Poor Man's Nutrients Control - Donovan's Nitrate Destroyer

[Donovan Joannes]

Im sure one of these would still benefit your aquarium, it would still provide lots of room for bacteria to grow. It just wouldn't be as efficient as it would be with carbon. People dose carbon to help bacteria thrive but lots of people have great tanks without carbon dosing.

The benifits doesn't end on nutrient control only, excess bacteria in the reactor will feed your corals and filter feeders too. Try a few ml more on your normal dosage, half an hour before lights out. Your corals (sps especially) will go into feeding frenzy with all the bacteria oozing out from reactor. With skimmer, it might not work for you. I don't run a skimmer, my corals act as a skimmer

 

[Khaotic]

It all depends on bioload. I have 15 fishes on 75G and they poop a lot. My sea cucumber is pooping all the time!. Twice dosage daily is what I need to keep nitrate in check. I am overdosing once a month (on purpose), doing so will keep a healthy bacteria population that is ready to work overtime when I overfeed my tank (on purpose as well).

I have 13 clowns, a tang, and a Mandarin in my 300ish gallon system, so my bio load isn't crazy. Also have almost 500lbs of sand(nice deep sand bed) and about 220lbs of rock. I don't heavily feed currently kinda waiting for my tank to be well established before I go too crazy with anything.

 

[CNDReef]

I have 13 clowns, a tang, and a Mandarin in my 300ish gallon system, so my bio load isn't crazy. Also have almost 500lbs of sand(nice deep sand bed) and about 220lbs of rock. I don't heavily feed currently kinda waiting for my tank to be well established before I go too crazy with anything.

I’d wait until you have excess nutrients before trying to get rid of them,let it get stable then change what’s wrong. Your sandbed will probably be a good nitrate reactor already

 

[Will Milberger]

Just ran into this. Been reading all afternoon. I have a 75 gallon also, and a 10 gallon sump with a protein skimmer. I am thinking about doing this. You said you don't do water changes with this system.
1) Do you dose essential elements or other additives beside VSV or vodka? I thought I saw some dosers under your canopy. After 19 pages, I'm a little bleary and trying to remember your daily routine.
2) This question is related to number 1, Are you using local sea water? What is the water maintenance that you do?
3) This looks really promising. I am tired of fighting algae and funky smelling rocks. They say imitation is the best form of flattery, so whatever you do, I'm game.

Will

 

[Donovan Joannes]

I have 13 clowns, a tang, and a Mandarin in my 300ish gallon system, so my bio load isn't crazy. Also have almost 500lbs of sand(nice deep sand bed) and about 220lbs of rock. I don't heavily feed currently kinda waiting for my tank to be well established before I go too crazy with anything.

That's the way it should, go slow with your nutrient control. Having some nutrient whilst bringing it down slowly is always better than suddenly having none, especially phosphate.

 

[Donovan Joannes]

Just ran into this. Been reading all afternoon. I have a 75 gallon also, and a 10 gallon sump with a protein skimmer. I am thinking about doing this. You said you don't do water changes with this system.
1) Do you dose essential elements or other additives beside VSV or vodka? I thought I saw some dosers under your canopy. After 19 pages, I'm a little bleary and trying to remember your daily routine.
2) This question is related to number 1, Are you using local sea water? What is the water maintenance that you do?
3) This looks really promising. I am tired of fighting algae and funky smelling rocks. They say imitation is the best form of flattery, so whatever you do, I'm game.

Will

No water changes, definitely need some dosing. Iron, stronti, iodide and traces. The dripper you saw is for kalk. Magnesium added weekly. I am using vitality, energy and amino mix for corals. Gonio powder and nutricell filter feeders food twice or thrice a week (broadcast feeding). Mixed fresh seafood (nicely blended) for fish weekly, along with cyclopeeze, blood worm and dried mysis. Hikari Marine A twice daily. Air stone in place of skimmer, coffee strainer as filter socks, powerhead in the sump as stirrer. If my SG drops, I am using IO salt to bring it up. I do have a gallon of NSW as well to keep SG at proper level (salt creep will affect salinity, same goes to skimmer).

For maintenance, change and clean filter socks, feed the reactor twice daily, clean the glass and top off (chiller kaput, now on evap cooling), clean the pump and wavemakers, wipe clean my DIY led's protective glass panel and fill up the kalk dripper.

 

[Will Milberger]

Sounds good! Thanks!

 

[Donovan Joannes]

Picture says a thousand words...

 

[Will Milberger]

Available in US? What are each of those?

 

[Donovan Joannes]

Available in US? What are each of those?

Which one you are referring to?

 

[Will Milberger]

The additives on the shelf.

 

[Donovan Joannes]

The additives on the shelf.

Should be available in the US. They are all imported form the states, major additives brands.

 

[Will Milberger]

I got it. What are the 2/4/6 or 1/3/5 etc? Otherwise, it's good!

 

[Donovan Joannes]

I got it. What are the 2/4/6 or 1/3/5 etc? Otherwise, it's good!

Monday, tuesday.... Till saturday. Sunday is all you can eat day

 

[Will Milberger]

Which is the fourth small bottle from the left? How much of each of the lager do you dose?

 

[Donovan Joannes]

From left to right - iodide/strontium/iron/trace elements/amino/energy/vitality

p/s - these are for my tank volume and roughly estimated daily usage. Do not use the indicated dosage as every tank is different. I have another 3 elements (zinc/potassium/boron) and added occasionally. The last big bottles are corals food supplements (nitrate and phosphate produced by the tank are much more important than these supplements )

 

[crs751]

Just tested nitrates from the reactor. Slightly down from the 50ppm starting point. Guess this is a slow process. I am about 2 weeks in.

 

[Donovan Joannes]

Just tested nitrates from the reactor. Slightly down from the 50ppm starting point. Guess this is a slow process. I am about 2 weeks in.

Did you seed with bacteria?.
What is your flow rate?
Pictures please...

 

[crs751]

Yes I used MB7. I’ll need to check the flow rate. What should it be?

 

[Donovan Joannes]

Yes I used MB7. I’ll need to check the flow rate. What should it be?

Slow enough but not dripping. Fine continuous stream is perfect for new reactor. Once no3 zero at effluent, increase flow a bit.