Bio pellets and light/clear skimmate

[noobtothereef]

I setup brs bio pellets 2 weeks ago, today ive noticed that my skimmate is really light, the bubble line is adjusted way down and the foam head is about 4-5" tall so i have it adjusted dry, could this be the bacteria colonizing and being skimmed out? I tried to adjust it down but i get the same results, i can almost open the skimmer wedge pipe all the way and the foam head will still build and go all the way to the top and spill into the collection cup and is still light/clear, the skimmer is an octo xtreme 200 with red demon pinwheel. Also i dose zeobak daily

 

[noobtothereef]

Also to add, i noticed yesterday that an sps frag(2" tall) thats in the tank that has always had pe has crazy pe now, its not a millipora but dang it sure looks like it now, really hairy and starting to encrust, not sure why it would start increasing pe now, nitrates are still 30+

 

[mistacheese]

I have had the pellets running most of the time I have had stock in my tank. (6 months ish.) I always wondered why my skimmate was so much lighter then what I see online. Lately I wonder if it is related to the pellets as well.

 

[scubasteve06]

That is kind of against the normal results during liquid carbon dosing of sludge like skimmate which I am getting now 3 days into vodka dosing.

BTW if I have say for instance 100ml of 80 proof vodka that I am pulling my dose out of each day and wanted to add white vinegar to the mix, what is the ratio or formula to figure out how much vinegar to add to my 100ml of vodka? I don't have 100ml of vodka I am just using it as an X value to compute the equation of how much vinegar to add into it. I personally don't know how much vodka is in the container I just poured some out into a tupperware and put a lid on it and put it in the refrigerator before and after use.

 

[noobtothereef]

vodka doesnt need refrigerated lol, on the equation of vinegar to vodka im not sure what it is but its not even close to 50/50.

 

[bertoni]

The coral might be responding to bacteria in the water or something that's been eating bacteria. Sounds like the tank is doing well so far.

 

[Percula9]

The vinegar dose should be 8x the vodka dose.

 

[BlueStag]

I'm about 10-11 days into using SWC biopellets. I noticed an extremely wet skimmate, lighter skimmate on days 4-6. This was parallel to the bacteria bloom that was noticable, with a slight hazy water. Now the water is clearer than it's ever been and the skimmate has become normal and is on the drier side again. The skimmer is skimming very strong. I'm guessing your bacteria population is blooming too, and it should settle in soon. I have a very strong skimmer for my tank size.

 

[scubasteve06]

The vinegar dose should be 8x the vodka dose.

After re-reading the coral magazine article on probiotics it says that the author uses 225ml of vodka to 25ml of vinegar that would mean that the vodka dose should be 9x the vinegar dose I think you have this backwards.

Here is a link to the page with the reccomended dosing...http://coralmagazine.coverleaf.com/coral/20100910?sub_id=DszPBGS23GCmQ#pg69

 

[scubasteve06]

vodka doesnt need refrigerated lol, on the equation of vinegar to vodka im not sure what it is but its not even close to 50/50.

But it tastes so much better chilled!!!

 

[noobtothereef]

The coral might be responding to bacteria in the water or something that's been eating bacteria. Sounds like the tank is doing well so far.

yep, it seems like its getting better day by day, once i started dosing the zeobak is when i noticed the pe, maybe it was some bacteria i was missing in the system for a food source for the corals.

 

[noobtothereef]

I'm about 10-11 days into using SWC biopellets. I noticed an extremely wet skimmate, lighter skimmate on days 4-6. This was parallel to the bacteria bloom that was noticable, with a slight hazy water. Now the water is clearer than it's ever been and the skimmate has become normal and is on the drier side again. The skimmer is skimming very strong. I'm guessing your bacteria population is blooming too, and it should settle in soon. I have a very strong skimmer for my tank size.

have you noticed any decrease in nitrates yet?

 

[bertoni]

I think there's some variance in the acetic acid content of the various vinegar products, so I think 8x or 9x are close enough.

 

[BlueStag]

@noob

My tank is very established and mature, and was a N/P stockpile, mostly from neglect. I haven't changed my ro/di filters and resin for way to long. I also overfeed. So noticable drops may take some time in my tank, as I expect the N/P to be leaching out for a while.

From a visual perspective the water is amazingly clear. The sand bed is getting whiter daily. The skimmer is skimming crazy strong. The Cheato in the refuge, seems to be shrinking back and seems frail and malnurished. The signs of reduced N are there. I've been told around weeks 5-8 are when the numbers really drop. It's only week 2 for this tank.