Hi and thank you for having me. Firstly I would like to discuss my use of the above product. I feel everyone should be allowed to review a product whether you find it good or bad. But my dealings with Red Sea I found not good. I started dosing 9ml day on my 300 litre only to find after 3 months nothing happened nitrates still at 25ppm. By the way I have phosphates and a Nyos skimmer too. Having contacted Red sea many times explaining the problem they just swear it works. I was told one time even though my Red sea test is reaing 25ppm my tank might not be that but the test kit is fine ..what??? and then they say (Happy Reefing) if you try to tell them your not happy . They control all their own feed back to my suprise there is nowhere you can leave any honest feedback unless you complain direct and then they just pooh pooh what you say on your experiences with using this product. Most companies have a facebook connection with open forums but not red sea they have fbook but no open forum .Does this hide the sheer amount of complaints they are getting? I wasnt trying to rubbish their product ,maybe I had a bad batch? or as I say it doesnt work for all but I have read many others who have had the same experience and thats the ones that bothered to write on forums, but not listening or allowing honest feedback can not be a good thing. I since swapped to aqauaforest and 4 days in my tank nitrates are dropping and my tank looks much better than it did using the nopox . I would not sit here saying its no good it clearly doesnt work for all tanks and looking on other forums this is obviously the case.. I know theres many reefers that swear by this product and i respect that but it doesnt work for all as all tanks are different...Maybe red sea could explain why they dont allow feedback? wasnt impressed.... just wondered on others use of this product ? thanks for reading :O) Im aware people have great success with it but im not new to reefing. I have carbon dosed on other tanks before.
NOPOX RED SEA WORKS FOR SOME?
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Anyone else using this?
Anyone else using this?
Ryan Avery
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Works great for me. It’s not going to eliminate nutrients on its own but it helps. You still have to be on top of your feeding and maintenance.
I've been using it for 3 years in my heavily fish and coral stocked 90g and it works great with no detrimental effects. I dose 15 or 20ml a day. If your having issues I would look somewhere else for problems or incorporate another form of nitrate and phosphate contral.
Heres a pic of my tank so you can see I'm not making things up or defending a product.
Heres a pic of my tank so you can see I'm not making things up or defending a product.
Crustaceon
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It’s a simple answer that goes for any form of carbon dosing. When you dose a carbon source, bacteria will consume it along with nitrates and phosphates within a certain ratio (IMO I don’t think it’s actually 16:1). You can have a bazillion nitrates and dose as much nopox as you want, but the moment phosphates are reduced to the point that bacteria have nothing to propagate with, your nitrate reduction will stop cold until the moment more phosphates are introduced into the system.
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Let me begin by stating that everyone's system is different. What might work in one setup might not work in another. Could be different nutrients, different bacteria, bioload, feeding regiment, different who-knows-what. That said, let me talk generic.
Any form of carbon dosing (vinegar, vodka, sugar, biopellets, or combinations thereof) requires both nitrates and phosphates, and strains of bacteria that consume these two, as they grow and multiply. The skimmer removes this bacteria and you have now exported these nitrates and phosphates. If any one of these components is missing, it doesn't work.
NOPOX is actually a combination of acetic acid (vinegar) and ethanol (vodka). It's an excellent carbon source for bacteria to grow. As the bacteria cells grow and multiply, they consume the carbon, nitrates and phosphates. If there is a limit on any one of these ingredients, cell growth slows/stops.
So what's happening in your tank??? Could be any number of things. Realize that the "carbon" source is also consumed by any and all living cells. So corals and algae could be consuming before the bacteria get to it.
The other thing that could be happening is that nitrates/phoshates coming IN to the system exceed nitrates/phosphates being exported. That is, you're feeding heavy or have a heavily stocked tank, and export can't handle this load.
I've had great success with a DIY version of NOPOX and although they recommend a "maximum" dose of 3 mls per 25 gallons, I'd up that to 4 mls per 25 and see what happens over the next month.
I will also state that when the nitrates and phosphates are up there and I'm max'ing out the NOPOX dose, my skimmer is putting out higher volume, and nasty skimmate. If that's not happening, then something is wrong.
