Help! Rapid decline in pho’s and nitrates due to nopox?

[moz71]

Please advise so I think I have been having a bacteria imbalance for a long time. I have had high nitrates for ages and lately around 40 ppm. It was over 50 for longer previously. I have had a biopellet running for a year and a half with NO results. I recently cut down feeding in half and my which seem to lower my phosphate to .11ppm. So just a couple days ago I decided to dose nopox at half dose and after 4 days remarkably phosphate dropped to .012ppm and nitrate dropped to 23.5ppm all on Hanna checkers. Question is should I stop the nopox or half dose again! I have more to go on nitrate but so afraid of my phosphate bottoming out
So my choices are half nopox dose to quarter recommended?
Assume biopellet finally kicked in and stop nopox?
Should I dose some phosphate?
I do have some dinos and and running a UV at night to keep in check.
Please help

 

[moz71]

I should also note I dosed cheato which could also take up the nitrates and phosphate and I just stopped that!

 

[wmb0003]

I would continue the nopox dose but feed with reef roids or something similar that is known to raise phosphates.

 

[moz71]

I would continue the nopox dose but feed with reef roids or something similar that is known to raise phosphates.

That for the tip I will do that!

 

[mdb_talon]

I dont use nopox, but from what i have read that seems a very large drop for 4 days time I would question the test results or if there were other factors. In any case if you are going to continue i would do even smaller doses and find what you need to keep the nutrients stable....then adjust dose accordingly.

 

[moz71]

I dont use nopox, but from what i have read that seems a very large drop for 4 days time I would question the test results or if there were other factors. In any case if you are going to continue i would do even smaller doses and find what you need to keep the nutrients stable....then adjust dose accordingly.

I am going to test again before next dose just to make sure. It does seem extremely fast! If accurate I hope corals will not know difference in a 40 to 23ppm drop in nitrate ( still high) but that phosphate to me dangerously low.

 

[Dbichler]

Depends on how long you have been dosing bipod as well. I would continue half dose but that’s just me. No pox does take a while to work and yes don’t let it bottom out if trend continues drop dose more.

 

[moz71]

Depends on how long you have been dosing bipod as well. I would continue half dose but that’s just me. No pox does take a while to work and yes don’t let it bottom out if trend continues drop dose more.

From what I think you are saying, this is what I am speculating is that my biopellets finally kicked into high gear with the dosing of nopox. I had this biopellet reactor going for over a year and a half. I did read reports that other people pellets did nothing as well until they dosed some carbon dosing and took off. I have had this thing going all this time and never seen any results and never needed to add more pellets in all that time. I am going to have to test every day for awhile to see what is going on.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

My guess is that any sudden changes when dosing organics (aside from a big sudden overdose of organic) is more likely random test variation than a real change.

 

[moz71]

My guess is that any sudden changes when dosing organics (aside from a big sudden overdose of organic) is more likely random test variation than a real change.

Thanks Randy. Kinda of makes me feel a little better with possibility of not a such a dramatic change. I did check again and is in fact still reading lower. In addition, in my panic I did dose a little of phosphate and the reading was still lower but not as much pho’s at 20ppb on Hanna ULR CHECKER. continuing course and will check back in on how things settle.

 

[Dan_P]

Please advise so I think I have been having a bacteria imbalance for a long time. I have had high nitrates for ages and lately around 40 ppm. It was over 50 for longer previously. I have had a biopellet running for a year and a half with NO results. I recently cut down feeding in half and my which seem to lower my phosphate to .11ppm. So just a couple days ago I decided to dose nopox at half dose and after 4 days remarkably phosphate dropped to .012ppm and nitrate dropped to 23.5ppm all on Hanna checkers. Question is should I stop the nopox or half dose again! I have more to go on nitrate but so afraid of my phosphate bottoming out
So my choices are half nopox dose to quarter recommended?
Assume biopellet finally kicked in and stop nopox?
Should I dose some phosphate?
I do have some dinos and and running a UV at night to keep in check.
Please help

How many days before the 23.5 ppm NO3 reading did you make a nitrate measurement?

 

[moz71]

How many days before the 23.5 ppm NO3 reading did you make a nitrate measurement?

It was about 5 days earlier it was 37.5ppm on Hanna high range checker

 

[Dan_P]

It was about 5 days earlier it was 37.5ppm on Hanna high range checker

You might get that type of nitrate reduction from heavy carbon dosing, but I think that you just started, right?

