Reef Chemistry Question of the Day #166 Organic Carbon Dosing

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

I got one right.

 

[JesseLander]

Does carbon dosing offer a benefit other than nitrate reduction? Possibly a higher population in micro organisms to for filter feeders, including coral? Or can simply feeding Coral Frenzy, Reef Roids, or just Food in general accomplish that?

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

Does carbon dosing offer a benefit other than nitrate reduction? Possibly a higher population in micro organisms to for filter feeders, including coral? Or can simply feeding Coral Frenzy, Reef Roids, or just Food in general accomplish that?

Other foods might accomplish it, but I do believe that the bacteria feed filter feeders such as sponges. I have more of these now that I am vinegar dosing, and I have a yellow ball sponge that is thriving with no special feeding at all.

 

[JesseLander]

Would any types of coral benefit from this?

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

Would any types of coral benefit from this?

They certainly may. Many eat bacteria and many take up acetate directly into their zooxanthellae.

 

[Habib(Salifert)]

acetate is also used in biosynthesis of fatty acids

 

[JesseLander]

What is the best carbon source to dose? I see you use vinegar. Would you use a dosing pump? What about bio pellets?

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

What is the best carbon source to dose? I see you use vinegar. Would you use a dosing pump? What about bio pellets?

I slightly prefer vinegar over vodka (and a lot over sugar) because it is so widely used by organisms other than bacteria, because it seemed to give less cyano in my tank than vodka, and because it is easier to control than biopellets.

I currently use a dosing pump to dose during the daytime hours, but I have also manually dosed it. For all at once manual dosing, I recommend saturating it with calcium hydroxide to eliminate the pH drop when adding it.