Top 20 Nitrate & Phosphate Mistakes You're Making Right Now In Your Reef Tank.

Having a hard time with Nitrates and Phosphates in your saltwater aquarium? Chances are you're probably making a few of these mistakes! Change the trajectory of your reef tank and add peace of mind by fixing those mistakes before they turn into fails.
This isn't our first rodeo when it comes to Reefing Mistakes. Look at all the ways we failed, below!
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The content contained in this video is general information on the topic and should not be relied upon as your sole source of information or safety advice for this project or topic. Each product or situation is different and has its own concerns related to successful completion and safety that must be fully researched by the individual considering the project or product. The purpose and content of this video is to provide general information regarding the products and their applications as presented in the video. Aquatic sales solutions, inc. And its officers, directors, employees and agents disclaim all express or implied warranties, in any way, related to the products and their application as presented in this video, make no representation or warranty regarding the products and the application as presented in this video and shall not be liable for any direct or indirect losses or damages of any type, including but not limited to punitive damages, or from personal injury or death resulting from or in any manner related to the video, and the products in and contents of the video. The viewer expressly agrees that aquatic sales solutions, inc. And its officers, directors, employees and agents shall not be liable for any damages or losses related to the products in and content of the video and hereby agrees to hold the foregoing harmless from any such losses or damages.
00:00 - Top 20 Mistakes - Nitrate & Phosphate
00:11 - Mistake #1: All Life Uses Nitrogen & Phosphorus.
00:54 - Mistake #2: No Longer About Algae Control.
01:50 - Mistake #3: You Can Dose it.
02:48 - Mistake #4: Assuming All Food Is The Same.
03:52 - Mistake #5: Assuming If The Fish Eats It, It’s Gone.
04:41 - Mistake #6: Removing One Without The Other.
06:39 - Mistake #7: Aiming For Zero-Zero
07:50 - Mistake #8: Not Understanding What 0.03 Means.
08:54 - Mistake #9: Not Testing Once A Month.
09:58 - Mistake #10: Chasing Numbers Rather Than Trends.
10:54 - Mistake #11: Overlooking Corals As Part Of Filtration.
11:47 - Mistake #12: Not Tuning Your Refugium.
12:43 - Mistake #13: Not Tuning Your Filter Socks.
13:22 - Mistake #14: Not Tuning Your Skimmer.
14:27 - Mistake #15: Not Tuning Your Carbon Dosing.
15:21 - Mistake #16: Considering Water Changes As An Export.
16:44 - Mistake #17: Closer To Zero, The More Important Prey Is.
17:47 - Mistake #18: Phosphate Will Slow Down Coral Growth.
18:50 - Mistake #19: Calcium Reactors Add Phosphate To Your Tank.
19:37 - Mistake #20: Not Knowing That This Conversation Is Evolving.

[@VictoriaLeeCreates]

I'm so grateful you guys post these videos. Thank you 😊

[@scatpack1381]

Best aquarium info out there. You guys are helping a lot of people in this hobby.👍

[@gordonbulloch8797]

Brilliant, finally have this topic explained easily than any social media forum 👍🏻👍🏻

[@iglapsu88]

Thanks guys! Really helpful information!

[@garydsouza2335]

great video, 100%, so glad you slowed down your speech for us people in the UK...

[@mirandagerson6897]

Thanks so much to you both, these videos are SO helpful!

[@VictoriaLeeCreates]

I'm literally saving these to a playlist. 💛💛💛💛💛

[@elmee96]

You guys always make me feel that i can be a prestige reefer lol! Best reef channel out there 🐠

[@AJ-bi6ns]

Learned though years of failure that ULNS and targeting double 0s only works with HEAVY nutrient input. Dosing up to .05/5 has really turned my tank around. Plenty of local mentors with heavy SPS/Acro tanks swear by .05-.12 PO4 and 15ish NO3

[@thecoolestreefdude]

Great video!

[@megadeth1763]

It is really good, I agree.

[@kaylacarpenter1122]

I’m just happy to finally have my po4 down to 1.0 lol. Slowly getting it to come down.

