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It has been several weeks since I tested. My kit had gone bad and I just bought a new Elos test kit (jeezish are they pricey). I have been running somewhere between zero and 5 ppm but never zero. Anyway, much to my delight it tested zippo. I understand that there those that think some level of N03 is a good thing. Anybody have thoughts on that?

So all is good except this nasty cyanobacteria that has cropped up lately. Low nutrients, zero NO3, phospate sponge, pretty good flow and new lighting have not solved the problem yet! I am beginning to think Boyd's or something like that. Would prefer to go al natural.

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Cyanobacteria are very good at using light and phosphates in the absence of nitrates then most algae, perhaps because they are a bacteria and not and algae. Having some nitrates will help other algae to compete with the cyano for phosphates and will limit the cyano growth. Silicates also helps becuase silicates will help fuel diatoms, and diatoms make a very good fine particulate food for filter feeding organisms.

Do you have a refugium with macro?

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(' )< David >( ')

"The world is headed for mutiny when all we want is unity" Scott Stapp, Creed

Yes, I do have a fuge with cheato. It is not a lot of cheato so I am not sure it has that much impact. I think the nutrients are so low (phosphates, nitrates and probably silicates) that the cheato grows pretty slowly now. It wasn't always the case as I got pretty vigorous growth at one time. I say silicates because I believe the Phosban reactor should also scrub silicates. I have run carbon and the Phosban reactor continuously for the last several weeks and plan on doing that in the future. I suspect the reactors and a DSB are more impactful than the cheato.

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