Carbon Dosing?
- Thread starter miwoodar
- Start date
Yeah!? Please explain. How high were your nitrates before you dosed the sugar? Were you able to follow your phosphates? How long did it take? What was your dosing schedule? I find it fascinating that something as simple as sugar can be so effective (but sooooo many people have documented occurances of it doing exactly this).
With that said, I imagine you're interested in learning more about the bacteria growing/dosing that I am experimenting with. Truth be told, I have no reason to believe it is providing any acceptable food to my corals. I am hoping to get input from the experts on this idea. If nothing else, it makes sure that my tank as, at minimum, a wealth of nitrate reducing bacteria.
With that said, I imagine you're interested in learning more about the bacteria growing/dosing that I am experimenting with. Truth be told, I have no reason to believe it is providing any acceptable food to my corals. I am hoping to get input from the experts on this idea. If nothing else, it makes sure that my tank as, at minimum, a wealth of nitrate reducing bacteria.
Jake made an off-hand comment that he dosed vodka in the Aquamart SPS tank to get it ‘over the hump’ so I thought WTH.
I have now been dosing over 3 months in my 210g. I started with .5ml for a week and increased .5ml until I hit 2ml). It dropped my Nitrates from 35-0 and my phosphates from .25 to .002.
The only issue was a little diatom coloration on my sand which Miwoodard suggested I back off the dose and voila, almost gone within 3 days. I now am down to dosing 1ml (I was as much as 2ml) per day on a straight Vodka/Vinegar blend (5-1).
The result of my extensive reading leads me to my impressions that the keys to successful Carbon dosing are these (sorry, too much reading over too long a period to remember sources):
1. One must have measurable/significant Nitrates/Phosphates in your tank for the method to take hold.
2. Mixing the sources discourages a mono-strain to dominate.
3. If dosing heavily, be wary of oxygen depletion
4. Start very, very small (.025ml/100g/daily) and at the most double weekly until desired results
5. Since the results are so dramatic, it is a huge seduction to increase what appears to be a ridiculously tiny dose.
6. From my reading, all negative reports appeared to be from folks who dosed too much.
7. Backing off is not that big a deal
8. Supplements such as Amino Acids are recommended
There is probably much, much more but suffice it to say, Carbon dosing provided impressive results……for me. Now I'm backing off but I will admit, I think dosing my tank with a daily shot of Grey Goose is pretty darned cool!
I have now been dosing over 3 months in my 210g. I started with .5ml for a week and increased .5ml until I hit 2ml). It dropped my Nitrates from 35-0 and my phosphates from .25 to .002.
The only issue was a little diatom coloration on my sand which Miwoodard suggested I back off the dose and voila, almost gone within 3 days. I now am down to dosing 1ml (I was as much as 2ml) per day on a straight Vodka/Vinegar blend (5-1).
The result of my extensive reading leads me to my impressions that the keys to successful Carbon dosing are these (sorry, too much reading over too long a period to remember sources):
1. One must have measurable/significant Nitrates/Phosphates in your tank for the method to take hold.
2. Mixing the sources discourages a mono-strain to dominate.
3. If dosing heavily, be wary of oxygen depletion
4. Start very, very small (.025ml/100g/daily) and at the most double weekly until desired results
5. Since the results are so dramatic, it is a huge seduction to increase what appears to be a ridiculously tiny dose.
6. From my reading, all negative reports appeared to be from folks who dosed too much.
7. Backing off is not that big a deal
8. Supplements such as Amino Acids are recommended
There is probably much, much more but suffice it to say, Carbon dosing provided impressive results……for me. Now I'm backing off but I will admit, I think dosing my tank with a daily shot of Grey Goose is pretty darned cool!
PH troubles
I am ATO dosing about 6 gals a day with Kalk and 400ml of each of Randy 2 part with Washing Soda. To keep Alk at 8-9, Calc close to 420 and PH between 7.9-8.3.
First thing in the morning the PH is 7.9 and if I dose the buffer all at once, I go flying up to 8.5 so I break up the 400ml and dose manually throughout the day. (Yikes! What if I get a job!)
I have a Calc reactor sitting in my garage ready to go but I fear the PH will be way too low!
I have opened the windows ond increased oxygen now that it is warm and still no real effect.
Could my troubles be my bacteria count is so high it is consuming the oxygen? I stirred some sand today and there is a pronounced black band of bacteria just under the top layer.
