No-pox 1 week in now what

[HankstankXXL750 Verified Sponsor]

I started homemade no-pox 500ml distilled white vinegar, 375 ml vodka, 125 ml RODI.
In my reefs I have the following. I don’t know my actual water volume so using the following guess.

Red Sea S1000 estimating 200g water volume. Started with water change and tested. Nitrate 21.1 phos ? but was .42 on 6/19, no water changes, dosing 8ml

Red Sea XL525 estimating 100g water volume. Started with water change and tested. Nitrates 15 phos? but .69 6/19. No water changes, dosing 4ml daily 12-9 during photo period. tested today Nitrates 40.7 Phos .62 big jump in nitrates. Not aware of any lost fish etc. How much should I increase the dose? I will change out 40g new water then monitor for change.

Thanks for any help.

 

[davidcalgary29]

I'd take out your aquascape, if at all possible, and then get an accurate water volume from that. It's going to be much more difficult to dose if you don't know your actual water volume.

 

[HankstankXXL750 Verified Sponsor]

I'd take out your aquascape, if at all possible, and then get an accurate water volume from that. It's going to be much more difficult to dose if you don't know your actual water volume.

Don’t think that would be real feasible. These are my two tanks. I would fear doing more harm than good. I have estimated by the volume left when doing large water changes. So I believe I’m fairly close, and started with a 1/3 dose. From what I read on here, I will increase until I achieve stability. My main concern is the large difference in the nitrate production in the two systems. They are run fairly identical. I feed the same foods, less in the smaller tank, and run the same equipment in each. So unless my first measurement was wrong, I jumped 25 nitrates in a week and the other only a few.

 

[davidcalgary29]

My first question is: why do you want to dose at all? Your nitrates may be a little high, but your corals are gorgeous, and I wouldn't change your current regime if they're happy. Carbon/vinegar dosing can also cause problems if not done properly, so I'd be cautious (which you seem to be).

If you want to keep dosing, keep in mind @Randy Holmes-Farley 's recipe:

This is the rough recipe:

"Mix one part vinegar to one half part vodka and one half part water. If you want to get even closer, add a little more vodka and a little less water."

 

[redfishbluefish]

Don't take out anything! This isn't rocket science. You're basically feeding bacteria and wanting them to grow to eventually be pulled out by your skimmer.

What I recommend for starting NOPOX is to start slow and increase ever week until you're up to the 3 mls per 25 gallons DT (as per NOPOX instructions). So you've started with 1ml/25 gallons for this first week. If you notice no cyano outbreak and/or cloudy water, up the dose to 2ml/25g for the next week. And again, if after this second week all looks good, go up to 3ml/25g. Keep it here until it drops and once at target levels, use maintenance dose of 1ml/25.

I think your numbers and that increase was testing error, and not anything caused by NOPOX.

 

[HankstankXXL750 Verified Sponsor]

My first question is: why do you want to dose at all? Your nitrates may be a little high, but your corals are gorgeous, and I wouldn't change your current regime if they're happy. Carbon/vinegar dosing can also cause problems if not done properly, so I'd be cautious (which you seem to be).

If you want to keep dosing, keep in mind @Randy Holmes-Farley 's recipe:

I have had to rely on 70-120g water changes every week or two to keep them this low. I added media reactors with sea chem matrix. It may be doing something now especially in the large reef, I do really well with softies and play/zoas. Trach, Favia, blasto, etc. and I have added acros and some other sps. Trying to get and keep this under control as I have 3 large tanks and adding a 4th and don’t want to spend $$$ on salt. Want them stable enough to do 10% changes not 40-50%.

 

[HankstankXXL750 Verified Sponsor]

Don't take out anything! This isn't rocket science. You're basically feeding bacteria and wanting them to grow to eventually be pulled out by your skimmer.

What I recommend for starting NOPOX is to start slow and increase ever week until you're up to the 3 mls per 25 gallons DT (as per NOPOX instructions). So you've started with 1ml/25 gallons for this first week. If you notice no cyano outbreak and/or cloudy water, up the dose to 2ml/25g for the next week. And again, if after this second week all looks good, go up to 3ml/25g. Keep it here until it drops and once at target levels, use maintenance dose of 1ml/25.

I think your numbers and that increase was testing error, and not anything caused by NOPOX.

I didn’t think the large jump had anything to do with the no-pox. But the big jump is concerning to me. Going to do a water change, socks, skimmer cup etc. then watch. No cloudy or cyano outbreaks in these two.
Already had cyano in my predator tank. Had what the fish medic (Jim?) an oxygen depletion there. Plus I think my math was wrong there and I started higher, so won’t increase that tank this week.
In the two reefs I added air stones in the sumps to hopefully offset if it occurs. Nothing seems different in the two reefs. Fish active, corals open, Algea on glass similar to before, so I will move slow and see.
Thanks.

 

[Mattiejay6]

Don't take out anything! This isn't rocket science. You're basically feeding bacteria and wanting them to grow to eventually be pulled out by your skimmer.

What I recommend for starting NOPOX is to start slow and increase ever week until you're up to the 3 mls per 25 gallons DT (as per NOPOX instructions). So you've started with 1ml/25 gallons for this first week. If you notice no cyano outbreak and/or cloudy water, up the dose to 2ml/25g for the next week. And again, if after this second week all looks good, go up to 3ml/25g. Keep it here until it drops and once at target levels, use maintenance dose of 1ml/25.

I think your numbers and that increase was testing error, and not anything caused by NOPOX.

if you get cloudy water, but numbers arent really dropping what do you recommend

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

if you get cloudy water, but numbers arent really dropping what do you recommend

Is that the situation you are in? What are you dosing?

What are the nitrate and phosphate values?

 

[HankstankXXL750 Verified Sponsor]

if you get cloudy water, but numbers arent really dropping what do you recommend

From what I’ve read and been told here, the cloudy water is a sign of a bacteria bloom. I have been told to add an air stone to the display tank to keep oxygen up.
How long have you been adding, how much per 25g and how long?