Carbon dosing...is this normal.

[saltyhog]

I've been carbon dosing (vinegar) for about 4 weeks. I'm up to 75 ml/day dosed over 7 hours of highest pH via dosing pump. My nitrate still hasn't changed but I have observed the following.

#1 The normal film algae I would have to clean maybe once a week is now white. It comes off very easily with Magfloat almost in small sheets.

#2 Skimmer production is not much increased but the odor is definitely different (worse! LOL)

#3 My filter socks (felt) clog up much quicker. I used to change them every 3 days and they wouldn't be clogged at all. Now in 48 hours they over flow.

Is this how it's supposed to be going at this time? How much more should I continue to increase the dose (approximately 165-170 gallon system)? Does carbon dosing ever fail to lower nitrates?

 

[JOKER]

From my experience I noticed worse smell with skimmer, less algae on glass. I use vodka though, and I use it until nitrates start to drop then cut dose in half. Im not sure on vinegar though. Mr Randy can explain very well on vinegar and he has articles. Search for randy holmes farley vinegar dosing
he Is the man

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Are you monitoring phosphate as well?

The white film may be bacteria. It has to grow somewhere, but more often it is out of sight.

Can you describe whether you have sumps or refugia and where you dose in relation to these?

The socks clogging can be from bacteria. The smell may also be, although my skimmate has never smelled bad in 19 years. How it smells probably depends on what natural molecules are being produced in the tank.

 

[Reefing Madness]

The white film is bacterial growth because of the dosing. It gets less with less of a dose, I still clean my glass once a week from it. Dosing high will not fail to bring your nitrates down, it will happen, just a matter of time. If your skimmer hasn't started to produce the nasties yet, don't worry it will, my guess is your dose isn't high enough yet.
I don't know how much vinegar it will take to lower them, if it were vodka I could gather you a guess.

 

[saltyhog]

I have a 3 chamber sump. Skimmer and drain lines in first chamber, refugium with live rock rubble and chaeto in the second chamber and return pump in 3rd chamber. Vinegar dosing is in to the middle chamber via dosing pump from 3 pm to 10 pm. 2 part dosing in to the third chamber. The smell is not really "bad" just more intense than it was before dosing...may be my imagination?

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Middle chamber and second chamber is the same space? So the vinegar goes into the rock rubble area?

Anyway, that's what I'd do with your system.

 

[saltyhog]

Middle chamber and second chamber is the same space? So the vinegar goes into the rock rubble area?

Anyway, that's what I'd do with your system.

Oops, yes sorry about changing nomenclature in mid stream. Vinegar goes in the rock rubble area.

 

[lionfish5740]

Four weeks means to me that you're not too far into the process yet, it takes time. The mistake I made when I first tried it was to rush the process and try to hurry with reducing nitrate. Fish seemed to be ok with it but all the corals quickly bleached and I lost an anemone. So if you have corals/anemones I would watch them closely and maybe even reduce light intensity some to be on the safe side, but keep in mind that I'm not familiar with your tank. I started with vinegar also but it's been many years since then and I can't remember the dosage I used.I'm also wondering just how high your nitrates and phosphates are. If your nitrate level is very high then you might not notice a change immediately. If your phosphate is very low, like undetectable levels, then it's possible that you won't see much nitrate reducing. The bacteria require phosphate as well, just not nearly as much. Also, any locked up nitrate/phosphate on substrate or in algae will be released as your levels lower so it could falsely seem like not much is happening by looking at a test kit. Randy can weigh in if I'm mistaken anywhere. (love having him around)
Remember not to rush it because rapid changes in any level can be disastrous for your livestock.

 

[saltyhog]

Thanks lionfish! My nitrates are around 25 (Salifert). My phosphate is 0.01 (was 0.038) about 6 days after changing out my GFO.
No nemes. Mostly SPS, chalices, a duncan and a couple of euphyllia. I do have zoas/palys and interestingly the majority of them are pretty "mad" right now. Only the Sunny D's, Rastas and Magicians look happy.