Switching From Sugar Dosing to Nopox Volka or Vinegar

[Cesa]

Thinking of switching from sugar to Nopox or Vinegar, I'm having some polyp retention with soft corals and a bit of Cyano, from what I read it could be due to the sugar dosing.

I'm currently dosing 2 tsp twice a week of sugar, maintaining nitrates at 10-15 how much Vinegar or Volka would be equivalent to the 2 tsp sugar?

Is there any issues to switching type of carbon dosing?

150 gallon reef tank 40 gallon sump so 130 gallon estimated

 

[jda]

You could grow different types of bacteria with different forms of organic carbon, so I would slowly wean your tank off of the sugar and then ramp up to another kind of carbon. No issues with switching if you go slow.

Each kind has their own drawbacks. Vinegar or ethanol will grow unwanted things too.

Dosing daily is better than twice a week.

 

[Cesa]

Decided to go with Vodka fb group says start with 2ml a day for a week then increase to 5ml while testing to get to sweet spot.

 

[Duffer]

I used this chart as others have and it works great

 

[jda]

It has been a long time since I dosed organic carbon and even then, it was on a FOWLR tank. I think that vodka was the worst for fueling cyano with sugar and vinegar being the least. Any organic carbon can fuel bacteria, both good and bad, so there might not be a huge difference.

Seems that most who dose X think that Y will cause less cyano, so who knows? I only seem to remember that Dr. Holmes-Farley seemed to think that vodka was worse too, and I trust a solid chemist.

 

[Cesa]

Okay thinking of sticking with sugar as my tank has done well with it for over a year now... but I'd like to spread out the amt of 4 tsp ( total weekly) how do I calculate that to dose a small amount daily. Please and thank you

 

[Cesa]

1/2 tsp daily would be close enough?? Yes?

 

[Fishfreak2009]

When I dosed, I used vodka and it worked really well. Now I don't use anything, my refugium and skimmer pull enough that I don't need to.

 

[joseph scott]

Dosing vodka was the only way I got rid of dinoflagellates, and destroyed the little bit of hair algae I had. My large UV only got rid of Dino’s and left the kind that stays attached to substrate for me to battle for 3 years.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

I’m not a fan of dosing sucrose. It is much less naturally prevalent in the ocean than ethanol or acetic acid, and in my testing it browned up corals.

 

[Cory]

I’m not a fan of dosing sucrose. It is much less naturally prevalent in the ocean than ethanol or acetic acid, and in my testing it browned up corals.

Possibly because its consumed first? Why is it less prevalent?

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

Possibly because its consumed first? Why is it less prevalent?

Maybe partly fast consumption and less production/excretion than other molecules. I'm not really sure.

BG - Production and transformation of dissolved neutral sugars and amino acids by bacteria in seawater

bg.copernicus.org

The molecular composition of neutral sugars released by bacteria was characterized by a high glucose content (47 mol %) and heterogeneous contributions from other neutral sugars (3–14 mol %). DOM remaining after bacterial degradation was characterized by a high galactose content (33 mol %), followed by glucose (22 mol %) and the remaining neutral sugars (7–11 mol %).

 

[Cesa]

Just wanted to give an update since this post has been revived. I switched to Tropic Marin NP Bacto Balance and with 5ml every other day it has kept my nitrates at 5 and phos at .03 So no more sugar dosing.

 

[Cory]

Maybe partly fast consumption and less production/excretion than other molecules. I'm not really sure.

BG - Production and transformation of dissolved neutral sugars and amino acids by bacteria in seawater

bg.copernicus.org

The molecular composition of neutral sugars released by bacteria was characterized by a high glucose content (47 mol %) and heterogeneous contributions from other neutral sugars (3–14 mol %). DOM remaining after bacterial degradation was characterized by a high galactose content (33 mol %), followed by glucose (22 mol %) and the remaining neutral sugars (7–11 mol %).

Ive been reading a little about dosing sugar due to my high po4 of 1.1ppm. Most of my sps have died off when previously when I had po4 under control they were growing very well. So im resorting to sugar to control it but im also concerned as to side effects.

However ive noticed a few articles peaked my interest. Look at seagrass meadows producing sucrose:

There Are Mountains of Sugar Hidden in The Ocean, And We've Only Just Found Out

Hidden below the waves, the ocean contains vast reserves of sugar that we never were aware of, according to new research.

www.google.ca

Im curious, even though they prevent microbial growth and store it in the sediment, wouldn't some leak eventually due to oversaturaion and or sediment disturbance from wave action or sediment life moving?

 

[Cory]

Just wanted to give an update since this post has been revived. I switched to Tropic Marin NP Bacto Balance and with 5ml every other day it has kept my nitrates at 5 and phos at .03 So no more sugar dosing.

Whats that product supposed to do?

 

[Cesa]

Ive been reading a little about dosing sugar due to my high po4 of 1.1ppm. Most of my sps have died off when previously when I had po4 under control they were growing very well. So im resorting to sugar to control it but im also concerned as to side effects.

However ive noticed a few articles peaked my interest. Look at seagrass meadows producing sucrose:

There Are Mountains of Sugar Hidden in The Ocean, And We've Only Just Found Out

Hidden below the waves, the ocean contains vast reserves of sugar that we never were aware of, according to new research.

www.google.ca

Im curious, even though they prevent microbial growth and store it in the sediment, wouldn't some leak eventually due to oversaturaion and or sediment disturbance from wave action or sediment life moving?

From my understanding sugar dosing reduces nitrates something like Phosphate RX works great to bring down phosphates quickly so dose slowly at the first.

 

[Cesa]

Whats that product supposed to do?

It keeps both nitrates and phosphates balanced after they are within range you can begin to dose to keep it there.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

Ive been reading a little about dosing sugar due to my high po4 of 1.1ppm. Most of my sps have died off when previously when I had po4 under control they were growing very well. So im resorting to sugar to control it but im also concerned as to side effects.

However ive noticed a few articles peaked my interest. Look at seagrass meadows producing sucrose:

There Are Mountains of Sugar Hidden in The Ocean, And We've Only Just Found Out

Hidden below the waves, the ocean contains vast reserves of sugar that we never were aware of, according to new research.

www.google.ca

Im curious, even though they prevent microbial growth and store it in the sediment, wouldn't some leak eventually due to oversaturaion and or sediment disturbance from wave action or sediment life moving?

Yes, I saw those studies too. I'm sure plenty leaks out. It's impossible to completely contain highly soluble chemicals in an aqueous environment.