Can you convince me?

[ReeferMadness1023]

Alright ladies and gents! I want you to convince me to start dosing carbon! What are the benefits? What are the pitfalls? What can I expect if I start dosing vinegar or vodka? Does it help with the uglies? I’ve been researching it and I’m on the fence, let’s see if y’all can push me over!

 

[Real_Swim_Shady]

I have a few Russian imports and the vodka has worked wonders for me in all seriousness though - following because I’d also like to know the pro’s and cons

 

[Reefering1]

Tell us all about your system if you want appropriate answers..

 

[ReeferMadness1023]

https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/first-nano-tank.1096644/#post-13509814
That’s my build thread but I’ll give a brief rundown as well.

I have a 14g Biocube. After sand rock and filtration it’s around 10g total water volume. Been up and running since November. I have I believe 25-26 corals in the tank, 3 fish, 4-6 astrea, 2 nassirius, 2 trochous, and maybe 10 blue legged. Corals are mainly lps. Micromussa, euphyllia, pectinia, Duncan, and zoas. On month that’s been recovering for awhile. I dose Fritz RPM magnesium, alk, and calcium. Right now I’m dosing 1 ml alk a day and magnesium/ calcium as needed per testing. I dose phyto once a night 5ml. Running a inTank media basket with chemi-pure blue, rows phos, ceramic media, and sponges up top. I change carbon out every 3 weeks and clean my sponges twice a week. Doing two 3-4g water changes a week and dose 2ml MicroBacter Clean once a week. Running a Jebao Sow-4 on sine mode.

Let me know if you need more info!

 

[KrisReef]

Alright ladies and gents! I want you to convince me to start dosing carbon! What are the benefits? What are the pitfalls? What can I expect if I start dosing vinegar or vodka? Does it help with the uglies? I’ve been researching it and I’m on the fence, let’s see if y’all can push me over!

 

[Dr_Orpheus]

If you are not using a skimmer to collect all the grossness the bacteria colony you would be fostering to suck up all those nutrients with carbon dosing you will at best end up at a net zero and will be useless. At worst some bad things can happen from my experience, most likely some sort of gross algae at least. Where are your nitrate and phosphate levels normally? Are you having any problems caused by said nutrients that you would consider adding more to your daily regimen to attack it?

I'll edit this and also say, if you want to lower your nutrients just stop dosing phytoplankton, or halve the dose. Most corals do not directly eat it, but it does support other things. Too much can add to higher nutrients.

 

[Reefering1]

https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/first-nano-tank.1096644/#post-13509814
That’s my build thread but I’ll give a brief rundown as well.

I have a 14g Biocube. After sand rock and filtration it’s around 10g total water volume. Been up and running since November. I have I believe 25-26 corals in the tank, 3 fish, 4-6 astrea, 2 nassirius, 2 trochous, and maybe 10 blue legged. Corals are mainly lps. Micromussa, euphyllia, pectinia, Duncan, and zoas. On month that’s been recovering for awhile. I dose Fritz RPM magnesium, alk, and calcium. Right now I’m dosing 1 ml alk a day and magnesium/ calcium as needed per testing. I dose phyto once a night 5ml. Running a inTank media basket with chemi-pure blue, rows phos, ceramic media, and sponges up top. I change carbon out every 3 weeks and clean my sponges twice a week. Doing two 3-4g water changes a week and dose 2ml MicroBacter Clean once a week. Running a Jebao Sow-4 on sine mode.

Let me know if you need more info!

No3/po4? Any other export going on?

 

[ReeferMadness1023]

No3/po4? Any other export going on?

Just water changes and the rowa phos and chemi-pure blue. Debating on using a chamber of my inTank rack for chaeto and attaching a light on the back of tank vs removing rack and going full refugium in second chamber with mud, chaeto, and maybe a mangrove.

