5-10 ppm nitrates for the longest time and it never seemed to change. I have only been adding soft corals into the tank for about 9 months, Zoas were doing great as well as the shrooms, pipe organ, GSP, and green kenya tree. I have been doing a 5gal a week water change every week like clock work. The only thing that I can think of, changed was that now I am making my own salt water. I am using the same red sea pro salt my LFS was making that I was purchasing from them. I figured my tank has been looking great, why change the salt. I have used about 30 gal so far with my 5 gal/week. PH 8.0 ,salt is 35, temp is 78. I don't test for Alk or or KH. I am using Salifert for PH, Phosphate, and Nitrate. Zoas almost seem to be not as thick as they were has really been my only indication. Should I be "feeding" my tank to increase nitrates? dose something? Thanks for your help.

 

[Biglew11]

Softies like nutrition. You could feed more to raise nitrates and phosphates.

Your nitrates aren't terrible. But your phosphates are low if they are at 0.0

Nitrates 3-10ppm phosphate around .03-.1 ppm.

 

[Nanorock1970]

Softies like nutrition. You could feed more to raise nitrates and phosphates.

Your nitrates aren't terrible. But your phosphates are low if they are at 0.0

Nitrates 3-10ppm phosphate around .03-.1 ppm.

Looks like when I get finished with my container of reef frenzy, it's back to reef roids. I switched because of the rave reviews of how much better people said their corals were doing. Looks like it is sort of backfiring on me. Maybe just uping to 2-3 times a week to feed them instead of once a week? Dosing Kent Iodide and brightwell coral amino daily....I had started with the iodide and I am thinking it was helping with growth but after a month of the aminos, I am not sure I am seeing any improvements...Could all just be the timing of my water chemistry all going south....I never thought my canister filter tank would be low on nutrients since many folks claim that they are nitrate factories....I have to chalk that up to not maintaining it. Every other week, I rinse one of the filter pads in RODI and every 3 months I dump the filter water out of it, keeping my matrix wet while I rinse out the pads.

 

[Biglew11]

canister filters being nitrate factories is entirely because of lack of maintenance, if you clean them they can work absolutely fine for a reef tank.

i feed a combination of reef roids and brs reef chilli. i was thinking of trying some reef frenzy. i no longer have a problem keeping my nitrates down, but i have a problem with keeping my phosphates up. i may actually have to increase my fish load some more.

 

[Nanorock1970]

canister filters being nitrate factories is entirely because of lack of maintenance, if you clean them they can work absolutely fine for a reef tank.

i feed a combination of reef roids and brs reef chilli. i was thinking of trying some reef frenzy. i no longer have a problem keeping my nitrates down, but i have a problem with keeping my phosphates up. i may actually have to increase my fish load some more.

My current fish load on my 56 gal is 2 clowns, 1 midas blenny, 1 workman gobie, 1 coral beauty, and 1 fire fish. Looking to get either a flasher wrasse or a fairy wrasse and a royal gramma. Maybe I should be looking to get them sooner then later or slack off on my filter maintenance .

 

[Nanorock1970]

canister filters being nitrate factories is entirely because of lack of maintenance, if you clean them they can work absolutely fine for a reef tank.

i feed a combination of reef roids and brs reef chilli. i was thinking of trying some reef frenzy. i no longer have a problem keeping my nitrates down, but i have a problem with keeping my phosphates up. i may actually have to increase my fish load some more.

update, my nitrates are back up to 10 ppm and phosphate is at .1 and everything still does not look happy. I have another thread here with updated info.