Carbon dosing for too long?

AdamNC · Jul 18, 2016

I've been using NoPoX since November of last year as a means to help keep my No3 and Po4 down. Daily doing of 2ml per day in a 29 gallon tank. This past week though I've noticed a whiteish slime bacteria? growing on my rocks and some snot like stringy slime. Could dosing NoPoX for too long be doing this? The only things new I've started doing is adding BRS Kalk to my ATO at 2 teaspoons per gallon and started using Dr Tims Waste-Away at half the recommended dose every 2 days.

Here's a link to my tank log for measurements. http://www.aquaticlog.com/aquariums/adammahne/1

Randy Holmes-Farley · Jul 19, 2016

Yes, organic carbon dosing of any kind can drive bacterial growth. If you get the "wrong" species growing, it can grow in unsightly ways. But it has to grow somewhere. We are just lucky that most of the time it is out of sight.

Dr. Tim's product is bacteria. Maybe it brought in the problem species. I'd stop it and see what happens, but it may be too late, and you may have to stop the NOPOX for a while to try to get rid of that slime.

AdamNC · Jul 19, 2016

I'll give it a try to stop dosing Tims and NoPoX for a few and see how things go. What's going to suck is my nitrates may rise. I stopped dosing NoPoX for a while and my nitrates went from 5-30ppm in a week. I do dose Reef Energy and Area51 Phytoplankton daily and feed Reef Chili twice a week and once week some Mysis flakes for my Blood Shimp (he goes crazy for the flakes).

Randy Holmes-Farley · Jul 20, 2016

Yes, the nitrate may rise.

Switching to a different organic may help, although NOPOX is already a mix of the most commonly used DIY (vodka and vinegar) plus some minor ingredients.