[Delphinus]

Unfortunately I decided not to bother with phosphate testing. I always get a zero phosphate reading when I do a test, but I do get non-zero nitrate readings, so I chose to focus on what I can actually track. I don't know why it is that I always test out at zero for phosphate. I feed fairly heavy so you'd think there would be some, but I've used all different kinds of test kits and even a meter and the results are always the same. It could be the ball of chaeto I grow in the sump does a better job of sucking up PO4 than it does NO3.. that's the only theory I have on that.

For what it's worth it is on the eve of day 28 here, so I might as well post the NO3 numbers I got this morning. The tank seems to have clamped itself at 10 in the last week. I got a few readings of 7 on the weekend but they were sporadic readings, ever since then I can't get a reading of sub-10.

So I think what's happened is the pellets and tank have hit upon the equilibirium point seeing as it hasn't really dropped below 10 in any significant sense in the last two weeks. In other words, the amount they are able to reduce are matched with the amount the tank can produce. I had been using half the recommended dosage for starters for both pellets and zeolites, just to ease the tank into things ...I think it's time that I up the amounts to the recommended dosages and see how it continues on from there. So that will be this week's project.