Can I use KNO3 /KH2PO4 whit NP bacto blance ?

[Patx]

Hello,
I'm using "vodka,vinegar, sugar 1ml/~60g daily"
and i dose KNO3/KH2PO4 to keep parameter in range.

But i want to change for np-bacto... (reduce dosing I hope)...
- Can I use my KNO3 and KH2PO4 if needed ?

Thk !

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

I don’t recommend potassium nitrate unless you are closely monitoring
potassium. I recommend food grade sodium or calcium nitrate.

 

[Patx]

Thk,
I will eventually change

Last Icp said K : 405ppm...
But I dose around 1,5ppm no3 /day.
May be the cheato help consume K.

 

[danny_M]

Hi Patx,

NP bacto balance is a product you should use to maintain a certain phosphate / nitrate level in the range of 0.05 to 0.08. It is designed to be used as low carbon dosing product when your levels are within that range to keep them there, not a stand alone product that regulated your Po4 and nitrate. I 'm using the Tropic Marine bacto balance with the plus NP , and also the NP bacto pellets for 3 months now, with variable results i must admit ( a lot of swing) . Since those products are designed to work together, i would not take the risk of combining them with other brands, since the levels are easely too high or too low.

 

[TangerineSpeedo]

IMO it is okay to add other forms of P04 and N03 when using Bacto Balance. BB is a form of carbon dosing while maintaining your nutrient levels. But depending on usage of your tank you may need to add occasionally.
On one of my tanks which suck up nutrients faster than I can put them in. I feed like heck, Plus NP in the morning and NeoPhos and NeoNitro in the afternoons.
Of course @Hans-Werner or @Lou Ekus can weigh in on this.

 

[danny_M]

Hmm, i wonder.. The tropic marine products for carbon dosing are based on the long polymer type if i learned my lesson well .
Would mixing other forms or brands based on short polymers not disrupt the whole proces i wonder? A diesel engine won´t run on nafta.. let´s wait the experts answers

 

[biom]

I'm using "vodka,vinegar, sugar 1ml/~60g daily"
and i dose KNO3/KH2PO4 to keep parameter in range.

But why you are dosing nitrate and phosphate? Just reduce/ stop dosing of the organic carbon. It looks you have chaeto too… Reduce the export to find the balance and there will be no need to dose nutrients.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

Hmm, i wonder.. The tropic marine products for carbon dosing are based on the long polymer type if i learned my lesson well.
Would mixing other forms or brands based on short polymers not disrupt the whole proces i wonder? A diesel engine won´t run on nafta.. let´s wait the experts answers

I’m not aware of anyone specifically dosing “short polymers”, though I do not know if the materials TM uses would best be described as long or short. Vodka, vinegar, sugar, etc are not polymers.

IMO, there’s no good evidence that the type of organic matters that much, except to the extent that any given organic might be consumed by Cyanobacteria strains that happen to be present in any given tank.

I chose to dose vinegar because acetate can be used by most organisms, including corals and sponges.

 

[bushdoc]

As biom indicated, you are dosing carbon, which is suppose to decrease nitrates and secondary phosphates and than you are dosing nitrates and phosphates, presumably to increase the level.
I would suggest to stop dosing and find out whether you need to increase or decrease nitrates/phosphates

 

[Patx]

Thk all for your hint etc...

I was dosing "vinegar,vodka, sugar" 2ml a day (60g) and 5ml mb7/day.
The Light for cheato was the lowest I could go...
And I need to dose 0.03ppm po4 and 3ppm no3 /day...
Was tired, and not feeling safe to dose so much "K"...
(I live in Canada... and it's hard to find NO3 )

I slack to 2ml mb7 and 1ml carbon mix.
Was about 1,5ppm kno3 and po4 about 0.03ppm needed.
And then suddenlythe need for adding kno3 was 0 (possibily my new personal food mix whit reefroid in) but still need to add po4...
Anyway, Wasn't stabilize... and I switch to bacto balance... (for fun)


I don't want to buy 3...4..5 product.
And dosing 1 product, carbon,no3,po4 at the same time look fun
I will see the consomation, and use (hopefully not that much) kno3/po4 to adjust my ppm.


