Can I switch from Nopox to biopellets?

[Bustyraker]

Thinking of switching to biopellets just to not have to manually dose every day. Can it be done, if so what steps need to be taken.

 

[Scubabum]

Thinking of switching to biopellets just to not have to manually dose every day. Can it be done, if so what steps need to be taken.

I'm 8 weeks into the process as we speak. I added 1/3 the recommended amount of Biopellets and continued to dose Nopox at full strength for 2 weeks then added 1/3 more biopellets and reduced Nopox by 1/3 added the final 1/3 pellets and reduced Nopox to 1/3 dose. In two more weeks I will discontinue Nopox. I haven't experienced any cyano or any bad affects. So far it seems to be working for me.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Certainly it can be done. You can switch between any of the forms of organic carbon dosing. In all switches, just change over a few weeks to allow bacteria time to keep up.

 

[Larry L]

You can switch between any of the forms of organic carbon dosing.

It sounds like NO3O4-X is just another mode of carbon dosing, which I thought was mostly about reducing nitrates - what about it makes Red Sea claim it also reduces phosphates?


Thanks!
Larry

 

[jason2459]

It sounds like NO3O4-X is just another mode of carbon dosing, which I thought was mostly about reducing nitrates - what about it makes Red Sea claim it also reduces phosphates?


Thanks!
Larry

Its the C:N: P ratios

All forms of life, that we know of(at least on this planet), requires at least some form of C, some form of N, and some form of P. In that order of weight too.

So, when carbon dosing you drive up bacteria of some type that will also then consume nitrate and phosphate and possibly various other trace elements with more emphasis on carbon then nitrate.

 

[Larry L]

Its the C:N: P ratios

Makes sense, thanks very much for the explanation @jason2459.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

And all carbon dosing methods skew toward more nitrate reduction than phosphate reduction NOT ONLY because organisms contain a lot less P than N so use less P to grow, but some of the carbon dosing drives denitrification, which reduces nitrate to N2 and gives energy to bacteria, with NO use of P at all.

 

[Larry L]

And all carbon dosing methods skew toward more nitrate reduction than phosphate reduction NOT ONLY because organisms contain a lot less P than N so use less P to grow, but some of the carbon dosing drives denitrification, which reduces nitrate to N2 and gives energy to bacteria, with NO use of P at all.

Thanks Randy. So in your opinion is there any reason why NO3: PO4-X should do a better job at reducing phosphates than any other carbon dosing method? Would I still need to run RowaPhos or something equivalent anyway?


Thanks!
Larry

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Thanks Randy. So in your opinion is there any reason why NO3: PO4-X should do a better job at reducing phosphates than any other carbon dosing method? Would I still need to run RowaPhos or something equivalent anyway?


Thanks!
Larry

I'm not aware of any theoretical reason to think so (we know the basic organics in it), and my interpretation of the results of the many people who have used these methods is that it is not different. There are a few folks who strongly disagree with that assessment, but I believe it to be true.