 

[Reefering1]

Imo carbon dosing is best used on tanks that are overfed, have other export(like a skimmer) going on and still maintain elevated waste products(no3/po4), have corals that will prefer eat bacteria than chunks of food. If all that applies, it's a great way to convert that waste into food. It's not without risk though, very easy starve the tank if it's not already overfed.
The corals you have would likely rather eat excess from fish feeding. 1ml of alk suggest no sps or clams(which I think would be most likely to prefer eat bacteria). Your tank looks good, I wouldn't be carbon dosing it..
What's your no3 and po4?

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

The nutrient levels are critical to decide.

 

[ReeferMadness1023]

Imo carbon dosing is best used on tanks that are overfed, have other export(like a skimmer) going on and still maintain elevated waste products(no3/po4), have corals that will prefer eat bacteria than chunks of food. If all that applies, it's a great way to convert that waste into food. It's not without risk though, very easy starve the tank if it's not already overfed.
The corals you have would likely rather eat excess from fish feeding. 1ml of alk suggest no sps or clams(which I think would be most likely to prefer eat bacteria). Your tank looks good, I wouldn't be carbon dosing it..
What's your no3 and po4?

No3: 5-25 and po4: .03-.15

Usually hits the higher mark when I need to replace my chemi-pure and rowa. You are correct I only have a few sps. A monti that’s been in recovery for the last few months starting to look much better but still no growth and 3 chalices. The chalices are fairly new I think 3 weeks and no growth yet. I do overfeed a bit but am trying to dial that back down as my nitrates have been staying a bit higher. I think some of that was I tried the polyp lab polyp booster. I’ve quit using it because I really didn’t see a reaction to it. I was feeding reef roids every day but quit both at the same time and have only been dosing the tank with phyto.

 

[OfficeReefer]

Alright ladies and gents! I want you to convince me to start dosing carbon! What are the benefits? What are the pitfalls? What can I expect if I start dosing vinegar or vodka? Does it help with the uglies? I’ve been researching it and I’m on the fence, let’s see if y’all can push me over!

Why do you need anyone on here to push you?

You do you don't, it's your tank... not ours. Honestly, you're better off asking ChatGPT than asking in here.

 

[rishma]

Why do you need anyone on here to push you?

You do you don't, it's your tank... not ours. Honestly, you're better off asking ChatGPT than asking in here.

I think it was just a way to start the conversation…

 

[Reefering1]

No3: 5-25 and po4: .03-.15

I would probaly just do a couple extra water changes a month. The risks are high just to get numbers down a touch. Many people srive for those levels. Especially if your tank already sees 5/.03 regularly..

 

[ReeferMadness1023]

I would probaly just do a couple extra water changes a month. The risks are high just to get numbers down a touch. Many people srive for those levels. Especially if your tank already sees 5/.03 regularly..

Makes total sense. I’m far from panicking about my levels. Eventually I will be switching over to a protein skimmer and refugium in the back. As the tank matures I’ll start adding some sps and I’ll see where I’m at than. I appreciate the honest responses!

 

[rishma]

I have carbon dosed many tanks and currently carbon dose my 100l. I don’t combine carbon dosing with regular use of other chemical media (unless correcting a problem). Since your keeping things in range with your current methods I’m not sure a change in approach is needed but you can certainly experiment.

I have not carbon dosed without a skimmer

 

[ReeferMadness1023]

I have carbon dosed many tanks and currently carbon dose my 100l. I don’t combine carbon dosing with regular use of other chemical media (unless correcting a problem). Since your keeping things in range with your current methods I’m not sure a change in approach is needed but you can certainly experiment.

I have not carbon dosed without a skimmer

Agreed, no immediate plans just was curious what others with experience thought about it. I do plan on changing over eventually to a skimmer refuge so maybe if I have issues than I’ll consider it more. Thanks.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

At 5 ppm nitrate I definitely would not. At 25 ppm nitrate, I’d consider it.

At 0.03 ppm phosphate, I’d dose it or feed more, especially I’d carbon dosing.