[@bryanjames5256]

You know, the more I research keeping a reef tank, the more conflicting information I'm finding. Weather it's utilizing what I've learned from KZbin reefers, or try the Triton method I've heard good things about. But now I see that I'm just gonna have to go for it, and see how it goes for me through trial and error. But I think that's part of the allure of keeping a beautiful saltwater tank. It's going to be a challenge, and the more effort put in, the more rewarding it'll be. Thanks for all the wonderful information guys. Much appreciated. Hopefully I can show you the fruits of my labor down the road.

[@joenewman6494]

Dude I am with you don’t know which why to turn 2month old 75 gal full of algae I give up.

[@BRStv]

"the more effort put in, the more rewarding it'll be." This couldn't be more true! Good luck and let us know if you need help along the way

[@BRStv]

@joe feel free to give us a call or shoot over an email if you need to bounce some ideas off of us or need some guidance. We want to see you be successful!

[@Boogerdick69]

@@joenewman6494 2 month old? I’m with a 40 breeder that was riddled with hair algae by the 5 month up to the 10th. I did too many water changes and now on the 11th month it has Dino’s, been battling that but have been getting good. You don’t have a skimmer or refugium? A refugium will help big time

[@joenewman6494]

@@BRStv Thanks brother but you already helped me with your videos doing a lot better now thanks.

[@quintonfields3815]

I've been doing aquariums for a long time the way I see it it's just like life you going to make mistakes and don't know it you just gotta live with it and try to make it better Through Time. Nothing's never going to be perfect. And I learned the more you try to make something perfect the more mistakes you going to make.

[@PokePackFire]

what the heck youtube! why am i not seeing this video listed! i have subscribed and alarm bell.

[@jordjong2717]

once a month dayum i test once a week trying to get my phos and nitrate into check weekly water change than test the next day to see where we are at. Just trying to keep a heartbeat and to make sure the downward trend on my phos and nitrates are working.

[@jasepoag8930]

I haven't been testing my nitrate and phosphate for over a year because the numbers never moved. Recently I started getting cyano issues and shabby looking SPS. The numbers got up to ~75 no3 and .35 po4. Not sure what changed, but I started dosing NoPox and GFO to get the numbers down, then set up a chaeto fuge to keep them down. Nitrate is being stubborn, but the corals already look much happier at .1 po4.

[@AJ-bi6ns]

PO4 is definitely the larger area of concern for SPS, although plenty of successful SPS tanks at .1 surprisingly with equally high Nitrate

[@jasepoag8930]

@@AJ-bi6ns yeah, I know. I can definitely see them responding to the lowering phosphate. Hoping my chaeto starts kicking in soon

[@theroguepooper_420diarrhea7]

15:38 bru the siphon ain’t even goin’

[@rudra7615]

Me during school: "pfft screw this periodic table crap" Me after reefing: "yo I know my alk, phosphates and nitrates like a mofo"

[@hurricaneaquatics]

In high school, I thought chemistry was a type of math, so I avoided it like the plague. Now, it is one of my favorite subjects. I wish I could go back and learn all about it.

[@5acre5chi]

Phosphate and nitrates are in our salt mixes. So even doing massive water changes isn’t going to solve issues with high levels. I’ve tested tropic Marin pro at .1 phosphate.

[@ryanrich06]

You sure that’s not from your water source?

[@hollywood2177]

This definitely shouldn’t be happening, check your water. Should be 0

[@dontbetreadin4777]

???? Nah bro, you got some other issue going on. Zero/Zero should be your reading on freshly mixed saltwater

[@agile-heliuk1801]

Ok. Been running marine tanks 30+years. And thought id dealt with all Nitrate/Phosphate problems could see. However. I have set up a small 400ltr tank. Bit of branching rock. 2 tangs. Tunze Skimmer. Deltec reactor running bio pellets. Dosing NoPox and Stability ( also added Colony). Have even started running Phosguard.. ( had run Rowaphos). But nothing is doing anything to reduce Nitrate or Phosphate. Ive put in bit more life rock. Next will look to add an algea tank/ refugium. Filter socks get changed every few days. Skimmer pulls lots out every day.. Feeding is fairly limited as only 2 tangs. Algea has started to take off.. So totally at a loss as to what is going on in this tank.. no idea where all the nitrate and Phosphate is coming from???? Or why none of the filter media is removing / bringing the levels down. I stopped adding Calcium Magnesium and KH as thouse levels are high. Totaly puzzed

[@TheDesertraptor]

I had a nitrate spike recently. I had a thought that after feeding my fish macro from the refugium might have been the cause. Others said no. But I believe what I did was feed my fish enriched nitrate?

