Zero nitrates with carbon dosing

jabell · Jun 6, 2016

I bought kz's zeobak. I will be using that with their coral snow product. Is the thought that if you introduce another bacteria along with your carbon dosing that it will out compete the cyano. The type of cyano is seem to have is lyngbya.

Randy Holmes-Farley · Jun 6, 2016

jabell said:
I bought kz's zeobak. I will be using that with their coral snow product. Is the thought that if you introduce another bacteria along with your carbon dosing that it will out compete the cyano. The type of cyano is seem to have is lyngbya.

That is a hypothesis that may have merit, yes.

jabell · Jun 6, 2016

Thanks Randy and everyone else for the help. I have also reduced my photoperiod and cut out the red spectrum on my radions. I am actively removing from rocks with toothbrush and turkey baster. Also have slightly reduced temperature. I will continue carbon dosing in smaller amounts or every other day.

Randy Holmes-Farley · Jun 6, 2016

You're welcome.

Let us know how things turn out.

Kungpaoshizi · Jun 7, 2016

The purpose of the Reef Energy is to provide nitrates to combat the imbalance. But if your system is new-er, it will take time to build the population of bacteria, before the nitrate becomes excessive. Do you have sand by chance?

I've seen it a couple times now. If you start carbon dosing early, and have sand, you'll have to wait for the nitrates to increase. I myself had to cut back to about 4 drops of nopox a day, feed a ton, and use lanthanum chloride until the tank equalized, and not ALL nitrate was being used. Once you hit that point, you can pretty much stop using the LC and the balance will be set.

Also, fwiw, I feed about 9-10 ml per day of the reef energy for 25-30 gallons. That's about double-dosage. But you will have to feed more as well until you reach that 'nitrate plateau'. Don't sweat it, it will happen.

marke · Jun 7, 2016

Tons of good stuff here! Everyone is entitled to an opinion so here is mine. Carbon dosing does reduce nitrates more than PO4. The redfeild ratio says 16 to 1. That is 16 nitrates get consumed to one po4. That number has been questioned and it could be 15-25 to one. Hence yes carbon dosing reduces nitrates, but it does reduce PO4 also. Just like chaeto reduces more nitrates than PO4 inline to something close to the redfeild ratio. Your corals consume nitrates and PO4 at about the redfeild ratio. So everything (almost) that reduces nutrients will reduce both NO3 and PO4 at the red ratio. As Randy mentioned adding carbon feeds bacteria what they are deficient in, carbon. Cyano is consuming and growing or outcompeting your good bacteria. So yes adding some new bacteria ( many good brands) when you begin carbon dosing or if you run into cyano will help compete with cyano. Bacteria war like. If your feeding heavily (3 times per day or so) and have zero nitrates I would not be concerned. In the above case we were never given a PO4 number and what test kit was used? Important to give proper advice. Gfo is a good idea. As Kung something mentioned. This happens when no3 is zero and PO4 is high. So reduce PO4. Another good way to feed your corals and add nitrates is a GOOD Amino acid product. Most ULNS are nitrate starved, causing bacteria to not be able to grow as they are nitrate limited. Aminos will solve this!

jabell · Jun 7, 2016

I have used reef energy which is an amino product. I stopped because I thought this may have been fueling the cyano. Apparently the type of cyano I have does well in low nutrient and high flow tanks. It is called lyngbya. I am going to begin dosing bacteria tonight along with coral snow. I did finally get a nitrate reading of .5 ppm yesterday. I have been feeding heavy and cut my nopox back to .1 ml per day. My phosphates reads between .02 and .04 ppm using Red Sea pro kit. It's tough for me to read those different shades.