NP-Bacto_Balance

[ctopherl]

All systems will respond a little differently. So there is no one silver bullet for ALL tanks. That being said, the "goal" of the NP BACTO Balance, in a perfect scenario, is not to increase or decrease anything. The NP BACTO Balance is designed to "maintain" whatever the concentrations were that you started with, while still effectively carbon dosing the system to facilitate the PO4 adsorption of your corals.

Unfortunately, the best, most effective way to reduce the NO3 concentration is, as you have already mentioned, water changes. If the system is resulting in lots of NO#, I would take a hard look at nutrient import through foods or possibly other products that are getting added. That NO3 has to be coming from somewhere!

I think I have caused a bacterial bloom - water has been cloudy and yellow for days. I have completely stopped dosing bacteria. Any suggestions on getting this to level out? I have about 4x the suggested amount of ROX .08 carbon in the tank (started with normal amount-saw no improvement). I have seen on forums that water changes both help and hurt so I am unsure if I should continue with water changes. I have a UV that is too small for my tank volume but I may try to hook it up anyways to see if it helps at all. I am also thinking about getting some chemipure blue. I tested about 15ppm nitrates and .043ppm phosphate. Salinity sitting at 1.025sg.

 

[ctopherl]

I think I have caused a bacterial bloom - water has been cloudy and yellow for days. I have completely stopped dosing bacteria. Any suggestions on getting this to level out? I have about 4x the suggested amount of ROX .08 carbon in the tank (started with normal amount-saw no improvement). I have seen on forums that water changes both help and hurt so I am unsure if I should continue with water changes. I have a UV that is too small for my tank volume but I may try to hook it up anyways to see if it helps at all. I am also thinking about getting some chemipure blue. I tested about 15ppm nitrates and .043ppm phosphate. Salinity sitting at 1.025sg.

In hindsight, I think dosing metroplex in addition to the bacteria, combined with starting water changes to keep nitrates in check caused a whirlwind. I’m thinking stop water changes and metroplex/bacteria dosing for a bit, combined with lots of carbon and chemo pure

 

[Lou Ekus]

If it is a bacterial bloom, then a lot of what you are saying could be true...
Water changes might help or hurt the situation. But still a good idea to try.
Even though your UV is small, hooking it up can only help.
Chemipure probably wouldn't hurt either.
Your NO3 and PO4 seem good right now. So I don't think that is directly contributing to the issue.
Try all these things you are suggesting and let me know how you make out.

 

[ctopherl]

If it is a bacterial bloom, then a lot of what you are saying could be true...
Water changes might help or hurt the situation. But still a good idea to try.
Even though your UV is small, hooking it up can only help.
Chemipure probably wouldn't hurt either.
Your NO3 and PO4 seem good right now. So I don't think that is directly contributing to the issue.
Try all these things you are suggesting and let me know how you make out.

The water is looking much better now! A bit cloudy still but not bad. I leaned towards “do nothing and let it settle”, so I just stopped dosing and added chemipure blue. I am a true believer of chemipure now, it easily pulled contaminants out that my “overdose” of carbon struggled to!

 

[ctopherl]

If it is a bacterial bloom, then a lot of what you are saying could be true...
Water changes might help or hurt the situation. But still a good idea to try.
Even though your UV is small, hooking it up can only help.
Chemipure probably wouldn't hurt either.
Your NO3 and PO4 seem good right now. So I don't think that is directly contributing to the issue.
Try all these things you are suggesting and let me know how you make out.

Hm, that improvement was only temporary and trying ChemiPure again did not have the same clearing effect. I just can’t shake this cloudy water and I haven’t dosed bacteria in over a month. Any suggestions on how to clear the water short of spending hundreds of dollars on a UV? I have a small one that I will try but it is way undersized.

I have tried turning my lights off for a few days, as well as repeated ~10% water changes with no luck. I thought I read somewhere that adding more nitrifying bacteria (e.g. microbacter start or 7) would cause those bacteria to outcompete the bacteria clouding the water? Although adding more bacteria also sounds counterproductive. Im at a loss here!

Dosing peroxide for a few days cleared it up temporarily, but a couple of my fish reacted poorly to that so I stopped. I’m unclear if that points to “algae bloom” instead of “bacterial bloom” or even how to tell the difference.

