Potential RIP to my beautiful tank )’:

[427HISS]

I was taught to bring up salt mix with 2 part and kalk for maintenance due to its effect on pH and precipitation issues since you are trying to dose up salt mix. I believe kalk is supposed to be added to RODI (freshwater) only.

Even if you didn't dump the slurry, I don't believe doing this is correct eitI her way.

I like using calcium chloride to raise and kalk to maintain. Less precipitation that way.

 

[Merge_595]

First off… I am an idiot!!! Wow
So I’m battling high nitrates. Thought I’d cut it down by doing a big water change. 30%. Never done one this big. Didn’t want my Alk swinging because I keep it at 9 and Tropic Marin Pro Reef Salt comes at 7.

My dummy thought it’d be a good idea to get Alk up to 9 using Kalkwasser. After I mixed my new water up to 1.026 and got the temperature right, I decided to use the Reef Chemistry Calculator to determine how much saturated kalkwasser I should put in to get my desired Alk level. My dummy again just dumped the slurry in instead of taking the dissolved part of the water column. Well my dummy continued to do my water change and now seems to be upsetting my corals heavily. My PH jumped 1.0+ and who knows if my Alk is even where I want it lol. There’s white strings hanging all over my rock work, who knows where that’s coming from? Maybe kalkwasser burning the algae from the rocks?! Who knows. But please guy pray for me tonight lol. Lesson learned, I pray I wake up to a functioning tank tomorrow. Will never do this again… so wrong in so many ways. My only excuse is that I’m 5 months new to this hobby so beginners mistake? Hehe

 

[Troylee]

What was the outcome? I had a mishap and my ph shot up to 9.2 and I didn’t have a single death in my sps dominated tank… lots of precipitation and it dropped my alk to 5 and balanced out after a couple days and good to go.

 

[Rappa]

Always use a salt that matches the prams you want to run, we have been Running Red Sea Blue Bucket here at Camaro Show Corals for almost 10 years with great Success

I use that salt as well. I really like it. Mixes clean and my mixing tank stays relatively clean without all of the brown staining and slime that develops over time with some other salts that I've used in the past.

 

[jayteerq]

What was the outcome? I had a mishap and my ph shot up to 9.2 and I didn’t have a single death in my sps dominated tank… lots of precipitation and it dropped my alk to 5 and balanced out after a couple days and good to go.

Everything’s fine. Super sorry to everyone for the over reaction. Hope some got a good laugh out of my beginner anxiety lol

 

[odariel]

i would have freak out too. Glad to hear your reef is fine!

 

[GARRIGA]

I’m not sure how to effectively dose carbon without a sump ):

I did it for 2 plus years. No sump. No skimmer. No WC. Fish only but carbon dosing has nothing to do with corals and purely a form of nutrient control. Often overdosed to see affects on PO4 as well as general GHA control. Often one learns a lot from stress testing to find the tipping point.

 

[GARRIGA]

All i needed was a doser i can control easily like a Neptune Dos. I never needed a sump. But you do need a protein skimmer that will fit the back chamber of the AIO.

Slimmer isn't needed to dose carbon.

 

[jayteerq]

I did it for 2 plus years. No sump. No skimmer. No WC. Fish only but carbon dosing has nothing to do with corals and purely a form of nutrient control. Often overdosed to see affects on PO4 as well as general GHA control. Often one learns a lot from stress testing to find the tipping point.

How did you carbon dose with no sump?

 

[Reefering1]

 

[GARRIGA]

How did you carbon dose with no sump?

Straight into the display. Why do you say one needs a sump

 

[GARRIGA]

But then you have to pee into the tank which also solves ammonia dosing

 

[fangelillo01]

The sweepers from the chalice aren’t a sign of happiness. It senses a threat so it is lashing out to kill that threat.

Not only will that thing get massive isn't the most aggressive of the chalices?

 

[bubbgee]

Slimmer isn't needed to dose carbon.

Discussed here. It won't be as effective if there's no skimmer.

Nopox, Without a skimmer.

Hello all, recently having a discussion with a few people regarding Nopox and its value, it's been brought to my attention that you can't dose nopox without a skimmer. yet the interesting thing is, i've had my P04 No3 drop to acceptable levels without a skimmer and only frequent once every two...

www.reef2reef.com

 

[GARRIGA]

Discussed here. It won't be as effective if there's no skimmer.

Nopox, Without a skimmer.

Hello all, recently having a discussion with a few people regarding Nopox and its value, it's been brought to my attention that you can't dose nopox without a skimmer. yet the interesting thing is, i've had my P04 No3 drop to acceptable levels without a skimmer and only frequent once every two...

www.reef2reef.com

Discussed in my tank with my experience. No skimmer needed. Plus what does not as effective mean in the context that I lowered my nitrates and po4 and bottoming out nitrates very simple although not suggested. Can't just go off the internet. Sometimes actual experience shows otherwise.

This is key. 2-1/2 years with no WC, no skimmer or mechanical filtration. Did have an overly large biological filter and no corals therefore nothing to strip the bacteria the internet thinks needs stripping. Soon as a thread goes to "what I think is happening" then I go read something else.

 

[bubbgee]

Discussed in my tank with my experience. No skimmer needed. Plus what does not as effective mean in the context that I lowered my nitrates and po4 and bottoming out nitrates very simple although not suggested. Can't just go off the internet. Sometimes actual experience shows otherwise.

This is key. 2-1/2 years with no WC, no skimmer or mechanical filtration. Did have an overly large biological filter and no corals therefore nothing to strip the bacteria the internet thinks needs stripping. Soon as a thread goes to "what I think is happening" then I go read something else.

