Sugar in my tank

[2thdeekay]

it is "biomass removal by skimming".

an increase in biomass of the bacteria takes up the nutrients, and the skimmer pulls out bacteria in the "increased" skimmate, thereby removing the excess nutrients.

however, the increase in bacteria biomass can lower your dissolved oxygen to dangerous levels if you add too much carbohydrate at one time, or if you don't have sufficient skimming. sugar is the same as adding alcohol or vodka. both are a source of carbon, that encourages bacterial blooms.

read a lot first, before deciding to dose carbon, or you could run into trouble. 2 cents.

 

[Driftwood]

How much did you dose per day? Did your skimmer output increase?

Just curious!

 

[thriceanangel]

Sure skimmer is full a half day after dosing

 

[kryppy]

I run a skimmerless long 90 gallon tank / 50 gallon sump that contains a medium depth live sand bed and minimal live rock. It has a large (12") and small (5") groupers, a 24" green carpet with assorted zoas, a few Florida patch reef corals and a bunch of gorgonians. I just noticed a fair size stone crab in there as well.

It has had 180+ nitrates for years from the fish and their voracious appetites.

I decided to try the sugar route a few weeks back.

My experience has been positive. My first dose was excessive 1 1/2tsp and I had a very large bloom. It cleared in about 48 hours and the nitrates were down to 80. I have since reduced it to 1/2tsp every other day and my nitrates are holding at 40.
I have the most wonderful extension on the gorgonians and corals. A strawberry tunicate that was in decline has since rebounded and is growing.

I was hoping this thread would have some better information on what exactly is going on in there, but it seems it shouldn't be working for me because of my lack of a skimmer, but I can say I have to change the 100 micron filter sock every other day from once every week and a half, which I don't like.

I am going to build a coil denitrator for this tank and quit the sugar to see what happens in the near future.