No pox

[George Makris]

im very new to this nopox my nitrates are pretty high almost orange on the api test kit. I’ve been very confused on how much no pox to put.

 

[CC13]

im very new to this nopox my nitrates are pretty high almost orange on the api test kit. I’ve been very confused on how much no pox to put.

You should follow the directions based on your total system volume and what your keeping inside your tank.... more info here:

https://www.redseafish.com/reef-care-program/algae-management-program/no3po4-x/

 

[rkpetersen]

With NOPOX, as with any carbon dosing, the biggest risk is using too much and either bottoming out nitrate/phosphate and damaging your corals, or getting a major bacterial bloom with water white out and decreased oxygen levels. The instructions on the bottle tell you how much to add per 25 gallons of tank water, every day, based on your nitrate level, and then how soon to check it again and adjust your dosing. When your nitrate gets very low they tell you to base future dosing on phosphate level as well and to increase testing frequency.

Also you must have an effective protein skimmer running and I wouldn't dose this product (or any carbon product) without one. The skimmer, set to skim fairly wet, removes much of the excess bacteria that you're producing, and with them, the nitrate/phosphate.

Personally I would dose less than they recommend, test more often, and stop/taper dosing when you get below 1 ppm nitrate. Pushing it lower can be asking for trouble, especially if it also pushes your phosphate to zero.

 

[CC13]

With NOPOX, as with any carbon dosing, the biggest risk is using too much and either bottoming out nitrate/phosphate and damaging your corals, or getting a major bacterial bloom with water white out and decreased oxygen levels. The instructions on the bottle tell you how much to add per day based on your nitrate level, and then how soon to check it again and adjust your dosing. When your nitrate gets very low they tell you to base future dosing on phosphate level as well and to increase testing frequency.

Also you must have an effective protein skimmer running and I wouldn't dose this product (or any carbon product) with one. The skimmer, set to skim fairly wet, removes much of the excess bacteria that you're producing, and with them, the nitrate/phosphate.

Personally I would dose less than they recommend, test more often, and stop/taper dosing when you get being 1 ppm nitrate. Pushing it lower can be asking for trouble, especially if it also pushes your phosphate to zero.

All good info here.

 

[Fishnut]

Make sure you have a skimmer or another way to increase oxygen. I would start at 1/2 of what is recommended and monitor the tank water for a bacteria bloom. If water is cloudy and you see a film on the glass after using, back off on the dose amount.

 

[George Makris]

You should follow the directions based on your total system volume and what your keeping inside your tank.... more info here:

https://www.redseafish.com/reef-care-program/algae-management-program/no3po4-x/

I just have a mixed reef. I have the 350 Red Sea deluxe. I have achateo reactor but I don’t know how long I should leave cheateo lights on for. On the link it says 2 ml

 

[rkpetersen]

I just have a mixed reef. I have the 350 Red Sea deluxe. I have achateo reactor but I don’t know how long I should leave cheateo lights on for. On the link it says 2 ml

The info in that link is confusing. Here's the actual manual; look at pages 8-10.

Your tank is 92.5 gallons, including the sump. Estimate how much of that is taken up by rocks and equipment. As an example, you might have around 12.5 gallons of stuff, leaving 80 gallons of water. So if your nitrate is well over 10 ppm, Red Sea would have you start with 3 ml/25 gal/day. So 3 x 80 / 25 = 9.6 ml/day. Use a doser if you have one, otherwise you can divide the total amount in half and dose in morning and evening. Dose into the overflow.

For chaeto, you can keep the lights on for 18 hours a day, on an opposite cycle to your tank lights. Or some people just keep their chaeto lights on all the time.

Be careful using both chaeto and nopox; they compete for nutrients which can lead to unpredictable results.

BTW, Welcome to R2R! :)

 

[George Makris]

The info in that link is confusing. Here's the actual manual; look at pages 8-10.

