Red Sea NoPox
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SPR1968
No, it wasn’t expensive dear....
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Not really, you need the protein skimmer to remove the excess nutrients and in particliar phosphates from the system, that’s why your supposed to wet skim
If you don’t want to use a skimmer you could look at other methods of biological filtration like Seachem Matrix, marine pure etc.
If you don’t want to use a skimmer you could look at other methods of biological filtration like Seachem Matrix, marine pure etc.
SPR1968
No, it wasn’t expensive dear....
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The easiest method in a tank of that size is simple water changes that’s probably the best solution for you.
Randy Holmes-Farley
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I think one can often carbon dose without a skimmer, but that presumes that organisms are going to eat the bacteria that grow.
DazAquariums
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NoPox is a carbon source. It works pretty well for lowering nitrates but you are going to want a skimmer so it can take all that nasty out of the water. If you have a 20L and only 10 ppm of nitrates that’s really not bad. Maybe just do a larger water change for a week or two if you feel you really need to lower it. But look also what the cause is or it’ll creep back up.
Carbon dosing (such as NOPOX, vodka, vinegar, etc.) without a skimmer is indeed doable and I'm successfully doing this right now using vinegar on a very well established small reef aquarium. However, it requires careful application so as not to initiate a large bacterial bloom that would dangerously lower dissolved oxygen levels. Having said that, using a protein skimmer is likely an easier/faster solution for newer reefers (especially) and has the added benefit of oxygenating the system.
From personal experience and noting others' experiences on the forums, water changes to lower nitrate long term is much more difficult in reef aquaria compared to freshwater. What typically happens with reef aquarium water changes is that nitrate reduces for a day or two, then it comes back up to the previous level.
IME, adding more substrate for anoxic/anaerobic denitrifying bacteria to colonize and/or carbon dosing can be used successfully to lower nitrate for small reef aquaria like the OP's 100L (assuming that the bio load is not especially heavy and feeding is moderate/appropriate).
From personal experience and noting others' experiences on the forums, water changes to lower nitrate long term is much more difficult in reef aquaria compared to freshwater. What typically happens with reef aquarium water changes is that nitrate reduces for a day or two, then it comes back up to the previous level.
IME, adding more substrate for anoxic/anaerobic denitrifying bacteria to colonize and/or carbon dosing can be used successfully to lower nitrate for small reef aquaria like the OP's 100L (assuming that the bio load is not especially heavy and feeding is moderate/appropriate).
Hi, thank you for your response, much appreciated. When you say adding anoxic/anaerobic denitrifying bacteria to colonize can be successful, can you give me a product that you could recommend to do this? Sorry i am fairly new to this.
ClearLife
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NOPOX is simply food for the denitrifying bacteria. The skimmer is to remove the dead bacteria because this type of bacteria has a very short life span. The Bacteria eat the nitrates and when they die, they release all that nitrate back into your tank if you don't have a way of removing all those dead bacteria. The skimmer is the best way or maybe active carbon.
The bacteria is everywhere. Its in the food you eat. Its in the water you drink. Just provide the food and they will multiply and prosper.
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Ok, so new to reef keeping (no worries, we all started where you are now). First question is why do you think you need NOPOX (carbon dosing)? What is your NO3 (nitrate) level?
My Nitrate is at 10PPm and My phosphate was a little high but i have it lowered now due to phosguard. I believe i need it because i have some algae in the tank. My tank is definitely not over crowded and I definitely do not over feed.
Randy Holmes-Farley
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I would not try to lower that nitrate level. 10 ppm is fine. Driving it too low is much worse than having it too high.
A while back in reef keeping really low levels of phosphate and nitrate were considered 'desirable' since these very low levels mimicked pristine natural reef water. Nowadays, it is generally accepted that these very low levels are often not so good for a captive reef (especially a new one). If you have PO4 in the range of ~0.03 - 0.06 ppm and NO3 at ~10 ppm or less (in a newer tank), that's considered ok (some mature tanks have much higher levels of both and still see little algae). Algae will always grow in a reef tank, even at very low nutrient levels. However keeping nutrient levels from getting too high will help slow growth, but the greatest assist in control comes from a good compliment of herbivores and perhaps some manual removal by the aquarist (especially in small tanks where the number and especially type of herbivores is typically limited).
In a nutshell, I personally don't think you need to carbon dose (NOPOX) at this time (but it's your choice). If you have a bunch of hermits and snails, I'd say just keep up with maintenance and slowly add the organisms that you like and are appropriate for your sized system. If nutrients rise more over time, then increase either your frequency and/or amount of water changes. You can also try adding more live rock if denitrification is not keeping up and allowing nitrate levels to rise.
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Hey thanks for the input. I don’t think my sump is anywhere near big enough, it is built in sump in a 100L tankHey there! You could try starting a refugium. Do you have a sump or ability to add a HOB one? There are plenty of good reasons to have one
