Azno3
- Thread starter melev
- Start date
JESUS VILLASEÑO
New member
there are many ways to keep nitrates down. this product has its drawbacks. keep a good aquarium husbandry in your tank
TOURKID
New member
are you serious? AZNO3 is AMAZING.
Keep an eye on your skimmer, in a few days it will be in major overdrive.
Ive used it 2 times.(two diff tanks) and I followed the directions exactly with great sucess.
I never had to use it agian either. btw nitrates stayed low. (i also somehow managed to not overfeed so often
)
Keep an eye on your skimmer, in a few days it will be in major overdrive.
Ive used it 2 times.(two diff tanks) and I followed the directions exactly with great sucess.
I never had to use it agian either. btw nitrates stayed low. (i also somehow managed to not overfeed so often
)
melev
Well-known member
That is what I was originally planning, to err on the side of caution. After I dosed 10 drops today, I thought "That's it?! That's going to make a difference?!" :lol:
I read the ingredients, but it doesn't really mean much to me. Anyone know how it works, in layman's terms? Is it adding new denitrifying bacteria to the system to eat up the nitrates?
Where the heck is Boomer when I need him?
Billybeau1
Premium Member
Marc, this product can work but must have a good functioning skimmer.
We do not know whats in it either, but it is suppose to convert the nitrate to something that is skimmable and the skimmer takes it out.
From my experience this stuff works with low levels of nitrates but won't do a thing for tanks with high trates.
The first time I used it, my trates were about 80 and after a 30 day treatment, they were still 80.
But many reefers who started out with lower levels saw great results. It will temperarily lower the oxygen level in the tank so keep an eye on your livestock.
Let us know how it works. Slowly ramp up like the directions say and slowly back off towards the end of the 30 day treatment.
The AZNO3 we are buying today is suppose to be new and improved. I tried it again a month ago or so and it still didn't work for me.
We do not know whats in it either, but it is suppose to convert the nitrate to something that is skimmable and the skimmer takes it out.
From my experience this stuff works with low levels of nitrates but won't do a thing for tanks with high trates.
The first time I used it, my trates were about 80 and after a 30 day treatment, they were still 80.
But many reefers who started out with lower levels saw great results. It will temperarily lower the oxygen level in the tank so keep an eye on your livestock.
Let us know how it works. Slowly ramp up like the directions say and slowly back off towards the end of the 30 day treatment.
The AZNO3 we are buying today is suppose to be new and improved. I tried it again a month ago or so and it still didn't work for me.
Billybeau1
Premium Member
Well, Marc this may surprise you but my trates are currently at about 120 ppm :eek2:
You see I have a fish only tank so I don't sweat it much. My fish are happy and healthy.
You see I have a fish only tank so I don't sweat it much. My fish are happy and healthy.
reefwisher
New member
My nitrates were up at around 80 ppm. My very smart lfs manager told me to first back off the feeding the fish to every other day,feed the corals once a week with my phytoplan or even once every 2 weeks. Do 30% water change once a week harvest the chaeto to the size of a softball when needed by the way I have a 40 Gal. breeder tank with a refugium of 10 Gal. After doing this my nitrates are at about 30 ppm and I have been doing this for about a month now. so this is working great for me oh and by the way thank for your article on the refugium light, I bought the 5700K and the chaeto is growing so fast that it a weekly harvest. Great light and will be buying more. I hope this method will work for you on your nitrates .
Billybeau1
Premium Member
Very Nice FO tank Marc. :lol:
Don't have the exact info with me, but from memory the ingredients were amylase treated massecuite and cosymase or some enzyme like that. Basically sugar and enzymes in a bottle. There's a lot of research around that found bacterial glycolysis can be limited by insufficient enzymes and vitamins. By adding the vitamins and enzymes the bacteria can better utilise the sugar and multiply faster.
melev, the ingredient label is, well, meaningless. They basically used a whole bunch of "fancy" words to say sugar water and enzymes" as isjg suggested.
I've done a lot of experimenting to try and reproduce how this works and can get close but not as good as what they have. I used 10 10g tanks for about 4 months trying different things.
They are on to something no doubt. While it works and works well I'm not sure it better then alternatives because of how fast it actually does work (to fast on small tanks).
You can get the same affect using the vodka/sugar method with possible a dose of Bio-Spira marine thrown it to restock bacteria (probably not needed).
The key to either approach AZNO3/Vokda is to go slow and ramp up slowly. Far to many people dose to much of either get blooms. Some of the people I've helped with AZNO3 didn't get the nitrates lowered at recommended levels (> 100ppm/reef) but I asked them to add a little bit more and continue dosing (following the same schedule of increasing amounts) and sure enough the nitrates lowered.
It's also key to lower the amounts slowly and continue to watch the nitrates to make sure they don't rise.