 

[moz71]

You might get that type of nitrate reduction from heavy carbon dosing, but I think that you just started, right?

So I had the biopellet running for over a year and half with no effect and still keep it running. And I will say about 2 months ago I tried nopox but I stopped after several days because corals started closing and burnt tips on a green slimer. HOWEVER, I do think that happened because I had a equipment malfunction that cause an alk and cal drop. Hence me starting again after things started bouncing back. Come to think of it I had a pho’s drop then almost to zero but I chalked that up to testing error. So to answer question. I did just start again after stoping 2months ago but that was just for several days then

 

[Dan_P]

So I had the biopellet running for over a year and half with no effect and still keep it running. And I will say about 2 months ago I tried nopox but I stopped after several days because corals started closing and burnt tips on a green slimer. HOWEVER, I do think that happened because I had a equipment malfunction that cause an alk and cal drop. Hence me starting again after things started bouncing back. Come to think of it I had a pho’s drop then almost to zero but I chalked that up to testing error. So to answer question. I did just start again after stoping 2months ago but that was just for several days then

I am out of ideas now.

 

[Billldg]

I would stop the NoPox. I agree with @Randy Holmes-Farley as always, BUT, I feel a chemical means to lowering N03 and P04 can be a concern for other issue's down the road. I would stop the NoPox and test a few days out to see what you actually have.

 

[moz71]

I would stop the NoPox. I agree with @Randy Holmes-Farley as always, BUT, I feel a chemical means to lowering N03 and P04 can be a concern for other issue's down the road. I would stop the NoPox and test a few days out to see what you actually have.

Well! I did continue dosing today but I will be checking /testing again tomorrow morning and if another dramatic drop I will stop. I did check today and was stable. Pho’s was up slightly but that was probably because I dosed a little phosphate. I will give an update tomorrow. Thanks for your advise!

 

[moz71]

I am out of ideas now.

This is a tricky one, I will figure it out thank for trying!

 

[Billldg]

Well! I did continue dosing today but I will be checking /testing again tomorrow morning and if another dramatic drop I will stop. I did check today and was stable. Pho’s was up slightly but that was probably because I dosed a little phosphate. I will give an update tomorrow. Thanks for your advise!

In my current tank upgrade, I am doing 8 gal daily water changes, YEA, its a lot, but needed. I stopped my AWC today officially. I have been dealing with Dino's and initially had a N03 and P04 of 0.00 for both. I since was able to hit equilibrium with my Marco Rock and Live rock and skyrocket my N03 to 75+ and P04 above .20. I have since lowered, thru an aggressive AWC to N03 at 13.4 and P04 at .02. Both times I have used NoPox, I have had Cyano follow. This is not to bad mouth NoPox...It is...to simply say that is is a powerful means to an end. I like a more natural means...THUS...me ordering a massive CuC to deal with the aftermath of me dealing with Dino's. The aftermath is GHA...UGH...but its a plus as its the end to me dealing with Dino's. I say this because their are more natural means to dealing with issue's than chemical.

 

[moz71]

In my current tank upgrade, I am doing 8 gal daily water changes, YEA, its a lot, but needed. I stopped my AWC today officially. I have been dealing with Dino's and initially had a N03 and P04 of 0.00 for both. I since was able to hit equilibrium with my Marco Rock and Live rock and skyrocket my N03 to 75+ and P04 above .20. I have since lowered, thru an aggressive AWC to N03 at 13.4 and P04 at .02. Both times I have used NoPox, I have had Cyano follow. This is not to bad mouth NoPox...It is...to simply say that is is a powerful means to an end. I like a more natural means...THUS...me ordering a massive CuC to deal with the aftermath of me dealing with Dino's. The aftermath is GHA...UGH...but its a plus as its the end to me dealing with Dino's. I say this because their are more natural means to dealing with issue's than chemical.

I 100 percent agree with you on natural means. I have tried everything in my power to deal with problems before adding any chemical which often ends in a different problem. However in this case I have been dealing with high nitrates for over 2 years now. I do have a fuge with cheato and very odd I couldn’t even get cheato to grow in earlier days despite high nitrates and phosphate. It wasn’t until I dosed Cheatogro did it finally grow. Probably just needed iron. But my bubble algae took over tank. Lol. Besides a green slimer just could get any corals to grow and many stn events. Long story short, Trying to take this a little slow but appeared to still go fast. Lol