Please help!

Thunder3 · 04/12/2014, 08:45 AM

I have been using NO3PO4X at the recommended dosage for a month now. My NO3 is now under 5ppm API test. A lot of the bryopsis has turned brown and I scrubbed some of the rocks so I manually removed a lot. There is still some on various rocks. Not sure how long to keep using the NO3PO4X? I have Maxspect Razor lighting for the past 1.5 years. I run it for 10 hours a day with only 4 main hours at 45% white and 75% blue. My phosphates reads 0. Calcium is 440, ALK is 12. The tank is a 75 gallon mixed reef. I also have Chaeto in my sump refugium. Any suggestions on when the algae will completely die?

dkeller_nc · 04/12/2014, 08:57 AM

Bryopsis is a tough beast. It can grow in the presence of very little nutrients, so I'm surprised that much of it has turned brown in your system. Are you sure it's bryopsis?

As to when to stop the NO3PO4X, that depends. The first thing to realize is that the product is essentially a means of carbon dosing - something you can accomplish with vinegar and/or vodka, if you wish to save some $$. But the NO3PO4X product literature states that it has metallic components, without specifying what those are.

Many, if not most metals are something you want to avoid building up in your tank, so I wouldn't use the product on a long-term basis.

Every tank is different when it comes to carbon dosing - some require it on a continual basis to avoid nitrate build-up, some can go long periods without any dosing after the initial few weeks and still have nitrate levels less than 1 ppm. So I would start cutting back when you get to the nitrate level you desire - most of us that keep SPS want nitrates at less than 5 ppm, but not zero. My own tanks hover around 0.25 - 0.5 ppm.

tkeracer619 · 04/12/2014, 08:58 AM

You are simply carbon dosing with that.

You can use vodka or vinegar to do the same thing. You could also add a reactor with biopellets and it would do the same thing without having to dose daily.

Keep it up. Your test reads zero phosphate because it is stored in the algae and in the substrate/rock.

Carbon dosing isn't a fix all. Nutrient issues stem from adding more nutrients then you remove. I would look at the overall setup, what you are feeding, and update your nutrient export methods as well.

Carbon dosing with a fuge can be conflicting as you are driving bacteria populations higher then normal to out compete algae for the food. Your fuge is potentially acting as a phosphate reservoir.

04/12/2014, 08:45 AM	#1
Thunder3 Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2012 Posts: 218	Please help! I have been using NO3PO4X at the recommended dosage for a month now. My NO3 is now under 5ppm API test. A lot of the bryopsis has turned brown and I scrubbed some of the rocks so I manually removed a lot. There is still some on various rocks. Not sure how long to keep using the NO3PO4X? I have Maxspect Razor lighting for the past 1.5 years. I run it for 10 hours a day with only 4 main hours at 45% white and 75% blue. My phosphates reads 0. Calcium is 440, ALK is 12. The tank is a 75 gallon mixed reef. I also have Chaeto in my sump refugium. Any suggestions on when the algae will completely die?

04/12/2014, 08:58 AM	#3
tkeracer619 Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Westminster, CO Posts: 17,289	You are simply carbon dosing with that. You can use vodka or vinegar to do the same thing. You could also add a reactor with biopellets and it would do the same thing without having to dose daily. Keep it up. Your test reads zero phosphate because it is stored in the algae and in the substrate/rock. Carbon dosing isn't a fix all. Nutrient issues stem from adding more nutrients then you remove. I would look at the overall setup, what you are feeding, and update your nutrient export methods as well. Carbon dosing with a fuge can be conflicting as you are driving bacteria populations higher then normal to out compete algae for the food. Your fuge is potentially acting as a phosphate reservoir. __________________ Hobby Experience: 9200ish gallons, 26 skimmers, and a handful of Kent Scrapers. Current Tank: Vortech Powered 600G SPS Tank w/ 100gal frag tank & 100g Sump. RK2-RK10 Skimmer. ReefAngel. Radium 20k.

04/12/2014, 08:57 AM	#2
dkeller_nc Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2013 Location: Central NC Posts: 5,062	Bryopsis is a tough beast. It can grow in the presence of very little nutrients, so I'm surprised that much of it has turned brown in your system. Are you sure it's bryopsis? As to when to stop the NO3PO4X, that depends. The first thing to realize is that the product is essentially a means of carbon dosing - something you can accomplish with vinegar and/or vodka, if you wish to save some $$. But the NO3PO4X product literature states that it has metallic components, without specifying what those are. Many, if not most metals are something you want to avoid building up in your tank, so I wouldn't use the product on a long-term basis. Every tank is different when it comes to carbon dosing - some require it on a continual basis to avoid nitrate build-up, some can go long periods without any dosing after the initial few weeks and still have nitrate levels less than 1 ppm. So I would start cutting back when you get to the nitrate level you desire - most of us that keep SPS want nitrates at less than 5 ppm, but not zero. My own tanks hover around 0.25 - 0.5 ppm.