Biopellets vs sulfur vs vodka vs white vinegar

[nanomania]

What would be safest and simplest for no3 reduction Biopellets vs sulfur vs vodka vs white vinegar ?

Also if using vodka or vinegar, is it ok to dose via dosing pump?? And dripped near skimmer inlet?

What other parameters would it affect?

 

[Kungpaoshizi]

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My vote gets nopox because it's not as simple as vsv or vv. Also biopellets can be combinations of compounds as well, but it's generally thought of as PHA mostly. I know there's another made with gfo in it.
No matter what you do, you'll still need to think about your phosphate management until you can pinpoint your sources of phosphate and reduce those. Only a few people ever have a setup that is always skewed in favor of nitrates.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

All of those can work well and people use all of them with success. Some people also combine vinegar and vodka.

It really just depends on what you want to try. I slightly prefer vinegar over the other options because it is easier to dose and to control the dose and timing compared to pellets, and in my tank, vinegar cause less cyano that vodka (although that may depend on which species of cyano naturally inhabit your tank). It is also readily consumed by many higher organisms, including corals, so may feed them and won't likely accumulate in the water if there are insufficient bacteria for whatever reason.

Dosing pumps are perfect.I used a BRS pump for vinegar.

There's no particular reason to dose near a skimmer inlet, but it is fine to do so since neither ethanol nor acetate (vinegar) are skimmed out. Dosing upstream of a refugium can e a good idea to get more bacteria growth there rather than in the display (possibly reducing the potential for unsightly bacteria in the display).

I discuss these methods more here:

Nitrate in the Reef Aquarium - REEFEDITION
https://www.reef2reef.com/blog/nitrate-in-the-reef-aquarium

 

[nanomania]

Start reading
My vote gets nopox because it's not as simple as vsv or vv. Also biopellets can be combinations of compounds as well, but it's generally thought of as PHA mostly. I know there's another made with gfo in it.
No matter what you do, you'll still need to think about your phosphate management until you can pinpoint your sources of phosphate and reduce those. Only a few people ever have a setup that is always skewed in favor of nitrates.

Vsv? Vv? Pha?

 

[nanomania]

All of those can work well and people use all of them with success. Some people also combine vinegar and vodka.

It really just depends on what you want to try. I slightly prefer vinegar over the other options because it is easier to dose and to control the dose and timing compared to pellets, and in my tank, vinegar cause less cyano that vodka (although that may depend on which species of cyano naturally inhabit your tank). It is also readily consumed by many higher organisms, including corals, so may feed them and won't likely accumulate in the water if there are insufficient bacteria for whatever reason.

Dosing pumps are perfect.I used a BRS pump for vinegar.

There's no particular reason to dose near a skimmer inlet, but it is fine to do so since neither ethanol nor acetate (vinegar) are skimmed out. Dosing upstream of a refugium can e a good idea to get more bacteria growth there rather than in the display (possibly reducing the potential for unsightly bacteria in the display).

I discuss these methods more here:

Nitrate in the Reef Aquarium - REEFEDITION
https://www.reef2reef.com/blog/nitrate-in-the-reef-aquarium

Thank you..

 

[nanomania]

How to start vinegar dosing? As u mentioned u dose 175ml per day in ur 300g.?
The blog is not opening, jus a page..

 

[jason2459]

This is a very conservative dosing schedule.
http://reefkeeping.com/joomla/index...ar-dosing-methodology-for-the-marine-aquarium

I jumped up much faster. I ended up around 100ml/day spread through out the day light hours. Worked well. Helped to maintain under 5 nitrates and phosphates around .02-.09ppm.

Sometime last year I switched to vodka/vinegar (VV) and seemed to help drop those even more. Really wasn't expecting that and not sure it's really a good thing. I'd rather have the previous as target numbers. So, I feed more.

I used a ratio based on another poster, tmz, and dose a ratio of 690ml of vinegar and 310ml of vodka.

Tmz bolus doses them separately and I'm more into the LARS method so I combine them and dose via a dosing pump. I dose around 36ml/day of the combined solution.

There's also another thread on another forum in which analyzed what's in nopox (at least organics) and a general ratio was derived of the main carbon sources of 590ml Vinegar and 410ml Vodka. However, I preferred the ratio weighing more toward vinegar.


Personally, I'd just start with vinegar as it's more lenient to dosing then vodka or vodka mixtures. You can always switch down the road like I did.

and yes, it's that easy.


