Extreme Water Clarity and Cyano Eradication, Made Easy!

[Reefahholic]

I have been watching the No3 for the last few weeks daily, if I skip coral feeding it will drop. Today’s No3 is 3.4ppm but phosphate is 0.76ppm. If I even walk by the tank with GFO the Dino get happy. I haven’t had a Dino outbreak in about a year.

You need to dose the NO3 up. That ratio is dangerous for problematic algae and Dino’s. Get some Loudwolf Sodium Nitrate (NaNO3). I can help you make a safe solution for your tank and tell you exactly how to dose it w/o running into any issues at all. I can tell you how many to buy depending on your tank size. Just PM if you need help.

 

[CoralClasher]

You need to dose the NO3 up. That ratio is dangerous for problematic algae and Dino’s. Get some Loudwolf Sodium Nitrate (NaNO3). I can help you make a safe solution for your tank and tell you exactly how to dose it w/o running into any issues at all. I can tell you how many to buy depending on your tank size. Just PM if you need help.

So is that old saying “anything over 1ppm No3 is just extra” not good anymore and we actually need more?

 

[Reefahholic]

So is that old saying “anything over 1ppm No3 is just extra” not good anymore and we actually need more?

Never heard that, but if there is a saying like that it’s 100% inaccurate.

 

[Reefahholic]

I dose it once per week in my all Acropora tank.

Note that I erroneously dosed over 1ml per gallon a few weeks ago with no effect to Acropora. It did make a huge mess and I had to blow off the superfluous 'snow' off of the rockwork with a small powerhead. It looked like a tank full of milk and the fish would swim up against the glass and give me a 'what the heck' look. LOL

Did you observe nutrient levels during this time?

 

[Reefahholic]

Started my Red Sea 200XL on May 12 2022. 80 pounds of TBS live rock. 40 pounds base rock , 40 pounds premium live rock. I have 40 pounds of base rock in my tank right now. The other 40 is curing in my 20G that is fishless bare bottom. The below rocks is what i will use to aquascape my tank. Sorta just threw the base rocks in the tank to get it started. Its going to take some time before i can use the rocks below and form an aquascape i can live with.

Here's my tank before the dyi coral snow.

I'll take a pic tomorrow and can really see the difference. This stuff truly works. lol Sure beats paying $90 for 500ml when we can do it ourselves for far way cheaper.

That lamp shade looks really familiar! Haha. I like it!

 

[SPS2020]

Did you observe nutrient levels during this time?

I struggle to keep any PO4 or NO3, so I was not watching.

 

[fishybizzness]

Sunny, I have another observation. Since starting to dose the diy coral snow I notice that my filter pad is alot cleaner. I usually pull the filter pad out every 3-4 days and hose it clean. It usually has alot of detritus and takes a good hosing to get it clean. I've been dosing the coral snow after blowing off my rockwork and vacuuming the sandbed during my water changes. The last 2 times I pulled the filter pad to clean it, it was noticeably cleaner. Alot less fine brown detritus. Nothing else has changed with my routine other than dosing the coral snow. Seems like the tank is getting cleaner every week.

 

[spsick]

Thanks @SunnyX, here is 2-3 hours after my weekly WC and snow dose. Crystal clear!

 

[Aquaman11]

Sunny, I have another observation. Since starting to dose the diy coral snow I notice that my filter pad is alot cleaner. I usually pull the filter pad out every 3-4 days and hose it clean. It usually has alot of detritus and takes a good hosing to get it clean. I've been dosing the coral snow after blowing off my rockwork and vacuuming the sandbed during my water changes. The last 2 times I pulled the filter pad to clean it, it was noticeably cleaner. Alot less fine brown detritus. Nothing else has changed with my routine other than dosing the coral snow. Seems like the tank is getting cleaner every week.

I use filter socks and have also observed that they appear cleaner than usual since dosing coral snow.

 

[jkobel]

This is highly interesting, I admit i have only read about half of this thread so this may have been answered but what happens if you stop dosing?

Does Cyano come roaring in? Dinos? Something else?

