Dosing AZNO3 question

[melev]

Hello Marine Depot,

I'm currently using AZNO3 to bring down nitrate (50 ppm in my 300+ gallon reef), and wanted to double check that I'm dosing correctly.

I've already completed the daily doubling dosage as described, and am at the point where the instructions state "Thereafter use 8ml (1/4 fl oz) daily." My question is that 8 ml daily no matter the tank size, or 8 ml per 50 gallons? If that is the case, I'm going to need to dose 40 ml a day to match 300 gallons of water, making the 240 ml bottle only good for 6 days worth of dosing. Do you concur?

I've been documenting my experience in this thread, and would like to make sure I'm comprehending the instructions correctly. So far, my livestock is doing very well.
http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=1212711&perpage=25&pagenumber=1

Nitrates are down to 30 ppm as of tonight.

Thank you for your time.

 

[MarineDepot]

Hello Marc,

Thanks for your post, yes that is correct you want to use 8ml per 50 gallons of tank water, I found some information on our website that you may find helpful http://www.marinedepot.com/ps_ViewItem~idProduct~CP2151.html
Go down to the dosage part of the page, it seems to me the intent is to slowly wean the aquarium off the AZ-NO3 product entirely, allowing the natural denitrification.

I hope this information and the link was helpful to you, Please let us know if you have any further questions

Walter F

Marine Depot Customer Services

www.Marinedepot.com

714.385.0080 Phone

714.385.0180 Fax

 

[melev]

Thanks Walter. I was reading that page last night.

 

[MarineDepot]

melev

Tha AZ-NO3 should be dosed at 8ml per 50 to 60 gallons of tank water daily until Nitrates are undetectable. I agree that 40 ml would be the proper dosage for your 300 gallon system. I see your Nitrated levels have already dropped by over 1/3 already. Continue to work up to that level slowly, as you may not need to go to full strength. Good luck with you Nitrates.

Steve C.

Marine Depot Customer Service
www.marinedepot.com
714-385-0080 Ext. 615
714-385-0180 FAX

 

[melev]

Thanks Steve, I appreciate the follow up. And I got my order (more bottles of AZNO3) today, so I know I have enough at the moment.

So far, I'm glad this is working as promised and that my livestock hasn't displayed any issues. I'll continue to update that thread. Feel free to see how it plays out.

The reviews on your site were 50/50, so I was a bit nervous to use it.

 

[MarineDepot]

melev

I had actually seen the thread earlier and I am using the product on my 240 gallon tank myself. Like you, I am always a little extra careful when adding chemicals to my tank, especially the first time using them. I tend use them in moderation and am only adding 16 ml to my tank.

Steve C.

Marine Depot Customer Service
www.marinedepot.com
714-385-0080 Ext. 615
714-385-0180 FAX

 

[melev]

Steve, if you would like to chime in, please do post in my thread over there about how it worked in your tank. I'm sure others would like to get as much feedback as possible when considering this product.

Hopefully we both can post positive news.

 

[easplund]

I tried this stuff. I followed the directions exactly. On the sixth day of using it, I noticed that some of my fish had started gasping and gulping, so I stopped using it immediately. The next morning, I found my female flame angel's carcass being picked apart by the resident hermit crabs. She was hitherto very healthy and active, and she showed no signs of stress.

 

[melev]

I'm dosing it at a lesser than recommended level, and my livestock seems to be doing fine. I've been dosing it since 9/22, so today would be 21 days. When I tested my nitrates yesterday, they were 20ppm (down from 60ppm).

ORP definitely drops when dosing, but rises back up over the next few hours.

 

[curiouser]

AZ-NO3 dosing for small reef tanks

AZ-NO3 dosing for small reef tanks

Hello everybody,
I have a 36 gal reef tank. I have a bottle of AZ-NO3 and am going to start dosing the tank to reduce nitrate/algae. Nitrate reads 35. Tank is 18 mos old. The AZ-NO3 bottle says for 50 gal to start with 2 drops. I figure there's about 25 gal seawater after correcting for gravel and rock. So that would mean 1 drop as initial dose. I want to start with the "Safe Start" half dose schedule so that would mean 1/2 drop as initial dose.
I could dilute a portion of AZ-NO3 with an equal amount of RODI water in a separate small dropper bottle and dose 1 drop daily (half strength AZ-NO3) or I could dose 1 drop full strength AZ-NO3 every other day. Does it matter which? Does diluting with RODI water to make a bottle of half strength AZ-NO3 "activate" or alter the function of the product?
Thanks

