Dosing sugar for a large tank question..

S

spongebob281

In Memoriam
I've tried dosing sugar to my 75 G reeftank with great success. It brought my nitrate and po4 down to zero overnight. So i decided to experiment it with a 500 gallon FOWLR with a 100 g sump but so far it yields no positive result. I first added 3 Tsp each day for a week and gradually work up to 10 Tsp a day(yes table spoon) I witnessed a bacteria bloom but my nitrate wont budge..still stucks at 120ppm. What should i do to get this lowered.
 
How long have you been dosing for? Are you confident in your test kit? Have you tested it with someone else test to confirm your readings?

Good luck
 
I'm fairly confident with my test kit. I've been dosing for about 3 wks now. A long enough time to render result IMHO. Although i see a bacteria bloom but the number still idle.
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14376344#post14376344 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by spongebob281
I'm fairly confident with my test kit. I've been dosing for about 3 wks now. A long enough time to render result IMHO. Although i see a bacteria bloom but the number still idle.
Click to expand...

I agree, 3 weeks should be enough time to render some type of result. You should have seen a drop even if it was slight, there should be a drop by now, especially with a bloom being witnessed.

I would check you NO3 with someone else's test as a cross reference.

Good luck
 
IIRC, there is a graph in Delbeek and Sprungs volume three in which Kolkot was dosing his tank for ~45 days before the PO4 and NO3 numbers started to drop. They came down very quickly by at least one if not two orders of magnitude after they started to move though. If you're dead set at making it work, you might consider making continuous reasonable doses for a while. Some systems respond in two days. Most I've read about take a few weeks. Still, seeing a documented occurance of 45 makes me believe it is very hard to suggest that there is a predictable trigger (for lack of a better word).

BTW, I would have winced if you said 10 teaspoons. 10 tablespoons is 3x that much. It doesn't take a lot...especially if your system is potentially banking unused organic carbon.
 
I agree 10 tablespoon is a bit much however i do have alot of fish in my tank. Roughly about 25 fish includes tangs, angels, wrasses, clowns. They do foul the water fairly quickly due to the amount of waste they put out. I only feed once a day so it's fair to say i do not overfeed.
 
I probably wouldn't do 10 tablespoons on a heavily stocked 1500 (FOWLER or Reef). Of course, I don't have a 1500 to test with but I wish I did!
 
I just started dosing my 150 g reef 30 gal refug with 6 ~ 1/8 teaspoons of sugar. I have PM Skimmer and it is producing more waste then normal, from the threads I have read a bacteria bloom should be present.

How long does this take to start? Should I do a water change?

my PO4 are .005 ( i do have a phosphate reactor) but my NO3 are off the charts. I tested it with a Salifert kit and my LFS tested it with a SeaChem we both got results off the chart.
 
Agree with Leif, welcome to RC mlysaker. Apologies for my poor manners.

Leif, darn, I know I've asked you (and others) many times how to post the banner but I just keep losing it through my 'out' ear.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

R
some random questions
Replies
1
Views
228
SantaMonica
S
K
Carbon Dosing causes STN/RTN?
Replies
13
Views
3K
Timfish
Timfish
R
Cyano and nutrients
2 3 4
Replies
77
Views
11K
Elmareefer
E
T
Tank Crashing
Replies
19
Views
629
brandon429
brandon429
B
I’m a idiot
Replies
3
Views
835
griss
griss
Back
Top