With either approach keep an eye on pH and Alk and O2 if possible. Definitely watch the livestock for any stress which usually won't be a problem if you go slow. Yellow Tangs have been the biggest trouble fish to date that I'm aware of with either approach but especially the AZNO2 but that was mainly a couple product revisions back.
Right now your reef has gotten used to having 80 ppm (regardless of if it's heathy or not) so go slow in reducing them. Don't do it overnight. I think many people get into trouble trying to do large water changes that 1/2 the nitrates. It's better in my opinion to do a series of 10% water changes every few days then a large one even when trying to reduce high nitrates.
Carlo
I've done a lot of experimenting to try and reproduce how this works and can get close but not as good as what they have. I used 10 10g tanks for about 4 months trying different things.
They are on to something no doubt. While it works and works well I'm not sure it better then alternatives because of how fast it actually does work (to fast on small tanks).
You can get the same affect using the vodka/sugar method with possible a dose of Bio-Spira marine thrown it to restock bacteria (probably not needed).
The key to either approach AZNO3/Vokda is to go slow and ramp up slowly. Far to many people dose to much of either get blooms. Some of the people I've helped with AZNO3 didn't get the nitrates lowered at recommended levels (> 100ppm/reef) but I asked them to add a little bit more and continue dosing (following the same schedule of increasing amounts) and sure enough the nitrates lowered.
It's also key to lower the amounts slowly and continue to watch the nitrates to make sure they don't rise.
With either approach keep an eye on pH and Alk and O2 if possible. Definitely watch the livestock for any stress which usually won't be a problem if you go slow. Yellow Tangs have been the biggest trouble fish to date that I'm aware of with either approach but especially the AZNO2 but that was mainly a couple product revisions back.
Right now your reef has gotten used to having 80 ppm (regardless of if it's heathy or not) so go slow in reducing them. Don't do it overnight. I think many people get into trouble trying to do large water changes that 1/2 the nitrates. It's better in my opinion to do a series of 10% water changes every few days then a large one even when trying to reduce high nitrates.
Carlo
Greetings All !
"Massecuite" is a sugar industry term for a sugar-molasses mixture. Cozymase is best known as a co-enzyme involved in fermentation (among other things).
FWIW, molasses-based carbon dosing has been utilized in Asian aquaculture for decades. Cozymase has been used in septic and wastewater applications for almost as long.
Non-layman background may be found here:
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&postid=10540060#post10540060
HTH
:thumbsup:
We have a winner.
"Massecuite" is a sugar industry term for a sugar-molasses mixture. Cozymase is best known as a co-enzyme involved in fermentation (among other things).
FWIW, molasses-based carbon dosing has been utilized in Asian aquaculture for decades. Cozymase has been used in septic and wastewater applications for almost as long.
Non-layman background may be found here:
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&postid=10540060#post10540060
HTH
:thumbsup:
jdieck
New member
So what you are saying is that Marc and Billy might have a sewer of an aquarium? :lol:
Sorry, could not resist....
Using the words of our most venerated benefactor .....
"There are many ways to reduce nitrate, including reducing the aquarium's nitrogen inputs, increasing nitrogen export by skimming, increasing nitrogen export by growing and harvesting macroalgae or turf algae (or any other organism of your choice), using a deep sand bed, removing existing filters designed to facilitate the nitrogen cycle, using a carbon denitrator, using a sulfur denitrator, using AZ-NO3, using nitrate absorbing solids, and using polymers and carbon that bind organics.
Some aquarists add organic compounds (e.g., alcohol as in vodka, sugar, etc.) to drive bacterial growth as another option for reducing nitrate and phosphate. This may be the process by which AZ-NO3 works, as well. This bacterial growth process generally works well. It is also very inexpensive and may benefit the aquarium in other ways, such as providing a food source for certain organisms. Its drawbacks are that it is possible to drive the nutrient levels too low, and that it consumes oxygen as the bacteria use the added organics as a carbon source."
melev
Well-known member
Thank you all for your input. I guess I should have known all the people would chime in on Sunday morning.
Yeah, my FO is a sewer. :lol:
My tank has a DSB, 29g refugium, huge Euro-reef skimmer (12" body, 30" tall), Calcium reactor. No pads, bioballs, biowheels, bio-anything.
I'll export some macro this week.
Anyone have an opinion on doing water changes while dosing this product? Normally I change 55g at a time. 30g sounds easier, for some reason.
Yeah, my FO is a sewer. :lol:
My tank has a DSB, 29g refugium, huge Euro-reef skimmer (12" body, 30" tall), Calcium reactor. No pads, bioballs, biowheels, bio-anything.
I'll export some macro this week.
Anyone have an opinion on doing water changes while dosing this product? Normally I change 55g at a time. 30g sounds easier, for some reason.
