Alkalinity and Carbon Dosing

[NDIrish]

Needing to understand why it is recommended when carbon dosing you have your alkalinity between 7 - 8?

 

[fishhead1973]

Needing to understand why it is recommended when carbon dosing you have your alkalinity between 7 - 8?

Hope some one will reply I need to know also.

 

[Gtinnel]

I always assumed it's because with carbon dosing your nutrients levels will lower and low nutrient levels and higher alk is bad on sps corals. I don't know any of the science behind it though.

 

[fishhead1973]

Thanks

 

[mdb_talon]

In addition reduction of nitrate will increase alkalinity.

 

[Gtinnel]

So I was reading about it and apparently with low nutrients and high alk the skeleton of the coral will grow faster on the ends than the tissue can keep up with. The high alk encourages skeletal growth but the lower nutrients limit tissue growth.. Which causes the tissue to be too thin for the amount of light it is receiving, which leads to the burnt tips that I often hear about.

Someone please correct me if I've misunderstood why low nutrients with higher alk is an issue.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

Needing to understand why it is recommended when carbon dosing you have your alkalinity between 7 - 8?

That is not an appropriate/needed recommendation.

It stems, misleadingly, from the correct idea that if nutrients are low and alkalinity is high, that certain SPS corals can get "burnt tips", which may be due to the coral skeleton growing faster than the tissue can keep up.

With all nutrient reduction methods, if one wants to maintain high alk, then one needs to be sure that an adequately large source of N and P is available.

It is certainly not the case that organic carbon dosing necessarily leads to low nutrients. Same as other methods: used too much, in some cases, nutrients may get too low. used appropriately for the given aquarium system, there is no concern.

 

[arking_mark]

That is not an appropriate/needed recommendation.

It stems, misleadingly, from the correct idea that if nutrients are low and alkalinity is high, that certain SPS corals can get "burnt tips", which may be due to the coral skeleton growing faster than the tissue can keep up.

With all nutrient reduction methods, if one wants to maintain high alk, then one needs to be sure that an adequately large source of N and P is available.

It is certainly not the case that organic carbon dosing necessarily leads to low nutrients. Same as other methods: used too much, in some cases, nutrients may get too low. used appropriately for the given aquarium system, there is no concern.

Great info! Thanks, Randy.

 

[NDIrish]

That is not an appropriate/needed recommendation.

It stems, misleadingly, from the correct idea that if nutrients are low and alkalinity is high, that certain SPS corals can get "burnt tips", which may be due to the coral skeleton growing faster than the tissue can keep up.

With all nutrient reduction methods, if one wants to maintain high alk, then one needs to be sure that an adequately large source of N and P is available.

It is certainly not the case that organic carbon dosing necessarily leads to low nutrients. Same as other methods: used too much, in some cases, nutrients may get too low. used appropriately for the given aquarium system, there is no concern.

Thanks Randy. Appreciate your input.

 

[Oregon Grown Reef]

That is not an appropriate/needed recommendation.

It stems, misleadingly, from the correct idea that if nutrients are low and alkalinity is high, that certain SPS corals can get "burnt tips", which may be due to the coral skeleton growing faster than the tissue can keep up.

With all nutrient reduction methods, if one wants to maintain high alk, then one needs to be sure that an adequately large source of N and P is available.

It is certainly not the case that organic carbon dosing necessarily leads to low nutrients. Same as other methods: used too much, in some cases, nutrients may get too low. used appropriately for the given aquarium system, there is no concern.

With this in mind, is there a way to determine how much carbon dosing is needed other than incessant testing with incredibly inaccurate hobby level test kits (namely nitrate)?

For example: Add "x" amount of this solution for "x" amount of time to decrease nitrate/phosphate by "x" amount.

Do the bacteria that are produced from carbon dosing remove nutrients at a set rate once a set dosage has been established?

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

With this in mind, is there a way to determine how much carbon dosing is needed other than incessant testing with incredibly inaccurate hobby level test kits (namely nitrate)?

For example: Add "x" amount of this solution for "x" amount of time to decrease nitrate/phosphate by "x" amount.

Do the bacteria that are produced from carbon dosing remove nutrients at a set rate once a set dosage has been established?

Not really. Trial and error is the only way.

There are many different processes that impact N, P and organics. Some are linked to one another (e.g., N and P going into normal tissue growth) and some are not (nitrate and organics being consumed by denitrification that does not deplete phosphate)..

 

[NDIrish]

How do you determine when to stop increasing the amount of vinegar and to maintain a certain level?
I'm dosing 32 ml a day and my N is between 0 and 25 (by colorchart it's not as dark as 25 but it is not clear), my P is .06.
Thanks

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

How do you determine when to stop increasing the amount of vinegar and to maintain a certain level?
I'm dosing 32 ml a day and my N is between 0 and 25 (by colorchart it's not as dark as 25 but it is not clear), my P is .06.
Thanks

Trial and error.

But IMO, a kit that cannot readily distinguish 25 ppm from 1 ppm is not adequate to control dosing.

 

[NDIrish]

Trial and error.

But IMO, a kit that cannot readily distinguish 25 ppm from 1 ppm is not adequate to control dosing.

Sorry, my test goes below 25. It's the Salifert test kit. Just tested my N and it's around 10.

 

[Oregon Grown Reef]

Trial and error.

But IMO, a kit that cannot readily distinguish 25 ppm from 1 ppm is not adequate to control dosing.

Which test do you use?