Randy I need your wisdom!!!......again.

[Saintnovakai]

Hey Randy. I made diy nopox and experienced cyano for the first time in my reefing life. HORRIBLE!! I got it mainly on the sand and some corals and I believe it was triggered by having imeasurable phosphate while still having high nitrates due to using Phosphate rx and then trying to feed more to bri g up phosphate because the nitrate frop wasnt happening. I also went only blues lights for a week and it slowed it some but I then got great results by changing out my sandbed to finer material rather than a little larger grained coral sand.

My problem is that now im dosing just vinegar per your recommendation after not having done any carbon dosing for a month and even .5 ml causes a pronounced bacterial bloom on my rocks in the tank though I dose in the sump. I have some rock rubble in my sump. Ive never really gotten any skimmate change either at any point carbon dosing.

1.Why such and exaggerated response at such a low dose?
2. Will I experience lowering if nitrate with such a small dose?
3. Why my skimmate no stinky?
4. What is really pulled out of Carbon dosing? Bacteria in the water or some by product of the bacteria? I have lots of snot in the tank but not lowering nitrates.

Help me Puleeaaase!!!

 

[GoVols]

My problem is that now im dosing just vinegar per your recommendation after not having done any carbon dosing for a month and even .5 ml causes a pronounced bacterial bloom on my rocks in the tank though I dose in the sump.

FWIW:
Vinegar is still carbon dosing.

Carbon dosing fuels good a bad bacteria.

I think Vinegar has a better chance at not fueling cyano over ethanol, but you can still get cyano from it.

 

[Saintnovakai]

FWIW:
Vinegar is still carbon dosing.

Carbon dosing fuels good a bad bacteria.

I think Vinegar has a better chance at not fueling cyano over ethanol, but you can still get cyano from it.

Well I'm not getting any visible Cyano yet since restarting dosing' knock on wood' but I'm dosing differently than I used to. I put my daily in a syringe and squirt .5ml every few hours to make sure the amount of vinegar in the tank is present but limited. I'm doing 3ml today and watching to see if I get any exaggerated bacterial film. Dosing in high flow area of tank instead of sump. Well, I interchange.

 

[GoVols]

Well I'm not getting any visible Cyano yet since restarting dosing' knock on wood' but I'm dosing differently than I used to. I put my daily in a syringe and squirt .5ml every few hours to make sure the amount of vinegar in the tank is present but limited. I'm doing 3ml today and watching to see if I get any exaggerated bacterial film. Dosing in high flow area of tank instead of sump. Well, I interchange.

Knocking on wood over here for you too.

Randy comes in on weekends of late.

 

[Saintnovakai]

Knocking on wood over here for you too.

Randy comes in on weekends of late.

Thanks man. I really have want this carbon dosing to work because a friend has promised me a nice slimer but im afraid putting it in at 20ppm nitrates. How long before I see even a minute drop in nitrates in your experience?

 

[Flippers4pups]

Thanks man. I really have want this carbon dosing to work because a friend has promised me a nice slimer but im afraid putting it in at 20ppm nitrates. How long before I see even a minute drop in nitrates in your experience?

What's your friends water pramameters? N03 and P04?

 

[GoVols]

Thanks man. I really have want this carbon dosing to work because a friend has promised me a nice slimer but im afraid putting it in at 20ppm nitrates. How long before I see even a minute drop in nitrates in your experience?

I don't know how long, but there's plenty of beutiful reefs out there higher than 20pmm.

Drop it slow, you don't want to shock a reef by going too fast.

 

[Saintnovakai]

What's your friends water pramameters? N03 and P04?

His params are alk 9, calc 450, mag untested. No3 5ppm. PO4 is last time I asked about 0.3. My params are basically the same except for No3. My phosphate is undetectable with Api. I know, I know. Api for phosphate is crap. Donyou trust it for Nitrates?

 

[Saintnovakai]

I don't know how long, but there's plenty of beutiful reefs out there higher than 20pmm.

Drop it slow, you don't want to shock a reef by going too fast.

Yeah thats true but Im at the edge of safety at 20ppm so if like to be in a good ball park range.

