Chemistry of Carbon Dosing ?

[JesseLander]

Can anybody explain or point me to a good article on what is actually happening when carbon dosing?

Why is it called "carbon" dosing and not "organic" dosing?

It seems carbon dosing can be used to both, raise and lower nutrients? Basically it feeds bacteria to boost their population in effect boosting the bio filter. But if you are raising nutrients to lower nutrients, isn't this counter intuitive?

If you have high nitrates but low phosphates, will carbon dosing lower nitrate? And for now nitrates but high phosphate? And if both are high?

 

[saltyfilmfolks]

AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA
I stayed up late on night examining the difference between the two carbon molecules. welcome. and google randy's articles.
And make some coffee

 

[Anirban]

You can get good information here...

Phosphate In The Reef Aquarium
https://www.reef2reef.com/blog/?p=3184

Nitrate in the Reef Aquarium - REEFEDITION
https://www.reef2reef.com/blog/nitrate-in-the-reef-aquarium

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

So I'm not sure what tyou mean by raising nutrients. Some people may add extra nutrients for various reasons, but organic carbon dosing by itself does not increase inorganic nutrients. it only lowers them.

As to the name?

There are loads of stupid names for things in the hobby. That alone might make a nice thread.

Here are a couple of articles describing what is intended with organic carbon dosing:

http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2008-08/nftt/

http://reefkeeping.com/joomla/index...ar-dosing-methodology-for-the-marine-aquarium

Organic carbon dosing will generally always lower both nitrate and phosphate, but much more toward nitrate than other methods. If either N or P runs out, the process will slow and eventually stop, so either one can become limiting to the process.

 

[JesseLander]

Thanks! By raise nutrients, I guess what I really mean is raise micro organism population. If I remember correctly, I thought I read in one of your posts that carbon dosing can help feed SPS for some reason.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Thanks! By raise nutrients, I guess what I really mean is raise micro organism population. If I remember correctly, I thought I read in one of your posts that carbon dosing can help feed SPS for some reason.

Yes, it can. I just wouldn't ordinarily refer to bacteria as "nutrients", although they certainly contain them.

 

[saltyfilmfolks]

I thought I read in one of your posts that carbon dosing can help feed SPS for some reason.

@ Jesse, one of Randy's articles explaining why this is. Read the whole thing, but, part of the answer is in the first paragraph of "Positive Effect of DOM: Energy and Nutrients"
Rand Please correct me if I'm wrong.
As Ive come to understand it.
Essentially your giving the animals an increased access to good or better pro-biotic sources as well as increased access to the nutrients in the actual foods you are feeding including the fish waste.
The increased bacteria breaks down food and waste more efficiently, dissolving it and its compounds into a more accessible food source or corals, and in my case also NPS corals, sponges and non Photo bi Valves, and making nutrient export easier with a skimmer or refugium as there are now less actual large solids. Essentially a composting accelerator.
Bacterial diversity is also I believe important as well, and a good reason to choose foods wisely, as for most it seems, this is the only outside source of bacterial introduction in their systems that doesn't come in a bottle.