NOPOX or NOT??

Droberts0724 · Oct 29, 2020

Anyone use NOPOX? I can't tell if I like it or not....it says my tank requires 10mls daily I will do 10mls every couple of days but I feel like maybe it causes cyanobacteria. I also have a deep red color growing on my rocks but doesn't look like cyano. It doesn't scrub off either....almost looks like a coralline....but so dark. Anyone else have this experience with the NOPOX or these deep red patches on your rocks? My tank is covered in pink coralline and the red patches have no bubbles or anything attached to it that looks fuzzy. However I have algae so I know there is plenty of nutrients in the tank but never registers on my hanah checker....

Arabyps · Oct 29, 2020

NOPOX is carbon dosing to solve issues relating to excess nitrates and phosphates. Is this the issue you have? It would be helpful if you posted your tank parameters.

SPR1968 · Oct 29, 2020

Nopox is primarily for nitrate reduction, and much less so phosphate

If your getting a zero reading on the Hanna it could simply be because the algae is using phosphate as a food source so you may need to look into phosphate export, I use rowaphos personally.

If you think it’s necessary to use Nopox you should be dosing it every day as per the instrctions to keep feeding and multiplying the bacteria involved.

Droberts0724 · Oct 29, 2020

I checked phosphate was 0.02 and nitrates is always 0-.2

Nano sapiens · Oct 29, 2020

As mentioned, carbon dosing products (such as NOPOX) are used primarily to reduce high nitrates (which you don't have) to more reef acceptable levels.

Many reef alga still grow in very low PO4 and NO3 levels, so your best bet for control is to enhance your herbivorous cleanup crew and periodically clean/vacuum to remove their phosphate rich fecal pellets.

Droberts0724 · Oct 29, 2020

Nano sapiens said:
As mentioned, carbon dosing products (such as NOPOX) are used primarily to reduce high nitrates (which you don't have) to more reef acceptable levels.

Many reef alga still grow in very low PO4 and NO3 levels, so your best bet for control is to enhance your herbivorous cleanup crew and periodically clean/vacuum to remove their phosphate rich fecal pellets.

Yes well maybe more crabs as ai have plenty of snails...my cerith hatched babies. I also many nassirrus snails too. My sand sifter keeps my sand bed pristine as he is huge! I do have bryopsis that is my pest algae a few patches here and there which I pick. I also have some brown algae here and there so there is definitely nutrients in this tank. So I guess I will beef up my CUC thank you! Anything that you recommend for good algae clean up...especially something that might pick the bryopsis? I get nudibranch but they never last long

Nano sapiens · Oct 29, 2020

Droberts0724 said:
Yes well maybe more crabs as ai have plenty of snails...my cerith hatched babies. I also many nassirrus snails too. My sand sifter keeps my sand bed pristine as he is huge! I do have bryopsis that is my pest algae a few patches here and there which I pick. I also have some brown algae here and there so there is definitely nutrients in this tank. So I guess I will beef up my CUC thank you! Anything that you recommend for good algae clean up...especially something that might pick the bryopsis? I get nudibranch but they never last long

Biological control of Bryopsis is a bit hit-or-miss. Some have success with Sea Hares, Emerald Crabs, Foxface. Others swear by Hydrogen Peroxide spot applied to the base of the algae (bleaches out and dies in a couple days). No matter what method(s) used, consistent manual removal is always helpful.

I had a few tufts early on in my tank's life, but for whatever reason it died out fairly quickly.