Any form of carbon dosing (vinegar, vodka, sugar, biopellets, or combinations thereof) requires both nitrates and phosphates, and strains of bacteria that consume these two, as they grow and multiply. The skimmer removes this bacteria and you have now exported these nitrates and phosphates. If any one of these components is missing, it doesn't work.
NOPOX is actually a combination of acetic acid (vinegar) and ethanol (vodka). It's an excellent carbon source for bacteria to grow. As the bacteria cells grow and multiply, they consume the carbon, nitrates and phosphates. If there is a limit on any one of these ingredients, cell growth slows/stops.
So what's happening in your tank??? Could be any number of things. Realize that the "carbon" source is also consumed by any and all living cells. So corals and algae could be consuming before the bacteria get to it.
The other thing that could be happening is that nitrates/phoshates coming IN to the system exceed nitrates/phosphates being exported. That is, you're feeding heavy or have a heavily stocked tank, and export can't handle this load.
I've had great success with a DIY version of NOPOX and although they recommend a "maximum" dose of 3 mls per 25 gallons, I'd up that to 4 mls per 25 and see what happens over the next month.
I will also state that when the nitrates and phosphates are up there and I'm max'ing out the NOPOX dose, my skimmer is putting out higher volume, and nasty skimmate. If that's not happening, then something is wrong.
HI Thank you for your replies . I have phosphates and I do not use GFO as red sea say remove it. I have a reading of 0.5 (high Phosphates) so no problem of the Nopox having none to help pull nitrates , saying that I have 7 fish in my 300 litre and 8 coral frags , and I feed a frozen cube a day . I could understand mores going in than can be taken out thats a possibility but Red sea said it will work eventually. 3 months and no movement. I have checked all tank and its contents nothing untoward i shouldnt have on the setup. The skimmer did pull 1.5 inches a day of strong tea colour in the cup so it did pull more . I clean the tank weekly and water change. I wont say it didnt work I did see improvements slightly in the tank and the water quality but not much else. I have swapped to aquaforest and the skimmer is pulling even better i have noticed. I have a reading today of 20ppm so seems im going in the right direction.The skim mate was never nasty looking more like strong tea with the Nopox. As to dosing more I was adding 3ml per 100 litres a day =9ml i was told not to go over that but i see some of you are? 400 litre tank 15ml to 20 ml day ? is it safe ? Red sea did say that my nitrates will fall in line then if i wait phosphates too. That's quite some claim .
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I have today noticed with the nitraphos minus is kicking in ! The skim mate is black (never had that with the red sea so i think I am on my way .I never meant to rubbish the product just an honest review on its use in my tank ...I just do not think it was doing the job. :O)
Tastee
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You may have a lot of nitrates bound up in or being consumed algae in your tank than you realise. I’ve been dosing it in small amounts for over a year now to help maintain my NO3 and to a lesser degree PO4 at levels I am happy with. Initially it didn’t move the NO3 but after a couple of weeks it did. You may be starting with a high level of bound up NO3 that it is taking a while to budge.
From everything I have read NoPoX is not really any better or worse than DIY versions or other products. The basic process will operate with many forms of carbon. Differences in outcomes depending on the source of carbon are probably minimal. I personally are happy to stick with NoPoX at this point as I can trust it and it’s a minor part of my ongoing costs.
From everything I have read NoPoX is not really any better or worse than DIY versions or other products. The basic process will operate with many forms of carbon. Differences in outcomes depending on the source of carbon are probably minimal. I personally are happy to stick with NoPoX at this point as I can trust it and it’s a minor part of my ongoing costs.
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All types of carbon dosing "works", including NOPOX (assuming you have the phosphate and trace elements needed)
How well it works depends, of course, on many factors, especially how much you dose relative to the amount of nitrate that is constantly being made in the system, and which organisms are using it. Corals using it will reduce nitrate a lot slower than deniftrifying bacteria using it.
The biggest issue is not whether it works, but whether you get a problem like cyano (which also can consume organics) before you lower nitrate as much as you want.
If you do not have a problem like cyano, and nitrate is still higher than you want, the simple answer is dose more and wait longer.
FWIW, 25 ppm nitrate is not high enough to be any sort of rush to lower it, so just take your time.
How well it works depends, of course, on many factors, especially how much you dose relative to the amount of nitrate that is constantly being made in the system, and which organisms are using it. Corals using it will reduce nitrate a lot slower than deniftrifying bacteria using it.