 

[V A R I A N T]

You might give Purigen a try and see if it helps

 

[thatmanMIKEson]

Hm, that improvement was only temporary and trying ChemiPure again did not have the same clearing effect. I just can’t shake this cloudy water and I haven’t dosed bacteria in over a month. Any suggestions on how to clear the water short of spending hundreds of dollars on a UV? I have a small one that I will try but it is way undersized.

I have tried turning my lights off for a few days, as well as repeated ~10% water changes with no luck. I thought I read somewhere that adding more nitrifying bacteria (e.g. microbacter start or 7) would cause those bacteria to outcompete the bacteria clouding the water? Although adding more bacteria also sounds counterproductive. Im at a loss here!

Dosing peroxide for a few days cleared it up temporarily, but a couple of my fish reacted poorly to that so I stopped. I’m unclear if that points to “algae bloom” instead of “bacterial bloom” or even how to tell the difference.

Run a 1 micron sediment filter for a few days!

 

[ctopherl]

You might give Purigen a try and see if it helps

If this was in response to me, I tried purigen for a couple of weeks and it did not help :-( I have also tried BRS ROX carbon without any change.

 

[ctopherl]

Run a 1 micron sediment filter for a few days!

I do have a reefmat roller as my main filtration, although I don't know how many microns the felt is. I could try some filter floss on top of that for kicks. I'm not sure how I'd set up a sediment filter-sounds like plumbing would be required.

 

[thatmanMIKEson]

I do have a reefmat roller as my main filtration, although I don't know how many microns the felt is. I could try some filter floss on top of that for kicks. I'm not sure how I'd set up a sediment filter-sounds like plumbing would be required.

It's very simple and very effective for what you need try it if doesn't work I'll refund you.

Get this and a couple one micron sediment filters from them and it takes a few days to start getting clogged up and really working good.

BRS GFO & Carbon Reactor - Deluxe

Maximize Filtration Efficiency with the BRS Deluxe Reactor Optimized for Carbon and GFO: Engineered to deliver top performance with both Carbon and GFO media. Effortless Flow Control: Includes an easy-to-adjust ball valve for precise water flow management. Convenient Filter Cartridge: Features...

www.bulkreefsupply.com

 

[ctopherl]

It's very simple and very effective for what you need try it if doesn't work I'll refund you.

Get this and a couple one micron sediment filters from them and it takes a few days to start getting clogged up and really working good.

BRS GFO & Carbon Reactor - Deluxe

Maximize Filtration Efficiency with the BRS Deluxe Reactor Optimized for Carbon and GFO: Engineered to deliver top performance with both Carbon and GFO media. Effortless Flow Control: Includes an easy-to-adjust ball valve for precise water flow management. Convenient Filter Cartridge: Features...

www.bulkreefsupply.com

Oh interesting! Could even try the double with a 5 micron followed by 1 micron filter.

Any idea why this one is cheaper? https://www.bulkreefsupply.com/brs-gfo-carbon-reactor-single.html

The one you linked is “deluxe” but I’m having a hard time figuring out what is deluxe about it.

I already have a spare sicce pump so I don’t need the full kit! Definitely seems worth a try, I didn’t know this existed!

That being said, the principle of having to add more filtration on top of the reef mat is annoying I have a pretty light bio load as it is.

 

[thatmanMIKEson]

Oh interesting! Could even try the double with a 5 micron followed by 1 micron filter.

Any idea why this one is cheaper? https://www.bulkreefsupply.com/brs-gfo-carbon-reactor-single.html

The one you linked is “deluxe” but I’m having a hard time figuring out what is deluxe about it.

I already have a spare sicce pump so I don’t need the full kit! Definitely seems worth a try, I didn’t know this existed!

That being said, the principle of having to add more filtration on top of the reef mat is annoying I have a pretty light bio load as it is.

Just try it, but all you should need is one one micron filter and a few days to start to get color and it will make the water crystal clear.

when I make fresh mixed salt water it looks clear but when I run it thru a sediment filter for a few hours you can see a difference.

I get the principle of adding more filtration, but its only temporary I hope.

