Questions About Carbon Dosing

[optimisticdingo]

About a month ago my depression was really getting the best of me and I kind of let my tank go. I stopped changing filter socks like I should, stopped doing water changes, and really got bad about my husbandry. Now that I'm doing better I'm wanting to get my tank back in order.

I tested my nitrates today and they're somewhere around 60-80ppm and Phosphate was 0.25ppm. My corals are looking fine but I'm wanting to get these numbers down. I've got a 116 gallon system so I'm not sure a large water change is going to work for me.

I've tried in the past using carbon dosing but every time I dose, I end up getting a huge bloom of Cyanobacteria. The products that I'm using are Elimi-NP and NP Bacto Balance by Tropic Marin. The Elimi-NP is the product recommended for my level of Phosphate. Has anyone else had these issues with carbon dosing with these products?

Do you guys have any other solutions for lowering my nutrients without doing large water changes?

Any help is appreciated. Getting this tank back in order is something that I really need to do to help my mental health.

 

[Llyod276]

Carbon won't get rid of phosphate or nitrate. Carbon is for more water clarity and scents. Also removes certain heavy metals from water.

Instead swap the media for granulated ferric oxide (gfo) if your using a reactor and/or mesh bag. This will reduce the phosphates.

Add macroalgea, (cheato etc.) to your tank, if your inhabitants won't eat it, or the sump/refugium if applicable. This will help lower the nitrates. I'm guessing at numbers that high, nuisance algea is already blooming like crazy.

Doing large water changes will help in the short term but may stress whatever is living in your tank as is. Do smaller water changes, like 10% for a few weeks. Test and retest.

Do not expect anything to happen fast, you have a good amount of water volume and rapid changes are detrimental, at least from most literature and cliches found here and online.

 

[optimisticdingo]

Carbon won't get rid of phosphate or nitrate. Carbon is for more water clarity and scents. Also removes certain heavy metals from water.

Instead swap the media for granulated ferric oxide (gfo) if your using a reactor and/or mesh bag. This will reduce the phosphates.

Add macroalgea, (cheato etc.) to your tank, if your inhabitants won't eat it, or the sump/refugium if applicable. This will help lower the nitrates. I'm guessing at numbers that high, nuisance algea is already blooming like crazy.

Doing large water changes will help in the short term but may stress whatever is living in your tank as is. Do smaller water changes, like 10% for a few weeks. Test and retest.

Do not expect anything to happen fast, you have a good amount of water volume and rapid changes are detrimental, at least from most literature and cliches found here and online.

I'm not talking about Carbon like you would use in a reactor. I'm talking about Organic Carbon Dosing. Some people use Vodka but there are other products on the market like the ones I mentioned.

 

[Rams]

About a month ago my depression was really getting the best of me and I kind of let my tank go. I stopped changing filter socks like I should, stopped doing water changes, and really got bad about my husbandry. Now that I'm doing better I'm wanting to get my tank back in order.

I tested my nitrates today and they're somewhere around 60-80ppm and Phosphate was 0.25ppm. My corals are looking fine but I'm wanting to get these numbers down. I've got a 116 gallon system so I'm not sure a large water change is going to work for me.

I've tried in the past using carbon dosing but every time I dose, I end up getting a huge bloom of Cyanobacteria. The products that I'm using are Elimi-NP and NP Bacto Balance by Tropic Marin. The Elimi-NP is the product recommended for my level of Phosphate. Has anyone else had these issues with carbon dosing with these products?

Do you guys have any other solutions for lowering my nutrients without doing large water changes?

Any help is appreciated. Getting this tank back in order is something that I really need to do to help my mental health.

Start slowly always and see what your tank wants..I too got cyano and GHA in initial stages of carbon dosing and slowly everything vanished

 

[Llyod276]

Oh in that case, I think you should actually get you're numbers lower first. Vodka dosing is going to massively increase your parameters for nitrates, as it stimulates your nitrofying bacteria.

 

[CNDReef]

Here’s a chart for quick reference I usually follow this chart and test everyday
Once I see the nitrate starting to drop I will either maintain that dose and see how fast it’s dropping and/or back off a little on the the amount.

 

[stevolough]

I'm not talking about Carbon like you would use in a reactor. I'm talking about Organic Carbon Dosing. Some people use Vodka but there are other products on the market like the ones I mentioned.

Start with getting things cleaned up. Do some Water changes and changing out those socks. Have a skimmer? If so give it a good cleaning. Remember it takes a bit of time for a tank to go down hill you can’t expect to fix it overnight

 

[stevolough]

Start with getting things cleaned up. Do some Water changes and changing out those socks. Have a skimmer? If so give it a good cleaning. Remember it takes a bit of time for a tank to go down hill you can’t expect to fix it overnight

 

[Clownfishy]

About a month ago my depression was really getting the best of me and I kind of let my tank go. I stopped changing filter socks like I should, stopped doing water changes, and really got bad about my husbandry. Now that I'm doing better I'm wanting to get my tank back in order.

I tested my nitrates today and they're somewhere around 60-80ppm and Phosphate was 0.25ppm. My corals are looking fine but I'm wanting to get these numbers down. I've got a 116 gallon system so I'm not sure a large water change is going to work for me.

I've tried in the past using carbon dosing but every time I dose, I end up getting a huge bloom of Cyanobacteria. The products that I'm using are Elimi-NP and NP Bacto Balance by Tropic Marin. The Elimi-NP is the product recommended for my level of Phosphate. Has anyone else had these issues with carbon dosing with these products?

