Yes Pox or NoPox

[Uncle99]

So we have this thing called Carbon Dosing. I use Nopox.

It did a great job, along with my skimmer in the first 6-9 months of my system bringing nitrates down from 50ppm to 5ppm.
Now Its been a further 18months, running the same dose, 200g volume dosing 1ml per hour for 10 hours of lights on daily.
Very well stocked mixed DT and I have no complaints of colour and growth, they are excellent IMM. Definitely happy.

After dosing Carbon for two years now, I wonder what the benefits might be. While maybe just marketing, Rea Sea reccomends a daily dosing of carbon (to be used by corals and others) in their Reef Recipe Wizard. I do follow this tool in terms of dosage for all adds.

Others say it’s not required as we “add” carbon through foods and amino dosing, (maybe other things as well).

If using Nopox, Vodka, or Vinegar, am I not just adding more of the same? Or is there something chemically in Nopox which can only be added this way and is required in metabolic processes?

I would certainly appreciate any insight into the “value” of sustained carbon dosing especially from those which have continued carbon dosing for years. Why you do this? Can you share?

Uncle99

 

[vetteguy53081]

Carbon dosing is acceptable But must be monitored as at times, it can bring po4 and no3 to zero and initiate dino

 

[Uncle99]

Carbon dosing is acceptable But must be monitored as at times, it can bring po4 and no3 to zero and initiate dino

Thank you!
Acceptable sure, it certainly didn’t hurt anything. All inhabitants need carbon to survive.

I just don’t understand why I am dosing it.

I understand why I dose CA, MG and Alk, but carbon dose, nope.

I have seen stunning tanks with and without daily carbon doses, all were beautiful, no difference.

Im getting the impression that carbon dosing is mainly to feed and speed initial bacteria populations but after they mature, the carbon dose provides little value and thus can either add to the other carbon sources or discontinued.

 

[livinlifeinBKK]

Thank you!
Acceptable sure, it certainly didn’t hurt anything. All inhabitants need carbon to survive.

I just don’t understand why I am dosing it.

I understand why I dose CA, MG and Alk, but carbon dose, nope.

I have seen stunning tanks with and without daily carbon doses, all were beautiful, no difference.

Im getting the impression that carbon dosing is mainly to feed and speed initial bacteria populations but after they mature, the carbon dose provides little value and thus can either add to the other carbon sources or discontinued.

If you stop giving supplemental feedings to support your heterotrophic bacteria population the population size will decrease and therefore your total nitrate and phosphate consumption will decrease since carbon is usually the limiting nutrient

 

[Uncle99]

If you stop giving supplemental feedings to support your heterotrophic bacteria population the population size will decrease and therefore your total nitrate and phosphate consumption will decrease since carbon is usually the limiting nutrient

Thank you!
Interesting, agreed, N and P will rise.
I have added a macro algae refuge to “offset” the decrease in bacterial processors, hopefully that keeps me on PAR, Nitrate 10-15ppm, phosphate 0.05ppm

 

[livinlifeinBKK]

Thank you!
Interesting, agreed, N and P will rise.
I have added a macro algae refuge to “offset” the decrease in bacterial processors, hopefully that keeps me on PAR, Nitrate 10-15ppm, phosphate 0.05ppm

If you plan to discontinue, it's probably advisable to reduce the dose slowly instead of stopping suddenly as well... possibly Red Sea recommends carbon dosing to boost populations of bacterioplankton which corals can feed on to supplement their nutritional requirements (but as you said, there are beautiful tanks without carbon dosing as well)

 

[Uncle99]

If you plan to discontinue, it's probably advisable to reduce the dose slowly instead of stopping suddenly as well... possibly Red Sea recommends carbon dosing to boost populations of bacterioplankton which corals can feed on to supplement their nutritional requirements (but as you said, there are beautiful tanks without carbon dosing as well)

Yup, good advice.
“possibly Red Sea recommends carbon dosing to boost populations of bacterioplankton which corals can feed on to supplement their nutritional requirements”
That’s the part I have concerns with, wouldn’t want to starve them out.

 

[livinlifeinBKK]

Yup, good advice.
“possibly Red Sea recommends carbon dosing to boost populations of bacterioplankton which corals can feed on to supplement their nutritional requirements”
That’s the part I have concerns with, wouldn’t want to starve them out.

I doubt it would make too much of a difference if you decided to discontinue but why change things up now when you seem to have struck a good balance? You mentioned you're happy with the color and growth of your corals