If this is the problem, is the solution just backing off the dosing?
I am ATO dosing about 6 gals a day with Kalk and 400ml of each of Randy 2 part with Washing Soda. To keep Alk at 8-9, Calc close to 420 and PH between 7.9-8.3.
First thing in the morning the PH is 7.9 and if I dose the buffer all at once, I go flying up to 8.5 so I break up the 400ml and dose manually throughout the day. (Yikes! What if I get a job!)
I have a Calc reactor sitting in my garage ready to go but I fear the PH will be way too low!
I have opened the windows ond increased oxygen now that it is warm and still no real effect.
Could my troubles be my bacteria count is so high it is consuming the oxygen? I stirred some sand today and there is a pronounced black band of bacteria just under the top layer.
If this is the problem, is the solution just backing off the dosing?
I wouldn't base changes in your carbon dosing on those pH levels but I would make sure to dose all of your carbon during the day (I do mine around 5:30 pm which is high noon for my tank). If your Ca, alk, and Mag are within range, your pH doesn't really matter all that much. Even before I started carbon dosing, I routinely had morning pH readings in the 7.6-7.7 range. I've even caught it at 7.5 a handful of times. My system peaks at around 8.1 in the evenings.
I run a Ca reactor and full time kalkwasser too. I just refilled my Ca reactor last week and have it set to a broken stream for the DPM (160-180 range) with a BPM in the 60 range and a pH at 6.6. Believe it or not, that and saturated kalk (two gallons/day) are not enough to keep up with my Ca/Alk demand right now. I guess it's a good problem to have
. I need to check the alk coming out of my reactor - I might be able to improve the effluent a little without nuking the media. I try to keep eveything at just about NSW but my Mag is currently 1450.
I run a Ca reactor and full time kalkwasser too. I just refilled my Ca reactor last week and have it set to a broken stream for the DPM (160-180 range) with a BPM in the 60 range and a pH at 6.6. Believe it or not, that and saturated kalk (two gallons/day) are not enough to keep up with my Ca/Alk demand right now. I guess it's a good problem to have
. I need to check the alk coming out of my reactor - I might be able to improve the effluent a little without nuking the media. I try to keep eveything at just about NSW but my Mag is currently 1450.So, here is an update of my carbon dosing.
I swung the other way and eliminated the diatoms. I am now dosing:
3 ml of Vodka/Vinegar (vs 2 or 1)
8 drops Sponge Power (I see positive results and hope it is a bacteria culture)
3 ml of AA
All my SPS are growing faster than I ever thought possible (although I have limited experience). I literally notice daily growth of the stuff that has been in there at least a month or so. My Clams don't seem to be growing but they don't seem unhealthy. I still have obscene Chaeto growth due in the most part to lighting and heavy feeding of Display Tank.
My only slight concern is the PH (WADR Mike), as all parameters are in line. 7.9 in the morning, 8.2 with dosing in the morning, NO increase during the diurnal cycle and a dosing bump to 8.3 at bedtime. It is all within parameters but should it be this hard?
I use Randy 2 part with Washing Soda. 400 ml/day plus 6 gals of ATO Kalk. I would think keeping my PH DOWN would be the challenge!
Anyone have any similar experiences with Oxygen consumption when promoting bacteria growth or could it be something else? (no problem prior to dosing regimine)
I swung the other way and eliminated the diatoms. I am now dosing:
3 ml of Vodka/Vinegar (vs 2 or 1)
8 drops Sponge Power (I see positive results and hope it is a bacteria culture)
3 ml of AA
All my SPS are growing faster than I ever thought possible (although I have limited experience). I literally notice daily growth of the stuff that has been in there at least a month or so. My Clams don't seem to be growing but they don't seem unhealthy. I still have obscene Chaeto growth due in the most part to lighting and heavy feeding of Display Tank.
My only slight concern is the PH (WADR Mike), as all parameters are in line. 7.9 in the morning, 8.2 with dosing in the morning, NO increase during the diurnal cycle and a dosing bump to 8.3 at bedtime. It is all within parameters but should it be this hard?
I use Randy 2 part with Washing Soda. 400 ml/day plus 6 gals of ATO Kalk. I would think keeping my PH DOWN would be the challenge!
Anyone have any similar experiences with Oxygen consumption when promoting bacteria growth or could it be something else? (no problem prior to dosing regimine)
