Brightwell biofuel

[Fishingandreefing]

Currently my nitrate is sitting at around 13 and phosphate is at around .11. I was finally able to drop my phosphate down from .30 by dosing nitrate weekly for about two months.

Usually my lps looks better and opens bigger when I dosed neonitro to about 15-18ppm. However, lately one of my fragspawn that I had it for about 5 months is now not fully open but the rest lps are ok.

Brightwell recommends to dose Biofuel in conjunction with neonitro and microbacter7, how do you go about that? Their instruction is so confusing.

thanks!

 

[Spare time]

Bio fuel is carbon dosing. The reason why one would use this product is to lower nitrate and phosphate. Brightwells logic, if I remember, is based on the idea of you having too much or too little nitrate or phosphate compared to the other. So for example, if you had high phosphates but low nitrates, you are eventually going to hit 0 nitrate with carbon dosing which will impact the ability of the carbon dosing to lower phosphate (as well as the other issues of 0 nitrate). In that case, you would keep dosing nitrate until the phosphate is lower. You don't need to keep dosing microbacter 7 during the process. That is simply there to sell you more microbacter 7.



Microbacter 7 is cycling bacteria, some heterotrophs, and some anaerobic bacteria. The cycling bacteria is useless in this process and thus microbacter clean would seem to be the better choice in my opinion.


Brightwell's instructions are fun lol

 

[Saltyanimals]

I know biofuel is just carbon dosing, but it's done nothing for my nitrate 30ppm problem right now after 4 weeks of daily dosing. Following instructions for 15ml in a 180. I've dosed both BacterClean and Bacter7 along so giving it the bacteria to feed. Not sure if nopox would yield any different result as it's also another carbon source. 500ml bottle of biofuel almost gone so I may be going nopox shortly. Good news is my nitrate is not getting worst, just not coming down to my target of 20s in a mixed reef. yes things look fine, but trying to get it down a bit into the buffer zone.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

I know biofuel is just carbon dosing, but it's done nothing for my nitrate 30ppm problem right now after 4 weeks of daily dosing. Following instructions for 15ml in a 180. I've dosed both BacterClean and Bacter7 along so giving it the bacteria to feed. Not sure if nopox would yield any different result as it's also another carbon source. 500ml bottle of biofuel almost gone so I may be going nopox shortly. Good news is my nitrate is not getting worst, just not coming down to my target of 20s in a mixed reef. yes things look fine, but trying to get it down a bit into the buffer zone.

It can take a while.

Might be easier and certainly will be cheaper to use vinegar or ethanol/vodka.

 

[Saltyanimals]

thanks. I’ve read others saw benefits in 2-3 weeks. Will keep the course and yes likely will switch to DIY no pox which I’ve heard mentioned around here. Certainly cheaper than a commercial product if it’s the same thing.

I think my goal is to get it down and see if it’ll stay stable. Once it’s down I may switch over to bio pellets. I’ve used bio pellets a long time ago which had mixed benefits mostly on nitrate. However I’ve seen newer products that advertise a new polymer blend which is suppose to help with phosphate too. Not sure how much of that is marketing vs material composition science.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

However I’ve seen newer products that advertise a new polymer blend which is suppose to help with phosphate too. Not sure how much of that is marketing vs material composition science.

No way to know unless companies show the evidence, which has not happened. Makes me skeptical.