[@alfredtoyo5433]

Mistake #1, thinking saltwater reef tanks were easy

[@nybumkinreefing4993]

🤣

[@trentcardin3767]

True Dat. Sucks when ya spend $1,200 on sps and they RTN like... Fffffuuuuuuuuuuuck... 😭

[@samkay6042]

Nope they require alot of time a patience. If you know how to play chemistry it's not very expensive. Biggest thing is don't rush things trying to get a perfect tank.

[@megadeth1763]

I need help, I use Mame protein skimmer with the smallest Whisper air-pump. It pushes bubble water at 1 liter a day (on average) out to the collection bottle. I always compare that waste water to the tank water, its always darker than tank water, so I figure its working to remove protein lipids and soluble fats as it continues to expel the 1 liter of tank water at the same time. So I replace that amount with new salt water daily. Would this be okay to also meet the requirements for water changes in this particular tank size rather than a separate regime. This Mame skimmer never has performed as any other by just pushing the foamy crud out, just the slightly darker water. I should've checked here first and gone with a more reliable sources.

[@BRStv]

It's best to monitor your tank's salinity levels if you're going to attempt to replace the water your skimmer has removed. However, it sounds like you need to tune your skimmate collection down a bit, because pulling 1-liter per day is probably fluctuating your salinity and other tank parameters wildly from day to day. If you can, grab some photos and post them to our AskBRStv Community Facebook page where you can get far more detailed advice! facebook.com/groups/296792774207117/

[@bayoupatriot]

8th! Just glad to be in the single digits

[@bayoupatriot]

@K Slay I just don’t take little things for granted. I try and look everywhere I can for positive things, even if they are silly.

[@shmoe7731]

What nitrate and phosphate test kits would you guys recommend?

[@froof7935]

They did a great episode on the best test kits for each parameter.

[@BRStv]

We use the Hanna Checker PPM Ultra Low Range for posphate and the Nyos Nitrate test kits for our go-to testing!

[@mathew-street]

Crazy when I found out the reef roids adds a lot of phosphates

[@BRStv]

I think it would be more surprising if coral foods or highly nutritional dense foods like reef roids or even reef chili didn't add phosphates or nitrates. The key is to manage the export and filtration to the amount of nutritional input to keep nitrate and phosphate levels from rising perpetually.

[@kylecruise9106]

Holy aptasia in the title pic

[@EpicMudbud]

Where could I buy those zoa pictures on the wall?

[@BRStv]

We got them from Josh Pork Sandwich. facebook.com/jpszoas

[@reconnaissance7372]

I don't think I would be anywhere near as successful if I didn't study Ryan and Andrew. Thank you BRS! I kept my lights off, did the cycle got my first Clown. I had some patchy brown film diatom algae [I think] on the glass and rock, I bought a couple trochus snails to help introduce coralline algae and my tank quickly cleared of brown algae. I added a Bicolor blenny and Andrew made a point to just go out and buy Coral in a video so I got a green tipped Torch and a neon plate coral. My torch is fully extending and my plate coral is fine from what I can see. I only use a Coralline GRO buffer by Red Sea and very small amounts of NO3PO4X [1-2 units per day] although haven't dosed since my algae patches disappeared because I don't really know if it can be bad for the zooxanthellae. I feed a mix of frozen Mysis and Marine S Hikari pellets once per day, I was feeding very light in the beginning but ramped up feedings as I really enjoy watching the clown, blenny and especially the corals react and eat. It's a 25G/90L all in one tank. I originally filled it with ocean water from a reef on day one about 3 months ago and am almost through a 3.35Kg bag of Kirbys Premium SPS Sea Salt. I try to do a 20% water change weekly and I regularly test Salinity[32] and dKH [10.6]. My current goal is to introduce biodiversity and I have been endlessly searching the internet for Copepod Culture videos. My main objective is to find something in Australia I can use to Fertilize Phyto other than F2. I would love a Dragonet, but I wouldn't get one without a system in place to culture pods.

