Potassium nitrate (Spectracide stump remover) dosing steps

[Reefltx]

Started to dose the Spectracide two week ago. Running a Zeovit system, was always at not detectable levels of no3.
Keeping no3 for 2 weeks now at the level of 1-2.5ppm. At this moment no any visible changes in the colors or anything.

Try 5-10ppm, you will noticed the greens start to pop.

 

[mcarroll]

Started to dose the Spectracide two week ago. Running a Zeovit system, was always at not detectable levels of no3.
Keeping no3 for 2 weeks now at the level of 1-2.5ppm. At this moment no any visible changes in the colors or anything.

You're doing the right thing, just keep it up....so far I haven't seen any evidence of a magic number to hit. They key is that you're putting nitrogen into the tank's nitrogen cycle, which may have been deprived.

(There's very little harm possible in bringing them to 10 ppm if you wanna try.....but watch your PO4 and do not let it go to zero.)

 

[Berlibee]

I think 5+ is too high for the Zeovit because it will lower the usage of the Zeovit Additives. But I will continue with 2.5ppm for two more weeks and see how it will affect the corals.
Maybe will try 5ppm for the next month. We will see. Thank you again.

;)

 

[Juliano]

How long after dosing stump remover did people start to see results? And do I have to turn off my skimmer when dosing?

 

[mcarroll]

Skimmer: No.

Results: Before I started seeing a number on my test kit. GO SLOW and keep paying attention. :)

 

[Berlibee]

I'm on 3 weeks marks. :) No changes at all.

 

[Pola0502ds]

So ive read the first 6 pages and its just not clear how to mix up the stump remover. Is it 1 tablespoon per 1 measured cup 8 oz or is it solo cup 12oz?

 

[DarkSky]

So ive read the first 6 pages and its just not clear how to mix up the stump remover. Is it 1 tablespoon per 1 measured cup 8 oz or is it solo cup 12oz?

It depends how concentrated you want your mixture. You can do 8oz and it will mix just fine (that's what I did). Just dose slowly (1ml, wait 24 hours, test, 2ml, wait 24 hours, test, repeat) until you get a reading.

 

[Vaughn17]

Guess what everyone, I actually used Stump Remover to remove two old stumps, lol.

 

[mcarroll]

I did a few days ago....and old cherry stump. Who plants a flowering cherry tree 6' from the house?!!? ;)

 

[tcarter1936]

I did a few days ago....and old cherry stump. Who plants a flowering cherry tree 6' from the house?!!? ;)

How long does it take generally, I've got an oak tree stump in need of nitrate dosing

 

[mcarroll]

So ive read the first 6 pages and its just not clear how to mix up the stump remover.

I don't get why this remains to be the case, but since it is.....

I'd look at this specific post:
Potassium nitrate (Spectracide stump remover) dosing steps

As well as this blog entry:
A Nitrate Dosing Calculator For Better Tank Health (And Better Coral Color!)

Make a standard solution and have at it! Post with any questions. :) :) :)

 

[mcarroll]

How long does it take generally, I've got an oak tree stump in need of nitrate dosing

I wish I could say for sure...this is my first time using not for the aquarium. ;)

 

[Vaughn17]

I wish I could say for sure...this is my first time using not for the aquarium. ;)

Me too. Mine were Douglas fir stumps. I applied the stump remover a few months ago, then forgot about it until yesterday.

 

[tcarter1936]

Me too. Mine were Douglas fir stumps. I applied the stump remover a few months ago, then forgot about it until yesterday.

Was anything left?

 

[Bronc]

What kind of freak uses Stump Remover on stumps?? ;)

 

[Vaughn17]

What kind of freak uses Stump Remover on stumps?? ;)

One that keeps tripping over obnoxious stumps in her raspberry patch, lol.

 

[VJV]

Hi guys, I have a bit of an oddball situation and I believe this is the right thread to get some help beyond the basics .

My Nitrates have always been undetectable (somewhere between 0 and 0,5 on Salifert). My Phosphates have been in the 0,01-0,025 for the most part (Hanna ULR Phosphorus). I cannot get caleurpa or chaetomorpha to grow in my refugium... By now you are all thinking "naturally, as you do not have nutrients for those to grow". HOWEVER, GHA grows all over the refugium (including smothering the chaetomorpha, and killing of the caleurpa) and typically cyano follows after the GHA starts to recede. Also, I have to clean my glass everyday.