Agreed. A lot of these data is anecdotal. What I do know is that works for your tank may not necessarily work in mine or another's and maybe it will for another. Most of these are just experiments and we stick with what works for us based on what our tanks like.

 

[GARRIGA]

Agreed. A lot of these data is anecdotal. What I do know is that works for your tank may not necessarily work in mine or another's and maybe it will for another. Most of these are just experiments and we stick with what works for us based on what our tanks like.

Kind of. What we are talking about is decomposition which works identical regardless of tank.

Take for example this notion a skimmer needed to export bacteria because only way to export nutrients. That fallacy based on why we throw out Macroalgae but makes no sense when it comes to nitrates. Carbon dosing provides the energy needed that bacteria can utilize and in that process they brain oxygen bound to nitrate leaving behind nitrogen which in most systems will vacate via gas exchange although in some can become problematic and cause eye issues. I know little about that so I’ll leave it at that.

The carbon is utilized by the bacteria. Therefore the assumption seems to be that bacteria now needs to be exported to extract the carbon yet our yanks are considerably carbon deficient. How that all plays out beyond my knowledge base.

What could be possibly happening and to your point is that today’s tanks have possibly little in the way of biological media as most depend on rock and skimming. Yet simple enough for one lacking a skimmer to add a canister and solve that plus today’s rock not likely the porous material when I started therefore reefers heavily rely on mechanical filtration via deep cis, roller mats and skimmers unless lucky enough to have a mature tank where corals likely remove bulk of the nutrients.

I agree not all tanks the same but it’s not being truthful suggesting a skimmer is needed without fully understanding why it’s needed. Tank with little biological media because mechanical heavily relies on likely does need a skimmer but I know from experience that’s not necessarily the case and for those lacking the space or unable to add a skimmer it’s simple enough to add a canister or HOB and increase the surface area for bacteria to exist.

Full disclosure. I’m assuming I was successful because of the amount of space dedicated to biological but that’s not just based on my experience but also seeing how others who may have had issues carbon dosing and how they seemed to run their tanks.

Berlin Method depends heavily on removal of nutrients before that breakdown. Technically one could run an oversized reactor with Purigen and might see the same benefits. Speaking of those unable to utilize a skimmer as to reduction of nitrates in the first place.

 

[bubbgee]

Kind of. What we are talking about is decomposition which works identical regardless of tank.

Take for example this notion a skimmer needed to export bacteria because only way to export nutrients. That fallacy based on why we throw out Macroalgae but makes no sense when it comes to nitrates. Carbon dosing provides the energy needed that bacteria can utilize and in that process they brain oxygen bound to nitrate leaving behind nitrogen which in most systems will vacate via gas exchange although in some can become problematic and cause eye issues. I know little about that so I’ll leave it at that.

The carbon is utilized by the bacteria. Therefore the assumption seems to be that bacteria now needs to be exported to extract the carbon yet our yanks are considerably carbon deficient. How that all plays out beyond my knowledge base.

What could be possibly happening and to your point is that today’s tanks have possibly little in the way of biological media as most depend on rock and skimming. Yet simple enough for one lacking a skimmer to add a canister and solve that plus today’s rock not likely the porous material when I started therefore reefers heavily rely on mechanical filtration via deep cis, roller mats and skimmers unless lucky enough to have a mature tank where corals likely remove bulk of the nutrients.

I agree not all tanks the same but it’s not being truthful suggesting a skimmer is needed without fully understanding why it’s needed. Tank with little biological media because mechanical heavily relies on likely does need a skimmer but I know from experience that’s not necessarily the case and for those lacking the space or unable to add a skimmer it’s simple enough to add a canister or HOB and increase the surface area for bacteria to exist.

Full disclosure. I’m assuming I was successful because of the amount of space dedicated to biological but that’s not just based on my experience but also seeing how others who may have had issues carbon dosing and how they seemed to run their tanks.

Berlin Method depends heavily on removal of nutrients before that breakdown. Technically one could run an oversized reactor with Purigen and might see the same benefits. Speaking of those unable to utilize a skimmer as to reduction of nitrates in the first place.

All I can say is that I did that way as well, no skimmer, no HOB and just rocks, sand and water changes and still failed on a 20 gallon reef. In this hobby, it works until it doesn't.

But good on you since it worked, thrived and enjoyed. It hasn't been the experience for me and saying that it's dishonest because you didn't need a skimmer isn't being honest either.

 

[GARRIGA]

All I can say is that I did that way as well, no skimmer, no HOB and just rocks, sand and water changes and still failed on a 20 gallon reef. In this hobby, it works until it doesn't.

But good on you since it worked, thrived and enjoyed. It hasn't been the experience for me and saying that it's dishonest because you didn't need a skimmer isn't being honest either.

But perhaps that’s why it failed. Point I was making about inadequate amount of biological media and not lack of skimmer. Plus what exactly do you mean by failed? Failed at carbon dosing or just failed in general. We’re specifically talking about the need for a skimmer to dose carbon. Are you referring to needing a skimmer to be successful in general?

 

[bubbgee]

But perhaps that’s why it failed. Point I was making about inadequate amount of biological media and not lack of skimmer. Plus what exactly do you mean by failed? Failed at carbon dosing or just failed in general. We’re specifically talking about the need for a skimmer to dose carbon. Are you referring to needing a skimmer to be successful in general?

With regards to the carbon dosing, it is more effective with a protein skimmer.
Chances of a successful reef tank also increases with a protein skimmer.

Your argument veered towards not needing a skimmer in general at least how I understand your argument.

But sticking to carbon dosing experience, I didn't get much out of it without a skimmer. But that is just my experience. Yours is successful and let's leave it at that.