[@thewoolberts8597]

zero nutrients in my 40 gal, feeding 1 cube a day up to 1.5, skimmer down to 1.5 hours per day, refugium lights 9 hours per day, hopefully this works!

[@SantaMonicaFiltration]

My favorite ingredients of dinner: nitrate and phosphate

[@rafaelcasero2822]

Thanks guy's, I currently have a 150 gallon gallon tank, I have had it up for 1 year and change, my Nitrates and Phosphates have been 0 and that triggered Dino to act up and Cyano as well, I got rid of the Cyano and dosing Nitrats and Phosphate now for two weeks but nothing, I only have 4 Tangs in the tank and no LPS or SPS just a couple mushrooms I do not want to put anything else in it until a get a grasp on this. Should I continue to dose until I get 0.5 Nitrates and 0.01 Phosphates ?

[@BRStv]

Detectable nitrates and phosphates usually helps. If you wanted to take it one step further, you could look at the dinos under a microscope to ID the strain. Most dino strains can be taken care of via a UV sterilizer.

[@patterdalezipsuzilil]

2 times a week chasing numbers works for me only because my po4 rises just to change gfo

[@gabsrec]

Assuming the extra cost is not a factor wouldn’t it be easier to filter the phosphates and nitrates down to zero and have to supplement it, rather than have to fight the battle of lowering them?

[@BRStv]

Interesting thought indeed. Unfortunately at the moment the phosphate and nitrate supplements are a cost limiting factor for many reefers to implement on a larger scale for this approach. One day we might have some lower cost / high quality supplements where someone could test this theory. :)

[@oztekofficial8150]

These two are cute together

[@gabsrec]

Does the “phosphate poisoning” in terms of growth only apply to stony corals?

[@BRStv]

It would apply to any corals who use calcium carbonate to build skeletal structure. So that would also include LPS who build skeleton. :)

[@stephenmorgan783]

3rd!

[@PepeCoinMania]

these guys are always "you have a problem here's the cure we sell to you"

[@briankavanagh7191]

Confused now chaps, one video you're saying water changes are a good thing but now you are saying they are bad for you tank, which is it? Is it because of lumping water around the issue and so advocating NO water changes and only when the water level gets low just dump in RO water to top it up? I understand the theory of you're argument but this video is confusing, add this, take this away, add this supplement because you have taken this out with your socks throw in a refugium with chaeto but watch for how long you have the lights on for. It must be easier than what you are saying. Surely you must be lead by how you tank/corals and fish look and if water changes keep it looking good continue with this regime. If numbers are your goal I feel you will be bogged down and not appreciate the tank if you don't get "numbers" you want and disappointed with your tank. Rant over. Keep up the great videos👍

[@BRStv]

It's not that water changes are no good...it's that attempting to use water changes as your "primary means of nitrate and phosphate control" is not the most effective or efficient way to manage them. Since we have far more advanced filtration approaches (refugium, skimmers, socks) that can manage nitrates and phosphates on their own, skipping over those filtration approaches and using water changes alone is a mistake.

[@briankavanagh7191]

BRS, thanks for your reply, in my sump I have 2 x f/socks filled with F/floss (changed and cleaned weekly), Bubble magus 5 curve skimmer and live rock, I do weekly water changes of 15%. I hope this is good enough in your eyes? Any chance of how to build in-situ a RO water chamber in a 3 chamber glass sump video?

[@madshepsreef282]

I know how to beat algae...buy a massive urchin. But really that’s not the solution.

[@lueroifan12]

to beat algae is to grow algae yourself

[@TheDesertraptor]

what eats bryopsis

[@BRStv]

Unfortunately, Bryopsis doesn't have a strong natural predator in our aquariums. For that reason, most hobbyists will utilize fluconazole www.bulkreefsupply.com/reef-flux-fluconazole-treatment-reefhd.html

[@eillyacostandinides3344]

Firstttttttt

[@davidliu9831]

2nd 😂

[@fallmillenv2266]

4th lol