NOPOX or Elimi NP

[chipchipbro]

Hello Guys

I do have elevated nutrients and wanted to bring them down. I feed alot and have a skimmer in my tank, but it seems I would need more output.

Now I wanted to test if I can bring nutrients a bit down by using NOPOX or Elimi NP.
I am just sunre what product would be better for my tank...

Tank is mostly SPS dominant (Acros)
NO3 15
PO4 0.15-0.20

So, what would you recommend?

I dont want to bottom out the nutrients with that stuff.....

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Those numbers are not very high, so I'd start organic carbon dosing very slowly, and not expect it to do much for phosphate as it brings nitrate down a little. I recommend 2-10 ppm nitrate.

I'd personally use vinegar.

 

[chipchipbro]

What kind of vinegar would you use?
I only have vinegar to cook/eat here in switzerland.

Like whitewine vinegar or something like that :D

I just want to see if I can get better coloration of the Acros (lighter and more glowing)

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

What kind of vinegar would you use?
I only have vinegar to cook/eat here in switzerland.

Like whitewine vinegar or something like that :D

I just want to see if I can get better coloration of the Acros (lighter and more glowing)

Food grade distilled white vinegar is the usual recommendation. many folks use vodka/ethanol instead or in addition to it to make a DIY NOPOX.

Nothing wrong with NOPOX. It's just expensive.

 

[chipchipbro]

Food grade distilled white vinegar is the usual recommendation. many folks use vodka/ethanol instead or in addition to it to make a DIY NOPOX.

Nothing wrong with NOPOX. It's just expensive.

and whats the difference between NOPOX and Elimi NP?
I dont quite get it

 

[aimed]

I’d use nopox it looks much cheaper. Start out with 1/4 the recommended dose. You only need to drop your nitrates a hair. I aim for 10ish.

 

[exnisstech]

One of my tanks runs nutrients similar to yours and everything looks good. Occasionally I'll run a little gfo but not very often. I don't know that I would add stuff to reduce nitrates unless things in your tank are looking bad. Maybe feed a little less and see if that helps. Also what do you feed? Some foods add more nutrients than others. I try a natural approach before dosing anything.

 

[chipchipbro]

One of my tanks runs nutrients similar to yours and everything looks good. Occasionally I'll run a little gfo but not very often. I don't know that I would add stuff to reduce nitrates unless things in your tank are looking bad. Maybe feed a little less and see if that helps. Also what do you feed? Some foods add more nutrients than others.

I only want to see if I can get my acros to look more glowy and a bit less dark...
Maybe I can also just try to use NP Bacto Balance and see it that works..

I do feed Prime Flakes, Nori, Brine/mysis frozen and formula 2

 

[exnisstech]

I only want to see if I can get my acros to look more glowy and a bit less dark...
Maybe I can also just try to use NP Bacto Balance and see it that works..

I do feed Prime Flakes, Nori, Brine/mysis frozen and formula 2

OK, makes sense then. Similar to what I feed except I don't feed any flake. SPS always have us wanting to tweak. I have a small sps tank that's been running about a year and I have the opposite problem. 40g with 6 fish fed heavily and I have to dose N and P to keep them detectable.

 

[chipchipbro]

@Randy Holmes-Farley Can I use table vinegar to dose and lowering no3 and also a bit po4?

I am a bit worried about the *Antioxidationsmittel: Kaliummetabisulfit.* (Antioxidant E224)

https://migipedia.migros.ch/de/m-budget-tafelessig
NOPOX is too expensive in the long run I guess.

If yes.... How much?

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Potassium metabisulfite. It is probably OK, but is it in all vinegar brands there?

 

[chipchipbro]

Potassium metabisulfite. It is probably OK, but is it in all vinegar brands there?

well I asked them and they said theres also some color in the vinegar because "customers do prefer slightly brown/yellow vinegar instead of white" and the antioxidants are in it to keep the color longer......

I mean thats so (sorry) dumb...

I might grab another.. I found a brand from canada.. Lieber's White Vinegar

 

[Koty]

I use Elimi NP, and I like It better than Nopox. It is costly but corals look good and nitrates are kept low (about 5 ppm) despite heavy feeding. Phosphates however are way too high for me (around 0.2ppm) even though I have a Cheato refuge, carbon pellets (not very efficient in removing N & P) and a GFO reactor. But the bottom line is that the corals are happy from my few sps montiporas to all my LPSs and softies)
IMO, Nopox may be harsh on the equipment (doser tubings) and may cause long run issues. Also in my hand, Nopox seemed to have encuraged cyano in my tank but maybe it has to do with my tank age at the time.

 

[homer1475]

I would leave it alone. I run my SPS dominant system at those exact numbers.

If you wanted to tweak it a bit for more color, just run some GFO to bring the phosphates down a bit(.05 to .1). I would leave the nitrates alone.

If your having a hard time finding plain white vinegar, many of us use just cheap vodka.

 

[daniel_mourra]

@Randy Holmes-Farley

Ive been using elimi NP and Elimiphos Rapid (Lanthium Chloride) to keep phosphates and Nitrates at bay almost unsuccessfully.

I have a 180 gal mixed reef with nitrates averaging 20-24 ppm (would like to be 8-12) and phosphates averaging 0.08 sometimes, mostly .10 - .13. (Would like ti ve 0.07 - 0.08) are these targets ok?

I dose 5ml every day of Elimi NP and 8 ml of Elimiphos rapid daily… its starting to get expesive as I import everything from the USA (I am in Honduras). I am looking into NOPOX but them read about vodka or vinegar.

Vinegar and Vodka are alot cheaper here… Can you explain how they work and to dose vinegar or vodka? What do I base my dosing amount? Is it based on nutrient levels or tank size?

Are there any adverse effects on vodka or vinegar?

I Dont like GFO because I read somewhere that it NOT ONLY removed PO4 from the water but also “other trace elements and good stuff”…

 

[rishma]

Vinegar and Vodka are alot cheaper here… Can you explain how they work and to dose vinegar or vodka? What do I base my dosing amount? Is it based on nutrient levels or tank size?

Are there any adverse effects on vodka or vinegar?

You’ll find what you need here…
https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/new-vodka-and-vinegar-dosing-charts.1024056/

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Are there any adverse effects on vodka or vinegar?

I Dont like GFO because I read somewhere that it NOT ONLY removed PO4 from the water but also “other trace elements and good stuff”…

I think you’ll find that all ways of removing nitrate and phosphate do that. Is GFO worse than other ways? Or worse than a coral using the phosphate to grow? I don’t know.

 

[daniel_mourra]

Thank you both
@Randy Holmes-Farley
@rishma

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Thank you both
@Randy Holmes-Farley
@rishma

You’re welcome.

Happy Reefing!

 

[daniel_mourra]

I think you’ll find that all ways of removing nitrate and phosphate do that. Is GFO worse than other ways? Or worse than a coral using the phosphate to grow? I don’t know.

I you had it one way and one way only which would you choose? Vinegar or Vodka?

Which one should I start testing with?