I have finally hit that balance on the scale between input and output, meaning I’m not having to dose and my nitrate/phosphate levels are fairly stable with feeding and fish; however, I still have a few more fish that I’m planning to stock and know that this will tilt the balance towards the need for greater nutrient export and would love to have a plan.
I have been going back and forth between these two options and have been reading a lot on them, but haven’t been able to come to a clear conclusion:
1) reverse schedule macro growing (“refugium”) with like chaeto, etc.
2) trying carbon dosing (vinegar).
I have been fighting some problem algae, but the biggest thing I’ve been fighting is cyano… I have mostly taken care of the red, but the green has been starting to be more rampant. I’ve been leaning toward the macro route since carbon dosing can make cyano worse.
Open to insights and thoughts on this! Also side note, I haven’t seen any guides on how to select which one is right for you, just ones on how to do each method—it would be extremely helpful if you could also post your reasoning on insights and thoughts for myself and future people.
Tank (75g +20g sump) :
Established 1.3 years
Parameters:
temp 76-77F/salinity 35 ppt
Ca: 425 ppm
Alk: 8.8 dkh
Nitrate: 8.5 ppm
Phosphate 0.06-0.08 ppm
Filtration: basic- filter floss changed daily, activated carbon changed every 3ish weeks, protein skimmer.
Pics of my tank (+ cyano problem):
![DAB27541-080B-40BF-A556-3697FF85FF1F.jpeg DAB27541-080B-40BF-A556-3697FF85FF1F.jpeg](https://test.reef2reef.com/data/attachments/2925/2925192-20d38ba65d348e3ba479dbd76b902d00.jpg)
I have been going back and forth between these two options and have been reading a lot on them, but haven’t been able to come to a clear conclusion:
1) reverse schedule macro growing (“refugium”) with like chaeto, etc.
2) trying carbon dosing (vinegar).
I have been fighting some problem algae, but the biggest thing I’ve been fighting is cyano… I have mostly taken care of the red, but the green has been starting to be more rampant. I’ve been leaning toward the macro route since carbon dosing can make cyano worse.
Open to insights and thoughts on this! Also side note, I haven’t seen any guides on how to select which one is right for you, just ones on how to do each method—it would be extremely helpful if you could also post your reasoning on insights and thoughts for myself and future people.
Tank (75g +20g sump) :
Established 1.3 years
Parameters:
temp 76-77F/salinity 35 ppt
Ca: 425 ppm
Alk: 8.8 dkh
Nitrate: 8.5 ppm
Phosphate 0.06-0.08 ppm
Filtration: basic- filter floss changed daily, activated carbon changed every 3ish weeks, protein skimmer.
Pics of my tank (+ cyano problem):
![33175B4E-0138-4D07-B831-587AA51FFA50.jpeg 33175B4E-0138-4D07-B831-587AA51FFA50.jpeg](https://test.reef2reef.com/data/attachments/2925/2925187-2c0523924cee42bcfe6b37f8690f9888.jpg)
![CD1E7B82-7197-41D4-8107-3D8B0D021678.jpeg CD1E7B82-7197-41D4-8107-3D8B0D021678.jpeg](https://test.reef2reef.com/data/attachments/2925/2925188-e43f221444339ee9d8d5d63963629053.jpg)
![80FB3CD7-8108-4836-8209-A23C3A6C0EC6.jpeg 80FB3CD7-8108-4836-8209-A23C3A6C0EC6.jpeg](https://test.reef2reef.com/data/attachments/2925/2925189-f18d1a8142785788eb24d03e0676cf9a.jpg)
![3D6AC6F5-3784-47B9-810B-82877797043D.jpeg 3D6AC6F5-3784-47B9-810B-82877797043D.jpeg](https://test.reef2reef.com/data/attachments/2925/2925190-3ab5a559a09624f6c5a7e4561d15fbc8.jpg)
![DAB27541-080B-40BF-A556-3697FF85FF1F.jpeg DAB27541-080B-40BF-A556-3697FF85FF1F.jpeg](https://test.reef2reef.com/data/attachments/2925/2925192-20d38ba65d348e3ba479dbd76b902d00.jpg)