The biggest issue is not whether it works, but whether you get a problem like cyano (which also can consume organics) before you lower nitrate as much as you want.
If you do not have a problem like cyano, and nitrate is still higher than you want, the simple answer is dose more and wait longer.
FWIW, 25 ppm nitrate is not high enough to be any sort of rush to lower it, so just take your time.
All types of carbon dosing "works", including NOPOX (assuming you have the phosphate and trace elements needed)
How well it works depends, of course, on many factors, especially how much you dose relative to the amount of nitrate that is constantly being made in the system, and which organisms are using it. Corals using it will reduce nitrate a lot slower than deniftrifying bacteria using it.
The biggest issue is not whether it works, but whether you get a problem like cyano (which also can consume organics) before you lower nitrate as much as you want.
If you do not have a problem like cyano, and nitrate is still higher than you want, the simple answer is dose more and wait longer.
FWIW, 25 ppm nitrate is not high enough to be any sort of rush to lower it, so just take your time.
If you dont like dealing with a company for your carbon in a bottle then maybe brew your own......
NoPox is a mixture of Vinegar & Vodka (along with ethanol and acetic acid).
NoPox is a mixture of Vinegar & Vodka (along with ethanol and acetic acid).
From reading the comment above maybe I found an answer why it works so well for me as evidenced by all my acros
and other corals along with fish being very healthy. Now hold your breath as I feed 10 to 13 cubes a day to my fish especially because of the food demanding triggers. I haven't done a water change in 3 years and so I dose red sea ABCD trace for elements. I also keep 2 bags of carbon, 2 bags of phosgaurd and 2 smaller bags of purigen in my sump. I dont have the luxury of a fish room or a basement and with my tank in my room have only the sump with skimmer and lots of rock in both sump and dt to do what live rock does. I really dont feed my corals with coral food as the tiny particles in the fish food should be taking care of that. My nitrates stay between 2 and 10 at the max with the above regimen and the 20ml of daily nopox dosing and dont check phosphate. As everything is has been thriving for me and my system I keep chugging along with my successful regimen for the last few years. Just wanted to give a little more detailed on what I'm doing and how my reef is setup. There probably more to carbon dosing than just dosing it and expecting it to be a cure all. Hope that helps some.
and other corals along with fish being very healthy. Now hold your breath as I feed 10 to 13 cubes a day to my fish especially because of the food demanding triggers. I haven't done a water change in 3 years and so I dose red sea ABCD trace for elements. I also keep 2 bags of carbon, 2 bags of phosgaurd and 2 smaller bags of purigen in my sump. I dont have the luxury of a fish room or a basement and with my tank in my room have only the sump with skimmer and lots of rock in both sump and dt to do what live rock does. I really dont feed my corals with coral food as the tiny particles in the fish food should be taking care of that. My nitrates stay between 2 and 10 at the max with the above regimen and the 20ml of daily nopox dosing and dont check phosphate. As everything is has been thriving for me and my system I keep chugging along with my successful regimen for the last few years. Just wanted to give a little more detailed on what I'm doing and how my reef is setup. There probably more to carbon dosing than just dosing it and expecting it to be a cure all. Hope that helps some.
Rmckoy
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Probably not the place and not trying to hijack this post .
There was a receipt for making nopox with vinegar and vodka ( 40% alcohol )
How much and I believe I also read there is RODI water also added ?
There was a receipt for making nopox with vinegar and vodka ( 40% alcohol )
How much and I believe I also read there is RODI water also added ?
Every tank is a little different but my current regimen is working great, especially with all the fish I have. All corals are happy too. Cant hurt to try something a little different. I've been learning for 35+ years and the good and the bad. Heres a couple pics I took just with my with my Samsung and no editing with the whites all the way up on my Kessil 360's. Just to show it's working for me. Good luck whatever direction you go.
Every tank is a little different but my current regimen is working great, especially with all the fish I have. All corals are happy too. Cant hurt to try something a little different. I've been learning for 35+ years and the good and the bad. Heres a couple pics I took just with my with my Samsung and no editing with the whites all the way up on my Kessil 360's. Just to show it's working for me. Good luck whatever direction you go.
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