Your tank is 92.5 gallons, including the sump. Estimate how much of that is taken up by rocks and equipment. As an example, you might have around 12.5 gallons of stuff, leaving 80 gallons of water. So if your nitrate is well over 10 ppm, Red Sea would have you start with 3 ml/25 gal/day. So 3 x 80 / 25 = 9.6 ml/day. Use a doser if you have one, otherwise you can divide the total amount in half and dose in morning and evening. Dose into the overflow.

For chaeto, you can keep the lights on for 18 hours a day, on an opposite cycle to your tank lights. Or some people just keep their chaeto lights on all the time.

Be careful using both chaeto and nopox; they compete for nutrients which can lead to unpredictable results.

BTW, Welcome to R2R! :)

Thank you very much!! Much appreciated!!!!

 

[rkpetersen]

Thank you very much!! Much appreciated!!!!

You're welcome. Be sure to skim, keep testing nitrates and phosphates, and reduce dosing per the instructions (or use even less than that, or stop dosing entirely) when test levels drop. :)

 

[User1]

Pretty much what others have provided with information. I can't stress enough to follow the directions and reduce that by half. Dose at the same time. Measure Nitrates and Phosphates 3 times a week to start. Take notes. I'll reiterate what others said. Go slow with this because too much too soon will cause you trouble. Plenty of threads on here or other forums with examples of things going South by doing too much too fast.

Note 1: Skimmer = mandatory. If your skimmer is not up to speed or very good do not proceed. Skimmer is required.
Note 2: I've used NoPox just like many posted here. Read directions, calculated water volume, reef type, then took their dose number and cut it in half. I increased my dose once every 10 days give or take. This gave me enough consistency and results to make a call to increase. I think when it was all said and done it was about 45 days before I got my numbers both Nitrate and phosphate to what I wanted which was 5 - 20 nitrates and .5 or so phosphates. I wasn't too concerned about those so just wanted the numbers while not achieving 0.

The stuff works. Just go slow like they all said. Best of luck.

 

[SPR1968]

With NOPOX, as with any carbon dosing, the biggest risk is using too much and either bottoming out nitrate/phosphate and damaging your corals, or getting a major bacterial bloom with water white out and decreased oxygen levels. The instructions on the bottle tell you how much to add per 25 gallons of tank water, every day, based on your nitrate level, and then how soon to check it again and adjust your dosing. When your nitrate gets very low they tell you to base future dosing on phosphate level as well and to increase testing frequency.

Also you must have an effective protein skimmer running and I wouldn't dose this product (or any carbon product) without one. The skimmer, set to skim fairly wet, removes much of the excess bacteria that you're producing, and with them, the nitrate/phosphate.

Personally I would dose less than they recommend, test more often, and stop/taper dosing when you get below 1 ppm nitrate. Pushing it lower can be asking for trouble, especially if it also pushes your phosphate to zero.

+1 to all of this.

Nopox is a very powerful tool for Nitrate reduction and it’s just a balancing act as to the amount to use, but you will soon get the hang of it.

If you get any bacterial blooms like cloudy water or white slime (mainly sump or low flow areas) just back of on the dose a little

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

FWIW, if you do not yet have the NOPOX, you can also diy with vodka or vinegar. :)

 

[Justin Cook]

FWIW, if you do not yet have the NOPOX, you can also diy with vodka or vinegar. :)

I agree 100% and appreciate all you've done to help folks do this. I ended up going with the NOPOX instead because it was a lot easier in my situation. At 2ml a day, the NOPOX dose costs me about $0.055 per day and I'm good with that. For a larger system definitely worth looking in to the suggested alternatives.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

I agree 100% and appreciate all you've done to help folks do this. I ended up going with the NOPOX instead because it was a lot easier in my situation. At 2ml a day, the NOPOX dose costs me about $0.055 per day and I'm good with that. For a larger system definitely worth looking in to the suggested alternatives.

Thanks and good luck! :)