Frustrated with the hobby.

[Matt Winstead]

I started my tank in March and I just got everything where I want as far as automation water chemistry and livestock on a 200 liter system and over 12k spent. It takes time. Effort and patience.

I'm 3 years in and around $25,000 in.

 

[NowGlazeIT]

Yea those swings man. If you get that under control your reef will look much happier. I’m just going slow trying to figure out what works. So far phyto and nopox os working but I hope the bio pellets will take over the nopox job

 

[Matt Winstead]

People need to calm down with the BRS video bashing. They are incredibly useful tools for reefers. Vibrant, Nopox, GFO etc all have their place in this hobby and many use them with great success. The hard part is determining if or when to use them, but that's what we are here for.

With my nutrient levels how could I not ?

 

[Goaway]

People need to calm down with the BRS video bashing. They are incredibly useful tools for reefers. Vibrant, Nopox, GFO etc all have their place in this hobby and many use them with great success. The hard part is determining if or when to use them, but that's what we are here for.

I think some people want a miracle in a bottle. An easy answer to the hobby. It's our job to figure out what to add and when. That's the hardest part.

I completely agree with what you have said.

 

[Uncle99]

L

RED SEA says 3ml per 25 gal if your nitrates are 10 plus would put me at 25ml per day. How did you get it's too high

So, you post that your tank is 3 years old which is well mature in terms of your bacteria pop and diversity.

Your nitrates are fine at 8-12ppm and phosphate in the .1ppm to .2ppm would be numbers I would expect with that age, and those are fine IMM.

The dose your using is for lowering nitrates and if that’s where your going that’s fine. It does nothing much for phosphate.

I use the Red Sea Recipe Maker for a general guide to a maintenance type dose and for Nopox it says 7.9ml day on 210 gallons.

Cant say it would have any affect to your corals.

 

[Matt Winstead]

Would also add amino acids. Did wonders for my monti corals. Even one with burnt ends started growing almost exponentially and flesh corvered burnt ends.

I listed AB+ as mine.

 

[Matt Winstead]

Yea those swings man. If you get that under control your reef will look much happier. I’m just going slow trying to figure out what works. So far phyto and nopox os working but I hope the bio pellets will take over the nopox job

I've been swinging like this always and never had stable PO4

 

[Matt Winstead]

If you are getting big swings you are using too much gfo/Nopox. Go slower and test daily. Pick one, determine optimal dosage for your tank by testing, and then decide if an additional method is necessary.

If I don't swing I'm gonna be stable at .2 PO4. That flies ?

 

[Cell]

GFO can be somewhat difficult to use because of how fast and effective it works. You really need to take it slow with GFO and make sure you dont use too much and cause a big swing. Whenever I dose Nopox regularly, I start getting bacterial slime.

 

[Matt Winstead]

When did BRS say to dose gfo and another phosphate binder with it?

They never said not to and always talk about carbon dosing and gfo

 

[NowGlazeIT]

I think some people want a miracle in a bottle. An easy answer to the hobby. It's our job to figure out what to add and when. That's the hardest part.

I completely agree with what you have said.

Yes a one in all! like the aio tanks haha. But when used correctly some of these ailments can be life savers. I had no chance of keeping my nitrates down after I took my ats offline. If I hadn’t discovered nopox when I did, I would still be doing massive water changes to keep things inline.

 

[Cell]

If I don't swing I'm gonna be stable at .2 PO4. That flies ?

You can lower phosphate without big swings. You need to slow down and test more to dial in your exact need based on your tank.

 

[Matt Winstead]

GFO can be somewhat difficult to use because of how fast and effective it works. You really need to take it slow with GFO and make sure you dont use too much and cause a big swing. Whenever I dose Nopox regularly, I start getting bacterial slime.

Same here. White fog water and white slime at 20-25ml on 210g

 

[NowGlazeIT]

If I don't swing I'm gonna be stable at .2 PO4. That flies ?

.2 is high enough to disturb coral but if your nitrates are higher then 10-15 you should be able to bring po4 and no3 down together with nopox and your skimmer

 

[Matt Winstead]

So, you post that your tank is 3 years old which is well mature in terms of your bacteria pop and diversity.

Your nitrates are fine at 8-12ppm and phosphate in the .1ppm to .2ppm would be numbers I would expect with that age, and those are fine IMM.

The dose your using is for lowering nitrates and if that’s where your going that’s fine. It does nothing much for phosphate.

I use the Red Sea Recipe Maker for a general guide to a maintenance type dose and for Nopox it says 7.9ml day on 210 gallons.

Cant say it would have any affect to your corals.

If .2 PO4 is fine then I can cut back on all that crap I'm doing.

 

[NowGlazeIT]

Same here. White fog water and white slime at 20-25ml on 210g

Sounds like mulm

 

[Matt Winstead]

.2 is high enough to disturb coral but if your nitrates are higher then 10-15 you should be able to bring po4 and no3 down together with nopox and your skimmer

Nope it never has. Been running it over 18 months.

 

[NowGlazeIT]

Nope it never has. Been running it over 18 months.

It does for a lot of others. To many threads where nopox strips the tank of nutrients

 

[Cell]

I'd rather have steady .2 PO4 than frequent large swings if those are my choices.

 

[Goaway]

Yes a one in all! like the aio tanks haha. But when used correctly some of these ailments can be life savers. I had no chance of keeping my nitrates down after I took my ats offline. If I hadn’t discovered nopox when I did, I would still be doing massive water changes to keep things inline.

I love macro algae in my sump. I never used an ats. But I am thinking about it. I still only change my water at 40g per month. It's more than I want to do. However, I have to reach that equilibrium with my aquarium before I can get back to a very low water change schedule.

My old reef only needed a water change once a month or I could wait longer if I wanted. I just had to supplement accordingly. Getting to that point is so rewarding.