Dose carbon day or night?

[Clownfishy]

Does it matter if you dose carbon during the day or night? I dose a total of 4ml of NOPOX in total during a 24 hour period. Using a doser, I dose 1ml every 6 hours to try and provide the bacteria a continuous amount of carbon rather than in one go. Does it make any difference doing it this way and I assume bacteria grow during the night and day and don't care about light?

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Since the metabolism of organics by bacteria and other organisms lowers O2 and raises CO2 (lowering pH), I prefer to dose during the day when O2 and pH are naturally higher.

Whether it makes much diffrence, I am not sure.

 

[AdamNC]

I usually dose 1 ml of NoPoX during daylight hours just because I’ve seen it drop the ph for a few. Unless you run an opposite lighted refugium, imo I’d just dose during the day.

 

[Clownfishy]

That's interesting, I haven't given the potential pH drop a thought. Anyone tested if the oN actually drops when dosing NOPOX?

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

That's interesting, I haven't given the potential pH drop a thought. Anyone tested if the oN actually drops when dosing NOPOX?

You asking about nitrate dropping? pH definitely drops instantly since it contains acetic acid, and probably drops more later, but that will be harder to see since it is slow.

 

[Clownfishy]

Many thanks, so I need to switch the 2 doses that are at night to during the day to prevent pH drop. Ignoring pH for a minute, has there been any tests to see if populations of bacteria die back if there is no dosing off carbon at night?

 

[SashimiTurtle]

I dose 2ml by hand durring the day, because that's when I'm up. I'm about to put it on my doser after I test again to make sure my levels are stable. I never thought about the pH drop, I'll set it up for mid day when pH will most likely be highest.

 

[Clownfishy]

I have just changed my doing pump to dose 1ml at -
09:00
12:00
15:00
18:00

My lights start to come on at 06:30 and go off at 18:30

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Many thanks, so I need to switch the 2 doses that are at night to during the day to prevent pH drop. Ignoring pH for a minute, has there been any tests to see if populations of bacteria die back if there is no dosing off carbon at night?

No study, but bacteria do not die that fast in a setting like a reef tank.

 

[Clownfishy]

Many thanks for the above statement. I have changed it for a week now and seen no negative impact.