 

[Flippers4pups]

Yeah thats true but Im at the edge of safety at 20ppm so if like to be in a good ball park range.

It's all relative. In my system I'm currently running 40 to 60 ppm N03! Yes! Verified, and P04 at .15
No nuisance algaes. Corals look good, fish look great.

I only say this as my system can handle those levels. Not everyones system can. I'm not bragging, just making a point that it can be done, but there is limits.

 

[Saintnovakai]

It's all relative. In my system I'm currently running 40 to 60 ppm N03! Yes! Verified, and P04 at .15
No nuisance algaes. Corals look good, fish look great.

I only say this as my system can handle those levels. Not everyones system can. I'm not bragging, just making a point that it can be done, but there is limits.

Sps and all? Kudos man.

 

[Flippers4pups]

Sps and all? Kudos man.

Yes, acropora, montipora caps, montipora digitata's.. . LPS, softies.

 

[Saintnovakai]

Yes, acropora, montipora caps, montipora digitata's.. . LPS, softies.

dang. Nice tank! What lights are those by the way?

Also I'm dosing 4ml by hand in half ml amounts and so far no substantial slime yet. Today is another day so I'll watch.

 

[Flippers4pups]

3 Mars Aquas, 165w, modded to SB reeflights led diode layout.

 

[Saintnovakai]

Nice. I run black boxes currently but I have a pair of Hydra 52hd on the way. Hopefully all works out well.
Could someone explain something to me please? The proc as of carbon dosing is that we feed bacteria that eats carbon, nitrates and phosphates but what exactly is being skimmed out? Excess bacteria and hence the nitrate and phosphate or some by product like bacterial ? I have a friend who is carbon dosing and he doesn't seem to have any bacterial build up anywhere and his nitrates are super low. His skimmer pulls junk. Is it that he is skimming out the same bacteria he grows or what? Also, does flow have anything to do with anything? Flow through my sump is slow, which I figure is good for skimming but I'm wondering if I'm not transporting enough bacteria out of the display to get the junk to the skimmer. Anyone?

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Hey Randy. I made diy nopox and experienced cyano for the first time in my reefing life. HORRIBLE!! I got it mainly on the sand and some corals and I believe it was triggered by having imeasurable phosphate while still having high nitrates due to using Phosphate rx and then trying to feed more to bri g up phosphate because the nitrate frop wasnt happening. I also went only blues lights for a week and it slowed it some but I then got great results by changing out my sandbed to finer material rather than a little larger grained coral sand.

My problem is that now im dosing just vinegar per your recommendation after not having done any carbon dosing for a month and even .5 ml causes a pronounced bacterial bloom on my rocks in the tank though I dose in the sump. I have some rock rubble in my sump. Ive never really gotten any skimmate change either at any point carbon dosing.

1.Why such and exaggerated response at such a low dose?
2. Will I experience lowering if nitrate with such a small dose?
3. Why my skimmate no stinky?
4. What is really pulled out of Carbon dosing? Bacteria in the water or some by product of the bacteria? I have lots of snot in the tank but not lowering nitrates.

Help me Puleeaaase!!!

Carbon dosing is generally consumed by some sort of bacteria, which can include cyano. Sometimes those are unseen (most often) and sometimes they are seen and unsightly.

If you have plenty of bacteria around that are going to grow based on the organic you add, then switching to another organic or stopping altogether is likely in order.

Using an antibiotic to kill the cyano is another option, perhaps coupled with additions of bacteria that may include species that will consume the organics you are adding, but are not unsightly.

 

[Saintnovakai]

Well currently im not seeing much cyano since I swapped my sand out but my fear with carbon dosing on my tank is that even after week two, im not seeing any sludge in my skimmer at all. Its a little discolored but nothing like what I've seent;;

 

[Saintnovakai]

Can anyone answer this question? Can carbon dosing be done in a tank that has solid (low pore structure) rock and work? Im in Jamaica and I source my rock from the sea and its heavy, solid stuff. Not the light rock they sell your side. Ive been dosing for almost 3 weeks and not a drop and I jumped to 30ml vinegar which seems high. Small sunp so no rock. Just skimmer then return pump.