5 gallons a week on a 120 gallon tank is 20 percent?
Don't know about deep sand beds so can't help you there, didn't know it was a deep sand bed either. I would just be careful trying to dose a carbon source on a system that has no nitrates to begin with.
Also I was not aware you intended on using it just to remove some nutrients in your system, then your stopping? I am just confused now.
Carbon dosing is a good resolution to a tank that has a high fish load and nitrates that won't stay under control with normal husbandry. Maybe someone with more experience can help you find out if its right for a patch of algae or cyano on a sand bed. Also what exactly is it that's on your sand bed anyways?
Thanks for the advice, my sand bed is in the first picture on my first post. It was covered on green,brown and a hint of red cyno. I was feeding my sps like a mad man and feed flake food. I have since a stopped and will be feeding oysterfeast picking some up tomorrow.
I dosed vodka in the past and yes it did more harm then good but that's because I was overdosing and didn't know it. The reason my nitrates and P04 are almost at zero is because the algae is feeding of it. But my sand bed acts as a denifrication system but with all the algae it becomes clogged.
Once I remove the nutrients from the tank and it becomes clean again I will find the balance to ensure that it stays that way.
I have learned a lot from reading here and from a few reefers like CUNA. It's a balance that one has to find for there system.
As for the 20% water changes yes that's about right 20 gallons a month but I also am adding another 20 gallons in top off as well. I don't believe in changing too much water as I like the system to try and be as stable as possible.
I truly love the hobby been in it for over 20 years and still learning. I checked my tank today and I have some seriouse polyp extension like never before. I know this is a direct result of cleaning the top layer of the sand bed and dosing vodka at 1ml a day now. I will keep it at about 3mls total until all the algae is gone. One that happens I will then cut the dosing down to 1.5 daily to keep the system ULNS then stop.
I am also planning to get three pyramid butterfly fish to finish off the fish a want. I am also planing to add 15 more sps. I can't add any more sps until I add more fish and let the bio load catch up to what I have already and that 17 sps total right now.
I am trying to take my tank back to the level it once was.
This was my tank before it crashed and I was dosing vodka. Look how clean it was and I had crazy polyp extension. Well live and learn.
