Reef Discussion

TJReid

Member
May 21, 2012
218
49
Frankston
Red Sea No - PoX
Anyone use it ? Anyone got any feedback... looking to try it on my tank to get my nitrates down. Running rowa for phosphates atm but don't really have the space for bio pellets nor patience for VSV.. No-pox seems a half way for me..
 

NiCd

Lead Moderator
Jul 29, 2011
4,296
1,586
Sydney
I used it and its really good, apart from the fact it seems to drop more phosphates than VSV does I wouldnt say there is a world of difference
 

TJReid

Member
May 21, 2012
218
49
Frankston
Thanks sounding like fair few using it with good results might buy some tonight did u need to get low nitrate test kit too?
 

MTG

Moderator
Jul 10, 2011
10,664
2,149
Gold Coast
be very cautious, i have seen alot of people nuke their tank with this stuff, its a form of carbon dosing so don't expect instant results. it never really helped me bring down phos when i needed to so i went for alternate options.
 

malau

Member
Oct 13, 2011
402
75
I used it and its really good, apart from the fact it seems to drop more phosphates than VSV does I wouldnt say there is a world of difference
Yeah I've read a post in somewhere else the people said it is pretty much use VSV...

I dos Vodka for few months, as long as you control the source of PO4 you can see the difference
 

Meller

Member
Aug 13, 2011
240
219
Canberra
CAREFUL..... There be dragons here.....

I have used it with varying degrees of success. Like with all carbon doses, it takes time, patience, care and plenty of caution. The dosing instructions are terrible to go off and are the reverse of normal vsv dosing (starting high and decreasing dose as opposed to starting low and ramping up). Don't be tempted to run rowa concurrently. IME you'll get nitrate bound and it won't do a thing.

Start with less than half dose and I'd use vsv dosing method for calculating how much, I certainly don't advise red seas instructions. Keep a REALLY close eye on cal/alk consumption cause it WILL swing hard! A crash on this stuff takes months to recover from.

As with all carbon dosing, this is not a quick fix, so be patient. It can be a hit or miss depending on your tank.

You have been warned ;) Good luck!


---
I am here: http://tapatalk.com/map.php?30nmwg
 

ryanr

Member
Jun 2, 2012
86
30
Templestowe
Definitely don't expect instant results!

Like all carbon dosing methods, you may strike a phosphate or nitrate limitation (Redfield Ratio). I'm nitrate limited in my system and trying to decide what I'll do next. I'm using NOPOX, and don't know whether I'll start dosing nitrate (Seachem Nitrogen), or go for other methods of nutrient export.

You also want to make sure you've got a capable skimmer hooked up. If you don't, you'll find a nice cloudy tank in no time flat (bacteria).

Once you find a balance though, carbon dosing is quite effective.
 

TJReid

Member
May 21, 2012
218
49
Frankston
Cheers everyone.. so tossing up weither to go down the vodka path or try this no pox a try.. ones alot more cheaper then the other i know that.. how long has no pox taken to start working for some people.. phos is being taken care of with rowa so i'm more chasing a 0 nitrate with it..

i'v got a aqua medic blue 1000 skimmer on a 2ft cube so hoping it'll be good enough for carbon dosing ?
 

ryanr

Member
Jun 2, 2012
86
30
Templestowe
Don't use carbon dosing if you're using a phosphate reducer..... (and vice-versa)

The way carbon dosing works (read MavG's blog), there is a Redfield ratio to consider. If you are chemically removing phosphate, then the Redfield ratio is negated and you become phosphate limited. Simply put, carbon dosing won't work with RowaPhos.
 

TJReid

Member
May 21, 2012
218
49
Frankston
ah k.. so if i stop the rowa and start carbon.. or do i have to wait a certain time to let the phos rise again.. seems like rowa's been a waste of time then unless i continue with it and go bio pellets and run two reactors.. just seems like alot of maintenance and money of filter media but least they concrete work and work well.....
 

MavG

Member
Nov 8, 2011
120
43
Newcastle
Yes it is possible to become Phosphate limited, not very common, but it can happen.

Using somehting as simple as Sodium bi-Phosphate (normal aquarium pH down) will suffice, you dont need to use much, and the added sodium wont mess up your ionic balance as long as your doing regular water changes.

I suspect that most nitrate issues (when there are no phosphates) is coming from overfeeding, and no enough siphoning and removing of watse, and possibly, underskimming.

Again, getting rid of every bit of waste as you can will eliminate this cause (excess stored waste causing nutrient cycling) and allow you to identify exactly what the cause of your high nitrates is. You can then correct it, and generally, once you elimnate the cause of the high nitrate, you system will usually come back to balance, and normal carbon dosing will suffice to remove nutrient by itself.

For instance, in the systems i was previously nitrate limited in, i am no longer nitrate limited in. With a regular feeding regime, and good husbandry, i have found the balance between nitrate and phosphate:organic carbon, and no longer have to compensate.

having said this, from where the systems started (they were in a pretty bad state) to now, has been nearly 10 months.
 

TJReid

Member
May 21, 2012
218
49
Frankston
Thanks heaps for the reply's mav...

Well my phosphates arent quite yet at 0.0 their sitting around 0.09ish so how would i know my system is phosphate limited unlikely at those numbers and carbon dosing should work ? and from ryan just said bio pellets are the same as carbon dosing ? are the pellets them selves a form of carbon that breaks down when needed instead of the carbon being directly added like vodka ?

Going to read over the link ryan just posted now to try and understand more.