 

[MarineDepot]

Hello everybody,
I have a 36 gal reef tank. I have a bottle of AZ-NO3 and am going to start dosing the tank to reduce nitrate/algae. Nitrate reads 35. Tank is 18 mos old. The AZ-NO3 bottle says for 50 gal to start with 2 drops. I figure there's about 25 gal seawater after correcting for gravel and rock. So that would mean 1 drop as initial dose. I want to start with the "Safe Start" half dose schedule so that would mean 1/2 drop as initial dose.
I could dilute a portion of AZ-NO3 with an equal amount of RODI water in a separate small dropper bottle and dose 1 drop daily (half strength AZ-NO3) or I could dose 1 drop full strength AZ-NO3 every other day. Does it matter which? Does diluting with RODI water to make a bottle of half strength AZ-NO3 "activate" or alter the function of the product?
Thanks

The formula has been refined several times over the years. You can find the full details of the latest dosing instructions on our website:

http://www.marinedepot.com/AZ_NO3_Nitrate_Eliminator_240mL_Specialty_Additives_Supplements-AZ_NO3-CP2151-FIADSA-vi.html

There should be no need to dilute the product.

The recommended dosage amount in 1/4 ounce (7-8mL) per 50-60 gallons. It is recommended to use 1/2 of the dosage during the first week. In a 25-30 gallon aquarium, this would translate to about 2mL daily for the first week and 3.5-4mL after the first week.

 

[curiouser]

The formula has been refined several times over the years. You can find the full details of the latest dosing instructions on our website:

http://www.marinedepot.com/AZ_NO3_Nitrate_Eliminator_240mL_Specialty_Additives_Supplements-AZ_NO3-CP2151-FIADSA-vi.html

There should be no need to dilute the product.

The recommended dosage amount in 1/4 ounce (7-8mL) per 50-60 gallons. It is recommended to use 1/2 of the dosage during the first week. In a 25-30 gallon aquarium, this would translate to about 2mL daily for the first week and 3.5-4mL after the first week.

Thanks for your response. I previously tried RF-Fuel and Dr Tim's Waste Away and back then followed the directions to turn off skimmer (a mistake). The next AM I found my Ocellarus clown lying on the bottom gilling fast and the other fish were dead. The clown perked up after I took measures to increase oxygenation and ultimately survived. In google reviewing AZ-NO3 I saw 2 brief references that blamed fish stress and rapid breathing on oxygen depletion. I don't know if indeed the problem was oxygen depletion. Anyhow possible oxygen depletion worries me so I have some questions.

1-Could AZ-NO3 cause oxygen depletion?
2-Would starting dosing at half of the dose you recommend (1/4 of regular dose for a week) cost me or my livestock or anything else in the tank anything but time.....wasting a week?
3-Is the cloudiness of the tank water that sometimes occurs due to bacterial bloom and could that cause oxygen depletion?

 

[MarineDepot]

Thanks for your response. I previously tried RF-Fuel and Dr Tim's Waste Away and back then followed the directions to turn off skimmer (a mistake). The next AM I found my Ocellarus clown lying on the bottom gilling fast and the other fish were dead. The clown perked up after I took measures to increase oxygenation and ultimately survived. In google reviewing AZ-NO3 I saw 2 brief references that blamed fish stress and rapid breathing on oxygen depletion. I don't know if indeed the problem was oxygen depletion. Anyhow possible oxygen depletion worries me so I have some questions.

1-Could AZ-NO3 cause oxygen depletion?
2-Would starting dosing at half of the dose you recommend (1/4 of regular dose for a week) cost me or my livestock or anything else in the tank anything but time.....wasting a week?
3-Is the cloudiness of the tank water that sometimes occurs due to bacterial bloom and could that cause oxygen depletion?

AZ-NO3 basically feeds the denitrifying bacteria that will break down the nitrates in your tank which, when overdosed can potentially lead to a bloom causing oxygen depletion. When dosing supplements such as these it is very important to leave your skimmer running as it will pull out the excess bacteria and waste before it can cause any sort of damage. If you are seeing cloudiness in your tank for extended periods it may be that there is a bloom forming and it would be a good idea to perform a large water change.

If you wanted to be very cautious, starting with an even smaller dose would only lose you time as you mentioned.