Does anyone else have issues carbon dosing?

[ReefDestroyer38592]

Hi all. I have a year and a half old system acro dominant system that’s been growing okay not so much thriving. It seems every time I attempt carbon dosing I start getting stn on some acros. This is with one drop (~1/5 recommended dose) of tropic marin bacto balance. This is probably the fifth time I’ve tried it on different tanks and same thing always happens.
Does anyone experience the same thing?
Parameters:
Alk: 7.5
Calcium: 440
Nitrate: ~20
Phosphate: .20

 

[Eagle_Steve]

Hi all. I have a year and a half old system acro dominant system that’s been growing okay not so much thriving. It seems every time I attempt carbon dosing I start getting stn on some acros. This is with one drop (~1/5 recommended dose) of tropic marin bacto balance. This is probably the fifth time I’ve tried it on different tanks and same thing always happens.
Does anyone experience the same thing?
Parameters:
Alk: 7.5
Calcium: 440
Nitrate: ~20
Phosphate: .20

At one point I had issues with carbon dosing and STN/RTN on across. I found that it was where I was dosing the vinegar. While it may not apply to your situation, I figured this may be something to look at.

I was dosing into my return chamber and all across up high would begin to have issues. I assumed it was due to vinegar getting sucked into turn pump and being shot onto the macros via the returns before it could mix well. I then started the dosing in my drain section, so it has time to mix with the 60 or gallons of sump water and then go through to return to the DT. After doing this, all acros recovered and have not had any issues since.

Again, just a thought.

 

[Charlie’s Frags]

Carbon dosing always caused stn when I tried it years ago. Especially on Tenuis

 

[HB AL]

I've been dosing NoPox for 7 years without issues. Never tried other carbon dosing options. I currently add 25ml a day.

 

[bushdoc]

Following

 

[Charlie’s Frags]

I've been dosing NoPox for 7 years without issues. Never tried other carbon dosing options. I currently add 25ml a day.

I hated that stuff. Acro frags would be gone in a matter of weeks. But I didn’t have near the fish/bioload you have. Weird how a product can be one persons secret sauce and another ones poison

 

[biom]

How big the tank is and for how long you’re dosing? Is there a skimmer? One drop of any carbon dosing is very small amount to cause problems

 

[Charlie’s Frags]

How big the tank is and for how long you’re dosing? Is there a skimmer? One drop of any carbon dosing is very small amount to cause problems

I don’t bc I don’t chase numbers anymore.

 

[biom]

Sorry my question was pointed to the OP with interesting nickname ReefDestroyer

 

[HB AL]

I hated that stuff. Acro frags would be gone in a matter of weeks. But I didn’t have near the fish/bioload you have. Weird how a product can be one persons secret sauce and another ones poison

Ya I've been trying on figuring things out like that for 35+ years with pretty good success through trial and error before the internet existed, although I take all well educated/experienced peoples opinions and way of doing things as good advice and apply what would work in my unique mixed reef tank ( big mix of different types of corals and fish) possibly well to make my reef tank a thriving
ecosystem. As my tank is in my bedroom (coolest wife ever) when I wake up early enough I open the blinds and let the morning indirect or direct sunlight(depending on time of year) for an hour or so hit the tank in the morning for a cool natural look and watch the hermits disappear in the rocks and watch the predators wake up one by one.

 

[UtahReefer]

Carbon doing is a good thing... However, based on whatever source you are using it can be very aggressive. I have been doing this for years starting way back with the Zeovit System. Currently I use the Aquaforest System. It's imperative that you have a great skimmer and feed heavily. For example, the AF ProBio S and -NP Pro (bac and Carbon sources) are very aggressive. I feed my fish heavily three times a day and the corals in the dark both AM and PM. If I didn't do this the corals would parish. My skimmer (Ultra Reefd Akula 160DC) runs 24/7 except when feeding. It's constantly pulling dark skimate from the tank, it never stops skimming. If you test for No3 and Po4 the numbers barely register, but there's a constant influx of nutrients into the system 5 times per day. These systems are the true definition of "heavy in heavy out".