My quest to remove phospahtes and lower nitrates

So i was gone for 2 weeks about 5 weeks ago. When i came back there was a huge diatom bloom and cyano covering my sand from my GF over feeding so for about 3 weeks now i have been using this product daily Red Sea Reef Care Program red sea algae managenment NO3O4-X and the only thing it says it contains is methanol. It has been working well i get about 1 cup of skimate a day of very dark blackish green looking stuff. There is still some bacteria build up on the sand and my GHA is starting to turn brown. Just wondering if anyone else has used this or had any expreiances with the product?

 

No experience, congrats on it being so successful. I suggest pulling out as much GHA so as not to add more nutrients to the tank from the dying algae. This should hasten the recovery.

 

Thank you and how do i best go about pulling it? Also i am moving across town in 2 weeks so would it be in my favor to rid myself of the sand i have in there now when i move in case there is extra nutrients in there? Cause I will be making up about 40gal of fresh saltwater to put in right after I move my tank.

 

not used that product leighton
but having read the product information you linked

I realise its a carbon source, probably similar to Brightwells bio fuel ( the main difference being that Brightwell does not indicate what the carbon source utilised is)
and I did use that product with visible positive results

it would be beneficial IMO, for you to continue updating this thread and letting people know how this product performs for you

with any carbon dosing form - there are potential negatives that if you know what your looking for, you can react before any major damage is done

watch out for
corals fading in colour - LPS corals can often react fastest to ultra low nutrient levels, but even SPS can fade in colour due to shedding of Zooxanthelia, symbiotic algae

also cyno bacteria - if your flow needs attention and you have cyno spores in the aquarium, the carbon source can feed this bacteria in the same manner as it feeds the nitrogen cycle species

also peach fuzz, white hair like strands on rockwork etc - again this is a bacterial strain, that can benefit from the carbon source - based on my research thus far, its not directly harmfull to anything, but it is aesthetically displeasing and thus contradicts the aims of carbon dosing IMO

but as stated, keep us informed, hopefully with positives

Steve

 

Thank you for the information and i keep updating with pictures tonight and i guess i shuold have taken progress pictures so that i could document it. See my flow is something that i have to wonder about because i have a MP40 (on 3/4 speed in reef crest mode) up high on the left side of my 75gal and a 1400 hydor aimed back at the MP40 so flow shouldnt be a issue but maybe the direction of the PH is causing deadspots? I can visibly see the partical movement in the water column.

 

i would ditch the old sand and go with new for the set up on the other side of the move. You might just keep a handful of the old to seed the new.

 

About replacing your sand, I don't think it is a good idea. In there resides a colony of beneficial bacteria that helps you greatly at getting rid of your nitrates. Your best course of action IMHO is to manually remove any accesible GHA, vacuum your sand with a tubing hose, and reduce your light schedule by a couple of hours.
Keep the sand and keep treating the tank with the product you are now using. Adding some macro algae like Chaetomorpha, will also help u get rid of the nitrates a lot quicker.

Good luck and please report back with your experience with this product, since we're currently in the topic, based on Matt's decently sized proyect of the different methods to combat and beat high nutrients and nuisance algae. Your input will be appreciated.


As for the phosphates, using a media bag with some GFO will give u a good advantage. If u can afford a GFO reactor, u will get even better results.



Sent from my Inspire 4G using Tapatalk

 

I actually just ordered some GFO from BRS to put in my phosban reactor cause I have chemipure elite in there now but im thinking i might need a larger reactor or using it wrong the foam pads always seem to cause issues. But thanks for the tip on the sand I will keep what I have in place and just keep vacuuming it. As for light schedule do you mean total time because I have 13hrs of light now my fixtures set about 3-4" off the waters surface. The times that the bulbs come on are as follows

ATI blue + 700am-800pm
ATI Aquablue special and Purple plus 800am-700pm
Moon LED 800pm-200am

So how much and what time shuold I cut back?

Thank you everone for all the help and input.

 

This is what my first thought was but im only removing half the water in my tank because my movers can move it like that and have insurance to cover any issues and also i now wont be there for the move thanks to the military so my GF needs simple luckly i can be there the night before and mix up the new water to just be added to the tank. Scary process moving a running reef tank and leaving it in the hands of someone that knows nothing about whats going on lol

 

for the sandbed, get a sandsifting diamond goby... I love mine, keeps the sand sparkly white ;D

edit: oops, nm just saw you're moving the sand... good luck!