Carbon Dosing Question

Reefen · Jun 29, 2022

I have just put my carbon, NP Bacto Balance, on a dosing pump, Is it best to dose all at one time when lights come on or space it out while lights are on, thanks

vetteguy53081 · Jun 29, 2022

Reefen said:
I have just put my carbon, NP Bacto Balance, on a dosing pump, Is it best to dose all at one time when lights come on or space it out while lights are on, thanks

I prefer dosing in increments

Randy Holmes-Farley · Jun 29, 2022

Spacing out carbon dosing reduces any subsequent O2 depletion.

ReefGeezer · Jun 29, 2022

I'd space it out while the lights are on.

QuinnLee512 · Jul 15, 2022

Reefen said:
I have just put my carbon, NP Bacto Balance, on a dosing pump, Is it best to dose all at one time when lights come on or space it out while lights are on, thanks

Hi. I also have bacto balance but I also have nopox. Isn't bacto balance for when there's an imbalance of phosphate or nitrate? I'm currently confused as to which product to use.

mdb_talon · Jul 15, 2022

QuinnLee512 said:
Hi. I also have bacto balance but I also have nopox. Isn't bacto balance for when there's an imbalance of phosphate or nitrate? I'm currently confused as to which product to use.

Thats how it is advertised. Personally i am skeptical.....of course i am also skeptical that the ratio actually matters to any significant extent. I have never found my tanks to suffer from an "improper ratio". Now they have suffered when either is too low for sure as both are needed, but otherwise not seen any real data in an aquarium setting that the ratio is important

QuinnLee512 · Jul 16, 2022

mdb_talon said:
Thats how it is advertised. Personally i am skeptical.....of course i am also skeptical that the ratio actually matters to any significant extent. I have never found my tanks to suffer from an "improper ratio". Now they have suffered when either is too low for sure as both are needed, but otherwise not seen any real data in an aquarium setting that the ratio is important

I have been having an issue with high phosphate but normal level nitrates. Confused which product to use. I just measured tonight and my phosphate is .19 and nitrate is 5.9. I've been running GFO for almost a month now. Not helping much.

mdb_talon · Jul 16, 2022

QuinnLee512 said:
I have been having an issue with high phosphate but normal level nitrates. Confused which product to use. I just measured tonight and my phosphate is .19 and nitrate is 5.9. I've been running GFO for almost a month now. Not helping much.

If you have had an appropriate amount of GFO in there for a month and it not doing much it sounds like either you are adding a lot back in with your food or possibly leaching from your rocks. If it is the latter then keep replacing the gfo and eventually it will start going down. If it a feeding issue then changing food to something with lower phosphates can help.

Personally i am more of a fan of lanthium chloride for reducing phosphates when nitrates already low. It is near immediate and very inexpensive relative to GFO. Some report issues with fish(usually tangs). I drip into a filter sock in beginning of sump and never seen an issue. Once phosphates are down where u want them then i think gfo does a better job of keeping them there because more of a constant thing and if u see them creep up then it usually means replace gfo.

QuinnLee512 · Jul 16, 2022

mdb_talon said:
If you have had an appropriate amount of GFO in there for a month and it not doing much it sounds like either you are adding a lot back in with your food or possibly leaching from your rocks. If it is the latter then keep replacing the gfo and eventually it will start going down. If it a feeding issue then changing food to something with lower phosphates can help.

Personally i am more of a fan of lanthium chloride for reducing phosphates when nitrates already low. It is near immediate and very inexpensive relative to GFO. Some report issues with fish(usually tangs). I drip into a filter sock in beginning of sump and never seen an issue. Once phosphates are down where u want them then i think gfo does a better job of keeping them there because more of a constant thing and if u see them creep up then it usually means replace gfo.

I actually did use lanthium chloride and it did bring it down but it's back up again. I feed predominantly pellets. I'm confused as to where this phosphate is coming from. Would you recommend regular use of nopox or bacto balance?

Randy Holmes-Farley · Jul 16, 2022

QuinnLee512 said:
I actually did use lanthium chloride and it did bring it down but it's back up again. I feed predominantly pellets. I'm confused as to where this phosphate is coming from. Would you recommend regular use of nopox or bacto balance?

Could be continued imbalance of import vs export, but even if not, Once phosphate is high, the rock and sand with exposed calcium carbonate surfaces will bind phosphate,a nd then release it back tot eh water after you try to lower it, making it an ongoing project until it comes to a new equilibrium.