Just the fudge alone at maximum light I could strip all no3 and po4 in no time.
I could adjust the %light and balance the cosomation whit kno3 etc...

But I want to use carbon for "competition"
I just came back from a huge battle whit dino/cyano from a time that dosing no3 was not imaginable...

 

[Patx]

As biom indicated, you are dosing carbon, which is suppose to decrease nitrates and secondary phosphates and than you are dosing nitrates and phosphates, presumably to increase the level.
I would suggest to stop dosing and find out whether you need to increase or decrease nitrates/phosphates

Whitout carbon and fudge light low... I need to dose no3/po4 in the long run.

 

[Patx]

IMO it is okay to add other forms of P04 and N03 when using Bacto Balance. BB is a form of carbon dosing while maintaining your nutrient levels. But depending on usage of your tank you may need to add occasionally.
On one of my tanks which suck up nutrients faster than I can put them in. I feed like heck, Plus NP in the morning and NeoPhos and NeoNitro in the afternoons.
Of course @Hans-Werner or @Lou Ekus can weigh in on this.

Ok I see, that a lot of consommation!

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

I was dosing "vinegar,vodka, sugar" 2ml a day (60g) and 5ml mb7/day.
The Light for cheato was the lowest I could go...
And I need to dose 0.03ppm po4 and 3ppm no3 /day...
Was tired, and not feeling safe to dose so much "K"...
(I live in Canada... and it's hard to find NO3 )

I would be too, and I never recommend dosing potassium nitrate. Sodium nitrate and calcium nitrate are better choices, IMO. I understand choices may be limited, and perhaps an amino acid is a suitable alternative for N.

 

[Patx]

I would be too, and I never recommend dosing potassium nitrate. Sodium nitrate and calcium nitrate are better choices, IMO. I understand choices may be limited, and perhaps an amino acid is a suitable alternative for N.

The only CaNo3 grade I could found is "fertilizer" garden... meh...

I am full of KNO3 and KH2PO4 (old fresh water stock buy 10 years ago)

Anyway, I will see how thing goes... and find my way.
I am not familiar whit amino acide... they provide N in a other forms, or ?

 

[danny_M]

I would, and am using, only lab graded NaOH. Mine is >99% pure stated on the label. Price is not an issue because it is cheap to come by. It will only benefit over time to prevent buildup.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

The only CaNo3 grade I could found is "fertilizer" garden... meh...

I am full of KNO3 and KH2PO4 (old fresh water stock buy 10 years ago)

Anyway, I will see how thing goes... and find my way.
I am not familiar whit amino acide... they provide N in a other forms, or ?

I'd urge you to get an ICP test for potassium at some point then.

Amino acids are an organic compound that contains nitrogen and also is used to make proteins.

Here are several brands:

Amino Acid - Bulk Reef Supply

Find Amino Acid at Bulk Reef Supply to keep your saltwater aquarium looking its best.

www.bulkreefsupply.com

 

[Patx]

I'd urge you to get an ICP test for potassium at some point then.

Amino acids are an organic compound that contains nitrogen and also is used to make proteins.

Here are several brands:

Amino Acid - Bulk Reef Supply

Find Amino Acid at Bulk Reef Supply to keep your saltwater aquarium looking its best.

www.bulkreefsupply.com

Ok thk.

Last potassium icp was 405ppm
July 6

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

Ok thk.

Last potassium icp was 405ppm
July 6

That value is certainly fine.

FWIW, each 10 ppm of nitrate dosed with potassium nitrate adds 6.3 ppm of potassium. Water changes will limit the rise.

 

[Patx]

Here we are ~ 2 months later...

First week of September
I stoped the vinegar/vodka/sugar and
I start dosing NPBacto 1ml/day.
No3 was ~ 20ppm and po4 at 0.04.

After two month of NPB.
NO3 are solid at 29-32ppm

But i still have to dose at least 0.03ppm po4/days. (Kh2po4)
(Gona put my mix on a dosing pump)...

At least no need to dose KNO3 anymore....

No3 are slowly going up but, im not worrying (right now)

The refugium have a little dino/cyano outbreak (my fault, 2ish october)
And im in a low light and/or black out routine/ Caco3/mb7 for now. (Not always connected to the system)

 

[Patx]