The tank is 700 litres plus 200 litre sump, I have about 10 fish and feed pellets 3x a day on an auto doser. As I said, I have never been able to register Nitrates.

On another note, my LPS (Euphylia, Lobophylia, acans) and my huge Letter coral all are doing fine... again, suggesting that nutrients are not that low...? But again. macro algae just does not grow....

My SPS on the other hand are never too happy: very title polio extension, and almost no growth... for acros. Montiporas and seriatoporas grow like weeds and colour up nicely, with great polio extension, my pink poccilopora turned brown but other than that has huge polip extension...so you see the permanent contradictory signs I have.

So what I am thinking is: my phosphate is probably higher than I am measuring (dirty glass). However, my Nitrates are non existant therefore creating the imbalance that messes everything up and does not provide the macros with the required nutrients to grow. Following a Triton test that confirmed my parameters, everything seems to be OK except for Potassium (which I have never dosed...???) which is way higher than it should be at 488ppm... I'm guessing this feeds the GHA but not the Macros?

Feedback from the experts would be greatly appreciated.

Oh, as far as Nutrient export I have a Thrilling Rollermat filter with 5micron fleece that completely filters out the water, a decent Deltec skimmer, a reactor with Fauna Marin Ultra Phos and carbon, and a refugium (which just seems to grow layers of dead GHA, cyano and than more GHA.

 

[mcarroll]

It seems like you might be both over-filtering and trying to force things a bit too much. Have you been running chemical and biological nutrient controls (GFO, carbon dosing, et al) since you set up the tank?

Are you specifically trying to farm chaeto for its own purpose or why the focus only on that?
Are you trying place most of the focus in the system on the refugium so that it needs to look a certain way?
Is the refugium merely a tool to assist the display tank? What is the exact goal you have in mind?

If your goal is simply to keep the annoying algae out of the display, it sounds like you need to wave a "Mission Accomplished" flag and stop the struggle. :)

If anything, it sounds like you're over-doing things a little. Maybe consider easing back on the extra PO4 and NO3 removal until there's nothing but occasional activated carbon use, if that?

You might have luck with a different macro aglae or different lighting levels in the refugium, BTW....but you'll have to experiment. I'm pretty sure that chaeto is only favored in a high-nitrate/fast-growth environment.

 

[VJV]

It seems like you might be both over-filtering and trying to force things a bit too much. Have you been running chemical and biological nutrient controls (GFO, carbon dosing, et al) since you set up the tank?

Are you specifically trying to farm chaeto for its own purpose or why the focus only on that?
Are you trying place most of the focus in the system on the refugium so that it needs to look a certain way?
Is the refugium merely a tool to assist the display tank? What is the exact goal you have in mind?

If your goal is simply to keep the annoying algae out of the display, it sounds like you need to wave a "Mission Accomplished" flag and stop the struggle. :)

If anything, it sounds like you're over-doing things a little. Maybe consider easing back on the extra PO4 and NO3 removal until there's nothing but occasional activated carbon use, if that?

You might have luck with a different macro aglae or different lighting levels in the refugium, BTW....but you'll have to experiment. I'm pretty sure that chaeto is only favored in a high-nitrate/fast-growth environment.

Thanks! Well, my focus has always been to have an algae free display. I battled GHA for years in my previous tank that never had any detectable NO3 or PO4. So when I set this one up I wanted to have over the top filtration to avoid this. However, whenever I put new rock in (ceramic rock do completely dead) the GHA covers the entire structure with a vengeance.

I currently have three structures that have been in my tanks for 4 years that are clean, but e new structure I added is completely covered by a GHA. Than patches of cyano start to appear, not sure if feeding of of decaying GHA.

My idea for the refugium was to have macro algae outcompetting the GHA but my macros simply die off and the refugium gets covered in GHA and cyano...

I am registering PO4 now, just tested at 0,045. This is the highest level I have ever seen my tank. NO3 however remains undetectable, as it has always been. After reading this thread I am thinking that I have an imbalance that favors the growth of GHA and cyano, as I do not have Nitrates but I do have phosphates.

I may be trying Seachem Flourish Nitrogen to try and Tais my Nitrates and see how it goes. Hoping it will not result in an explosion of GHA, but rather allows for the chaetomorpha to kick in...