 

[SunnyX]

This is highly interesting, I admit i have only read about half of this thread so this may have been answered but what happens if you stop dosing?

Does Cyano come roaring in? Dinos? Something else?

Hello,

If you stop dosing, clarity of the water would likely return to “normal” levels. It’s hard to say if the cyano will come back, but in my experience it should not. After many doses, the rockwork and sand should be inoculated with plenty of bacteria but cyano is one of those things that even the best of reefers have a hard time avoiding.

Given it’s very low cost per dose, I don’t feel that anyone would struggle to dose it at least once a week.

 

[gbru316]

Sunny, I have another observation. Since starting to dose the diy coral snow I notice that my filter pad is alot cleaner. I usually pull the filter pad out every 3-4 days and hose it clean. It usually has alot of detritus and takes a good hosing to get it clean. I've been dosing the coral snow after blowing off my rockwork and vacuuming the sandbed during my water changes. The last 2 times I pulled the filter pad to clean it, it was noticeably cleaner. Alot less fine brown detritus. Nothing else has changed with my routine other than dosing the coral snow. Seems like the tank is getting cleaner every week.

is the tank actually getting cleaner? Or are the suspended particles dropping out and settling on rock/substrate before they can reach the filter?

 

[jhans1]

Anyone using this daily?

Im currently running a test of daily dosing mixed with a small amount of PNS Probio (bacteria). This is after using a turkey baster on the rockwork.

Looking very promising so far in regards to cyano eradication. Nice water clarity and corals looking happy.

 

[Aquaman11]

Anyone using this daily?

Im currently running a test of daily dosing mixed with a small amount of PNS Probio (bacteria). This is after using a turkey baster on the rockwork.

Looking very promising so far in regards to cyano eradication. Nice water clarity and corals looking happy.

I used it daily for 30 days. My water clarity definitely improved, My nuisance problem is likely not cyano, possibly orange diatoms but I haven't confirmed with a lab test. Whatever the problem is, the coral snow treatments knocked it back but didn't eradicate it. I am now treating every other day with a slightly higher dose of coral snow to see what happens. I do see some rebound of the problem between doses. I saw no ill effects dosing daily but my alkalinity consumption lessened during that period. I'm waiting to see if it increases as I dose less.

 

[wonderphil-reef]

@SunnyX all I can say is wow! I used this for the first time today, and my tanks have never looked so good. So thank you so much for sharing this.

 

[Scubabum]

I also decided to try this DIY coral snow. I saw @Reefahholic Youtube video and saw he linked the source in the video description. Just wanted to say thank you @SunnyX and Reefahholic. Blown away at how crystal clear the tank was, just after 1 dose.

 

[ctopherl]

All,

I am happy that we have such enthusiasm towards this dosing. Please note that this is only a small piece of the puzzle and won’t cure all your ills or turn your setup into a world class aquarium. There is a lot that goes into an aquarium and this along with proper maintenance and care will go a long way towards success.

As previously stated, I plan on releasing many more articles that you will hopefully find of use. The next article will be on carbon and bacteria dosing, the bedrock and foundation of my systems.

I’ve learned quite a bit over 25 years, some from books and forums but mainly through trial and error. Looking forward to aiding as many as I can.

As a sidenote, with daily use the coral snow will help to kill off vermentid snails by reducing the amount of free floating organics.

-Sonny

Is the carbon dosing article available yet?

 

[Reefahholic]

Is the carbon dosing article available yet?

Bacterial Driven System: A Recipe for Success. – Reefsite

 

[fishybizzness]

is the tank actually getting cleaner? Or are the suspended particles dropping out and settling on rock/substrate before they can reach the filter?

Not really sure. Its possible the particles are settling out. I vacuum my sand every week with my water change and haven't really noticed a big difference in what's coming out of the sand. I also blow off the rockwork with a baster and I've been noticing that not as much finer detritus is coming off the rocks. Could be just coincidence. The water always looks super clean the day after dosing though.

 

[fishybizzness]

I'm not a marine biologist, I only play one on TV.