 

[ReefHog]

DE filters work great for algae and bacteria blooms.
MarineLand Magnum Polishing Internal Canister Filter, For aquariums Up To 97 Gallons, 10.5 IN (ML90770-00) https://a.co/d/icXXpvh

 

[Lou Ekus]

Hm, that improvement was only temporary and trying ChemiPure again did not have the same clearing effect. I just can’t shake this cloudy water and I haven’t dosed bacteria in over a month. Any suggestions on how to clear the water short of spending hundreds of dollars on a UV? I have a small one that I will try but it is way undersized.

I have tried turning my lights off for a few days, as well as repeated ~10% water changes with no luck. I thought I read somewhere that adding more nitrifying bacteria (e.g. microbacter start or 7) would cause those bacteria to outcompete the bacteria clouding the water? Although adding more bacteria also sounds counterproductive. Im at a loss here!

Dosing peroxide for a few days cleared it up temporarily, but a couple of my fish reacted poorly to that so I stopped. I’m unclear if that points to “algae bloom” instead of “bacterial bloom” or even how to tell the difference.

I think barring a UV unit, the best other alternative to try is to run a very tight Micron (like 1 or 5) for a few days. It will clog up pretty quickly, but it might extract enough population to get things cleared up somewhat.

 

[thatmanMIKEson]

I think barring a UV unit, the best other alternative to try is to run a very tight Micron (like 1 or 5) for a few days. It will clog up pretty quickly, but it might extract enough population to get things cleared up somewhat.

That's a good idea

 

[dubmaneh]

Hi @Lou Ekus,

Started dosing Bacto-Balance a week ago at a 1/4 dose (0.25ml) on a 100gal system with

N = 5ppm
P04 = 0.13ppm

Used Bacto-Balance based on the following from the Tropic Marin website: "With a nitrate-phosphate ratio greater than 10:1, we recommend the use of Tropic Marin® NP-Bacto-Balance rather than Tropic Marin® Elimi-NP, to best adjust the nutrient concentrations."

Should I continue using Balance (increasing the dosage 0.25ml/week and giving it time to work)?
Or, should I be using Elimi-NP based on my P04 levels?

 

[Lou Ekus]

Hi @Lou Ekus,

Started dosing Bacto-Balance a week ago at a 1/4 dose (0.25ml) on a 100gal system with

N = 5ppm
P04 = 0.13ppm

Used Bacto-Balance based on the following from the Tropic Marin website: "With a nitrate-phosphate ratio greater than 10:1, we recommend the use of Tropic Marin® NP-Bacto-Balance rather than Tropic Marin® Elimi-NP, to best adjust the nutrient concentrations."

Should I continue using Balance (increasing the dosage 0.25ml/week and giving it time to work)?
Or, should I be using Elimi-NP based on my P04 levels?

If you would like to keep your PO4 at .13ppm, then I would suggest just increasing the NP BACTO Balance a little and see where the levels go. If you want to drop the PO4 down under .13ppm, then I would use the ELIMI NP.

 

[ctopherl]

That's a good idea

Update, I threw my old UV on for kicks and it cleared it up in 48 hours no problem. I am shocked because it’s a 15W rated for 75g, my tank is 225g and I only had a sicce 1.0 at ~230gph to run through it which is more in line with the manufacturer suggested rate for parasite control than algae/bacteria blooms. Wow night and day difference! I also through a 50 micron filter pad in the sump for the heck of it.

I will probably wait to restart the bacto balance until I have some corals in the tank for more of a diverse bacterial population!

 

[thatmanMIKEson]

Update, I threw my old UV on for kicks and it cleared it up in 48 hours no problem. I am shocked because it’s a 15W rated for 75g, my tank is 225g and I only had a sicce 1.0 at ~230gph to run through it which is more in line with the manufacturer suggested rate for parasite control than algae/bacteria blooms. Wow night and day difference! I also through a 50 micron filter pad in the sump for the heck of it.

I will probably wait to restart the bacto balance until I have some corals in the tank for more of a diverse bacterial population!

Very nice!

 

[ctopherl]

@Lou Ekus does running UV negate the carbon dosing with TM products? Is the UV just going to sterilize the bacteria making it hard for them to colonize enough? Or am I misunderstanding how this works?