[untamed]

My experience is almost identical to yours, Tony....right down to using the colorimetre.

To Marie's point... If you measured for phosphate, I bet you would be surprised. I started testing phosphate and trying to reduce phosphate because I grow a lot of algae and cyano and I'm always told "to get rid of cyano, you have to reduce nitrate and phosphate".

So here's the rub: I've never been able to measure any significant nitrate or phosphate in my system using the best measuring equipment that can be reasonably purchased. So I'm told "that's because all the algae and cyano are using it up before you can measure it".

I run RowaPhos in a TLF and change it out about monthly. I have never been able to determine if that is an adequate schedule or not.

I've been VSV (vodka, sugar, vinegar) dosing for almost two months now and in spite of increasing dosage nothing significant has happened. (I still measure almost zero nitrate and phosphate). Well...my chaeto has basically died so I guess something has happened....but I still have a lot of cyano issues.