Randy Holmes-Farley
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My Tank Thread
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That is not true. Carbon dosing is not primarily a phosphate reduction method. If anything, it is skewed to nitrate more than phosphate.The reason why you're seeing little nitrate reduction with any form of carbon dosing (vinegar, biopellet, nopox) is because they primarily reduce phosphates.
There are many ways to reduce nitrates, as stated above. Ask 10 people and you will get 20 different answers for nutrient control.
And most wont be wrong, there are many ways to skin a cat, so you have to figure out which one will suit your needs. I personally tumble cheatomorpha under a grow light, and I dial in the amount of nutreints pulled from the tank based on how long the grow light is on. Another popular way is using a algae turf scrubber, they are neat little all in one units both set to target primarily nitrates.
Despite what I use, figure out what's causing your excessive nutrients and if water changes, skimming and good husbandry alone don't fix the problem then incorporating another means in the form of macro algae might be the way to go.
Good Luck