But keep in mind. It wont work over night and it may not solve phosphate problems entirely. Some have to continue some other form of phosphate controls like GFO.

 

[nanomania]

This is a very conservative dosing schedule.
http://reefkeeping.com/joomla/index...ar-dosing-methodology-for-the-marine-aquarium

I jumped up much faster. I ended up around 100ml/day spread through out the day light hours. Worked well. Helped to maintain under 5 nitrates and phosphates around .02-.09ppm.

Sometime last year I switched to vodka/vinegar (VV) and seemed to help drop those even more. Really wasn't expecting that and not sure it's really a good thing. I'd rather have the previous as target numbers. So, I feed more.

I used a ratio based on another poster, tmz, and dose a ratio of 690ml of vinegar and 310ml of vodka.

Tmz bolus doses them separately and I'm more into the LARS method so I combine them and dose via a dosing pump. I dose around 36ml/day of the combined solution.

There's also another thread on another forum in which analyzed what's in nopox (at least organics) and a general ratio was derived of the main carbon sources of 590ml Vinegar and 410ml Vodka. However, I preferred the ratio weighing more toward vinegar.


Personally, I'd just start with vinegar as it's more lenient to dosing then vodka or vodka mixtures. You can always switch down the road like I did.

and yes, it's that easy.


But keep in mind. It wont work over night and it may not solve phosphate problems entirely. Some have to continue some other form of phosphate controls like GFO.

Skimmer is really a must for it? Can it work on skimless systems? Jus a que, i dont intend to use it without skimmer.

How about AIO bp, do they really remove po4 too with no3??

 

[jason2459]

I would run a skimmer with any kind of carbon dosing as oxygen could be depleted by the bacteria that is grown and gives kind of a safety net with aeration. It also helps remove excess bacteria growth.

I like Vinegar (acetic acid) as it can be a food source for others.

 

[nanomania]

All the dosing amt i read is per gallon formula, but shouldn't it be per fish? As initially there wont be too many fishes.

 

[jason2459]

I believe RedSea's nopox instructions, you can find online, has a dosing schedule based on nutrients and per gallon. If you use the ratio's I posted above you could use that manual as a rough guide.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Skimmer is really a must for it? Can it work on skimless systems? Jus a que, i dont intend to use it without skimmer.

How about AIO bp, do they really remove po4 too with no3??

A few people are experimenting with skimmerless organic carbon dosing, and it can probably work, but it is then no longer an export method but recycling of nutrients into living organisms method.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

All the dosing amt i read is per gallon formula, but shouldn't it be per fish? As initially there wont be too many fishes.

Perhaps, but that just becomes unweildy as different fish relate differently in terms of how much you need to feed them. It is just a starting suggesting, and you adjust to your tanks needs.

 

[jason2459]

A few people are experimenting with skimmerless organic carbon dosing, and it can probably work, but it is then no longer an export method but recycling of nutrients into living organisms method.

Not sure why they would be worried about that. Skimmers are not very efficient mechanical filters. There's plenty of extra bacteria in my system that many forms of planktonic life thrive on.

 

[nanomania]

Not sure why they would be worried about that. Skimmers are not very efficient mechanical filters. There's plenty of extra bacteria in my system that many forms of planktonic life thrive on.

Thats the reason iv made a seperate thread on self sustaining reef..

 

[becks]

You could always try a seachem denitrate reactor as another alternative, the media does not need to be replaced just rinsed every now and then.

 

[nanomania]

Perhaps, but that just becomes unweildy as different fish relate differently in terms of how much you need to feed them. It is just a starting suggesting, and you adjust to your tanks needs.

I plan on cycling my tank using ammonium chloride skimmerless, can i dose vinegar then while cycling? or wait?

 

[nanomania]

You could always try a seachem denitrate reactor as another alternative, the media does not need to be replaced just rinsed every now and then.

Yea heard of it, but never seen any1 using them on reef for lowering no3, jus in a bag for extra bacterial growth. Wouldnt a marine pire rock work better?? However never tried it. If ur using it plz post pics or vids

 

[becks]

Lots of people use them for lowering nitrates on ultimatereef, you can use it for either nitrite reduction or nitrate. You just use sub 200 litre per hour flow for nitrate reduction or faster than that for nitrite.

 

[becks]

Here's the thread;

http://www.ultimatereef.net/forums/showthread.php?387870-DIY-Nitrate-Filter-Reactor