Do you guys have any other solutions for lowering my nutrients without doing large water changes?

Any help is appreciated. Getting this tank back in order is something that I really need to do to help my mental health.

Hi, I am glad you are feeling better and getting back into maintaining your aquarium. I cannot comment on Elimi-NP and NP Bacto Balance by Tropic Marin as I dose NOPOX. However, I have found it very effective at reducing both Phosphate and Nitrate. I have heard so many people say it does not reduce Phosphate yet I have had the opposite experience as I see a reduction in Phosphate first and then a reduction in NItrate.

As for your question on Cyanobacteria, I have never had that issue but I start by dosing a quarter of what is recommends on the bottle, slowly increasing and I test Phosphate every day and NItrate every few days to ensure I am not reducing them too quickly. I also have a lot of flow in my aquarium as well and I think that helps a great deal with Cyano.

A slow approach with the carbon dosing and a few water changes, I am sure you will have the water quality back on track in no time.

Hope the above helps and best of luck.

 

[PeterC99]

Have you thought about a natural solution - using chaeto in a Refugium. Chaeto always me to overstock my 90g aquarium and keeps my NO3 & PO4 very low.

 

[optimisticdingo]

Have you thought about a natural solution - using chaeto in a Refugium. Chaeto always me to overstock my 90g aquarium and keeps my NO3 & PO4 very low.

I tried doing a refugium shortly after starting my tank and it never really took off. Even with running the UV 24/7. I'm guessing that I either didn't have enough Chaeto or I wasn't able to get enough flow through the Chaeto.

 

[optimisticdingo]

Start with getting things cleaned up. Do some Water changes and changing out those socks. Have a skimmer? If so give it a good cleaning. Remember it takes a bit of time for a tank to go down hill you can’t expect to fix it overnight

I've got most of the Cyano cleaned up. There's some small patches in the sand bed but they aren't bad. I've been working on getting rid of the Cyano for about a month now.

I've been performing 20% water changes weekly to try and boost water quality and I've started washing my filter socks more regularly.

I do have a skimmer and it probably does need to be cleaned out pretty good as the inside of it is rather dirty. I've got to find a stand for my skimmer so that It can be in the right amount of water. The stand that I have is too high and without any stand the water is too deep.

 

[PeterC99]

I tried doing a refugium shortly after starting my tank and it never really took off. Even with running the UV 24/7. I'm guessing that I either didn't have enough Chaeto or I wasn't able to get enough flow through the Chaeto.

Flow, Lighting, and nutrients are the key to successful Refugiums. Any chance you could get a small pump to increase flow & circulation around Refugium?

 

[optimisticdingo]

Flow, Lighting, and nutrients are the key to successful Refugiums. Any chance you could get a small pump to increase flow & circulation around Refugium?

I could. I had the refugium set up before I had my UV Sterilizer so the pump for the UV might have increased the flow enough for the fuge.

Where do you get your Chaeto? I've looked at algae barn and the Chaeto is always out of stock.

 

[Pistondog]

Refugium is a good way to reduce nutrients. High par is best way to help success. Make sure chaeto is at water surface and use a strong horticulture light.
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Don't carbon dose unless you have your skimmer clean and working.

 

[TCoach]

If your tank looks good with the current number, why do you want to chase them down? Personally, I’d leave them be and enjoy the tank!

Here is an interesting MACNA talk about phosphate.

Rich also writes the Skeptical Reefer. It has really opened my eyes to ask why I am doing things. Am I chasing numbers/ideas/etc due to the crowd, or is there a solid basis for doing it.

Just some food for thought.

 

[optimisticdingo]

If your tank looks good with the current number, why do you want to chase them down? Personally, I’d leave them be and enjoy the tank!

Here is an interesting MACNA talk about phosphate.

Rich also writes the Skeptical Reefer. It has really opened my eyes to ask why I am doing things. Am I chasing numbers/ideas/etc due to the crowd, or is there a solid basis for doing it.

Just some food for thought.

The big reason for wanting to lower the nutrient levels is to try and keep the Cyano from coming back. I figure that since the Nitrate and Phosphate are so elevated that is what Is causing the Cyano

 

[stevolough]

I've got most of the Cyano cleaned up. There's some small patches in the sand bed but they aren't bad. I've been working on getting rid of the Cyano for about a month now.

I've been performing 20% water changes weekly to try and boost water quality and I've started washing my filter socks more regularly.

I do have a skimmer and it probably does need to be cleaned out pretty good as the inside of it is rather dirty. I've got to find a stand for my skimmer so that It can be in the right amount of water. The stand that I have is too high and without any stand the water is too deep.

I just use that suspended ceiling egg crate. Cut into what ever size you need and stack them. When you get the height you need tie them together with a couple zip ties.

 

[MaxTremors]

Oh in that case, I think you should actually get you're numbers lower first. Vodka dosing is going to massively increase your parameters for nitrates, as it stimulates your nitrofying bacteria.

No, it feeds DE-nitrifying bacteria. The bacteria use carbon and phosphate to consume nitrate and turn it into nitrogen gas, which gasses off. The bacteria, which is full of stuck nitrates is also skimmed out as biomass.

 

[thatmanMIKEson]

No, it feeds DE-nitrifying bacteria. The bacteria use carbon and phosphate to consume nitrate and turn it into nitrogen gas, which gasses off. The bacteria, which is full of stuck nitrates is also skimmed out as biomass.

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