Carbon dosing & lighting?

[Cornerboy]

I'm wondering if there is any difference in dosing carbon

1)when your display tank light is on or,
2)when your refugium light is on, or
3) both

Also,

I'm wondering when might be the best time to introduce carbon dosing when setting up a new tank. I was thinking when you start to introduce corals. I understand that you can have problems when you have an established sand bed and you start dosing carbon. When you're setting up a tank what is the soonest you would recommend starting carbon dosing?

What are people's thoughts?

 

[HiddenUser]

When I was dosing NOPOX I did it while my DT lights were on as I noticed that it would cause for my PH to drop. I didn't have a refugium running on a reverse light cycle.

I don't think it really matters when you start carbon dosing...You could start once you notice that your regular water changes aren't helping as much with nitrate and phosphate reduction and you need something else to help bring down your nitrates and phosphates (unless you decide to do more or larger water changes)

Just note that if you have an establish refugium with Macro, if you start carbon dosing you may see your Macro die off as there is no longer enough nitrates or phosphates in the water to support it's growth. Typically you would do carbon dosing, or run a refugium, not both at the same time, although it is entirely possible and many people have figured out a balance to running multiple methods of nitrate and phosphate reduction.

 

[kyleinpdx]

I'm wondering if there is any difference in dosing carbon

1)when your display tank light is on or,
2)when your refugium light is on, or
3) both

Also,

I'm wondering when might be the best time to introduce carbon dosing when setting up a new tank. I was thinking when you start to introduce corals. I understand that you can have problems when you have an established sand bed and you start dosing carbon. When you're setting up a tank what is the soonest you would recommend starting carbon dosing?

What are people's thoughts?

IMO it doesnt matter when you dose re: feeding the bacteria with the goal of reducing nitrates/phosphates. However one of the side-effects of carbon dosing is that it lowers ph. Because of this I always dose when my ph is highest (75-80%) of the way through my photoperiod so I dont knock ph down too far. If you're at 7.7ph when the lights come on, but at 8.1ph at 5pm, you'll probably be better off dosing at 5pm.

As for when to start, really once you need to. If you cant get your no3/po4 where you want them with your usual maint. then carbon dosing is a good next step. Until you have high no3/po4 (after the initial cycle) I wouldnt worry about it. I'm not aware of any issues with older sandbeds and carbon dosing, but an established aquarium with high biodiversity has a higher chance of already containing small quantities of an organism that might readily take up the carbon and multiply to unwanted levels. For example, when I first started dosing vinegar (about two years after setup) I saw an increase in cyano, with only vodka I saw a bloom in the water column. With DIY nopox I havent had either.

 

[Cornerboy]

When I was dosing NOPOX I did it while my DT lights were on as I noticed that it would cause for my PH to drop. I didn't have a refugium running on a reverse light cycle.

I don't think it really matters when you start carbon dosing...You could start once you notice that your regular water changes aren't helping as much with nitrate and phosphate reduction and you need something else to help bring down your nitrates and phosphates (unless you decide to do more or larger water changes)

Just note that if you have an establish refugium with Macro, if you start carbon dosing you may see your Macro die off as there is no longer enough nitrates or phosphates in the water to support it's growth. Typically you would do carbon dosing, or run a refugium, not both at the same time, although it is entirely possible and many people have figured out a balance to running multiple methods of nitrate and phosphate reduction.

Ahh... well I'm going with a very large refugium. I was thinking I might need to Dos a little bit of vinegar in a little bit of kalkwasser down the road. Thanks for the tip I'm just getting started

 

[HiddenUser]

Ahh... well I'm going with a very large refugium. I was thinking I might need to Dos a little bit of vinegar in a little bit of kalkwasser down the road. Thanks for the tip I'm just getting started

I would just see if the refugium does a good enough job for nitrate and phosphate control. Kalkwasser not needed unless you start needing bump up alkalinity. I personally like dosing Soda Ash though as I have a bit more control and don't need to worry about the varying rates of evaporation in the summer vs winter if you mix the Kalk with your ATO water.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

I would dose organic carbon in the daylight hours since it can lower O2 and pH.

 

[Cornerboy]

I would dose organic carbon in the daylight hours since it can lower O2 and pH.

Randy, I was so stoked to read your article where you are testing the limits of how much vinegar you could dose. I'm a big fan!! It's very comforting to see somebody having gone down the path that I just have on the drawing board.

 

[Cornerboy]

So I take it the lighting has nothing to do with where the bacteria eventually settles in and that really makes little difference to the system anyway. Is that right?

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Randy, I was so stoked to read your article where you are testing the limits of how much vinegar you could dose. I'm a big fan!! It's very comforting to see somebody having gone down the path that I just have on the drawing board.

lol

Thanks and good luck.

I don't think lighting plays much role in the bacteria that typically grow from organic carbon dosing, but they may not grow in well lit places because photosynthetic organisms (cyanobacteria, algae, etc.) may out-compete them for those locations.