The 'help me hammer down my nitrate' thread...[Mature Tank with Problems]

[CStrickland]

:lmao: lazy with husbandry? I think not, the problem was that I had acquired 3 new fish and therefore was feeding much more and didn't pay attention to my nitrates as every time I tested all parameters they were where fine with my current wc schedule. Well more food and more fish = more poop, and not testing anything for several weeks bit me in the butt and I even said this on another post.

I've gone out of my way trying to be nice to you but frankly I'm getting sick and tired of your attacks on me, while trying to be subtle I know who you are talking about. Also you have no Idea of what I do and when I do it, you just assume that you know and fill in the spaces to suit your need. So lay off of it or simply block me and I'll be happy to add you to the two others on my ignore list.

Dude, I honestly was not talking about you when I said lazy. I don't pay enough attention to your posts to really speak on whether youre lazy or not. I mentioned sk8r cause this thread started with her issue, as an example of an acute problem to distinguish it from an ongoing issue to answer the question about what would happen when dosing stopped. Believe it or not, same to me.

You sound like you need some fresh air, maybe a nice walk. Or block me, or report my posts. I'm not "attacking you" and I don't know or care why you think that.

PS I'm not going to do this with you. It's derailing, unhelpful, and weird. So respond if you want, I won't reply.

 

[garygonzales]

1000 % on nopox....its starting to work for me...too....i was at 160 for nitrates........it does take while to work but man does it work...4 weeks later im at 40...so staying the coarse

 

[Dkuhlmann]

So what happens when you stop dosing it? Just curious if you or anyone knows. Do the bacteria go away? Do the nitrates come back?

Sorry I didn't answer the second half of your question.

The dosing process is for daily dosing for 10 days then you stop. Like I said earlier I checked 4 days into it and my N/P were still the same as when I checked before starting. I then checked them on the 11th day and they were both undetectable. Now I'm approaching 3 weeks since my dosing stopped and they're still undetectable. :dance:

Once the nitrate eating bacteria is matured you should continue to have no nitrates or phosphates. This is the last phase per se of the nitrogen cycle. Your fish are constantly producing ammonia, which as you know then turns into nitrites and then nitrates. This process is never ending once the bacteria have matured and multiplied to enough to keep your system in check. This is also a reason for what I call the "water too clean" tanks because their nitrate eating bacteria has finally matured and doing it's job.

 

[RayAllen3422]

Thanks. I think it makes sense now. I'm just always skeptical adding anything to the tank when I don't completely understand what it is. But it makes a lot of sense now.

 

[Dkuhlmann]

Glad to hear it! :thumbsup:

I too don't like adding any chemicals to my tank.

 

[Sk8r]

Euphyllia is wide open, and the candycane is extending feeding tentacles at night. The battered acan is puffing up and trying to feed. And the nitrate is around 50. LPS in general likes 'richer' water than SPS does, and it may be that some LPS are of one persuasion re nitrate and others are otherwise. Certainly the euphyllia is tolerant of it.

 

[Cancun]

Hi....yea I was doing so good...until recently....my left pump went out....and some other things...tested my nitrates with red sea test kit...60ppm!!!!! I was like WHAT! I did a few large 30-40% water changes...and started dosing with NOPOX every day....for a cweek so far....it is a slow process though...but one huge thing I learned in this hobby is PATIENCE!

I am open to any more suggestions for s:fun4:ure!

 

[Dkuhlmann]

Cancun how much NoPox are you dosing daily? Remember to follow the directions exactly with NoPox stop dosing it after day 10, then do another nitrate and phosphate test on day 11 without adding NoPox.

If you are still reading high nitrates and phosphates at this time, I would do another 20% WC at that time and then test N and P. Then wait a week and test again before doing another WC. If you still have high N and P at that time then start dosing NoPox again but use 3ml per 25 gals of actual water in your system.

 

[kevin21]

I am having a series Hair algae problem, I am assuming my nitrates and phosphates are through the roof, but I have so much hair algae and now cyano that it is undectable.

Think I should give nopox a go? See if I can stop feeding the GHA? Where can I get a bottle? I have a 28g. So 3ml a day for 10 days should work.

Thanks!

 

[Dkuhlmann]

Ebay!

 

[kevin21]

nice! made by red sea?

 

[Dkuhlmann]

Yes, NoPox is made by Red Sea.

 

[kevin21]

Ordered! Hoping this helps me beat this GHA!!

 

[Cancun]

Cancun how much NoPox are you dosing daily? Remember to follow the directions exactly with NoPox stop dosing it after day 10, then do another nitrate and phosphate test on day 11 without adding NoPox.

If you are still reading high nitrates and phosphates at this time, I would do another 20% WC at that time and then test N and P. Then wait a week and test again before doing another WC. If you still have high N and P at that time then start dosing NoPox again but use 3ml per 25 gals of actual water in your system.

Hi....yea I am following the directions...thanks for the extra info.......first time trying it....I have a 80 gallon...so dosing about 7ml......so far it has been 8 days...I am just curious if it could harm my fish or corals though....

 

[Dkuhlmann]

No harm at all, it's totally reef safe, but I don't think you're dosing enough. I dosed 6 ml and my tank is a 40b with a 20 gal sump but my total water volume is about 45 gals.

 

[djbon]

I built a twin tower of denitrator from 4" pvc pipe and fed it with a small pump. The effluent is not dripping, but a fine stream of water came out, probably 5ml/sec. Fed vodka every day and the nitrate measured about 2 ppm as oppose to input of 10ppm. This is my third week running the unit. When matured I believe nitrate should be zero. Bubbles are coming out every minute, probably nitrogen gas, hopefully.

 

[Sk8r]

Got the Nopox yesterday, starting the dosing at a test reading of 50.
It functions as a carbon source with extras. Vinegar dosing and a MarinePure block got the nitrate test down from 100 to 50, but wasn't getting it lower than that. Vinegar dosing stopped a week ago, preparing for a new try with this stuff. MarinePure block remains. ChemiPure remains.
Day 1, as is ordinary with carbon dosing, the skimmer has kicked into high gear and started producing very dark skimmate. I have a modest Venturi skimmer rated for 200 gallons on a 100 gallon tank.

 

[Sk8r]

Second note for the day: the candycane which has been flat to the boney ribs, though feeding at night, is now somewhat poofed, which it has never been. The claim that Nopox contains desirable elements besides carbon may have some validity. The hammer frags and the abused acan are quite poofed, but they have been, before. Action from the candycane species, unobserved since the power-out disaster back in November.

 

[CarrieB]

Got a bottle today (thank you Amazon Prime). Keen to try it out.

 

[zcfihu]

I have CHemipure which has been through one Chlorox round and is approaching another. It didn't appear to dent the problem---but then I have no way to know how high the nitrate really was, since it was pretty well off the scale.