Bry Posted July 16, 2011 Share Posted July 16, 2011 short story: very happy so far regular story: So I have the GFO/Carbon dual reactors going and my phosphates are zilch... well I don't have a Hanna Checker but they still show nada on my test. But nitrates, there's a problem. I do weekly water changes (usually), don't over feed, lights are not on too much and don't have too many animals in my tank. (RIP to my lawnmower blenny - old age, and then later my 2yr old Copperband Butterfly - not sure why). But my nitrates recently were in the 40-60 range (test kit doesn't get specific) and I couldn't do much about it. So I read again about carbon dosing via vodka and decided to try it. I was skeptical that so little could make a difference. I also worried that a corals may retaliate. I only have softies and not a ton of them so I gave it a try. Today is the 7th day, I retested nitrates and they are about 20ppm. All the corals look happy and even some hair algae that started to grow on a powerhead completely receded. Awesome. I do have a little hair algae left as well as some old bryopsis that I couldn't kill but I seem to have mamed (spelling?) so they don't overtake like they used to. So I'm watching everything. May report back in a few days to a week. But anyone who wants to attempt it I'm just saying that it worked for me and DON'T doubt the dosing by going above the suggested amount (read link below). I'm quite happy and may even buy another reactor for those bio-pellets pellets. Sheesh, between the GFO/Carbon, skimmer, return pump and possibly another reactor, I'm going to have a sump full of powerheads! http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2008-08/nftt/index.php Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mindflux Posted July 16, 2011 Share Posted July 16, 2011 Switch your GFO out for biopellets? BRS sells the appropriate insert for the reactor. Running both seems like a waste. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bry Posted July 17, 2011 Author Share Posted July 17, 2011 I thought about that. What's keeping me from that is I've heard conflicting stories. Some say the vodka dose is mostly for nitrates and does little or nothing for phosphates. But I've also heard it helps both. I'm planning on doing a little more reading into the topic. What I do know though is you cannot run bio-pellets and carbon on the same reactor. I've read it in a few places and even talked to Mark Callahan about it but I honestly can't remember at the moment why. Flux, did you start running GFO? If so how has it worked out for you? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mindflux Posted July 17, 2011 Share Posted July 17, 2011 I have a dual reactor for GFO/Carbon, but no space in my "all in one" for another pump without added heat worries. (gets to 82 after the MH have been on a few hours) so I've been too "chicken" to add my other MJ1200 with the reactor (that and I need longer lines to run the reactor from within my stand). I'll likely hold off on running it until I get a larger tank with an sump so I can run everything under the stand safely. That said, I could have sworn I've read that you can run carbon and BP in a dual reactor, you just had to make sure the BP is the last item to get flow through? (or perhaps it was the carbon).. I can't recall now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mindflux Posted July 17, 2011 Share Posted July 17, 2011 Looks like I was wrong, Post #9 is from a BRS employee and this is their official stance on it: http://www.reefcentral.org/forums/showthread.php?t=1934274 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bry Posted July 18, 2011 Author Share Posted July 18, 2011 Yeah that was it. I've read something similar as well. And we can't run BP and GFO together because of flow. Oh well. By the way, on the heat thing try a small clip on fan blowing PARALLEL just over the water (if you don't have a light box as I don't). Blowing not into the water but across it about 5 inches above it brough my tank from about 82 to 76 before I turned it off (didn't want mine that low). I bought the BRS clip on fan but I don't like the way the clip and fan are at the same level - gotta use it to understand. I saw one half price at Target that has a better way to clip. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mindflux Posted July 18, 2011 Share Posted July 18, 2011 Yeah that was it. I've read something similar as well. And we can't run BP and GFO together because of flow. Oh well. By the way, on the heat thing try a small clip on fan blowing PARALLEL just over the water (if you don't have a light box as I don't). Blowing not into the water but across it about 5 inches above it brough my tank from about 82 to 76 before I turned it off (didn't want mine that low). I bought the BRS clip on fan but I don't like the way the clip and fan are at the same level - gotta use it to understand. I saw one half price at Target that has a better way to clip. Yeah that's the next thing on my agenda is a fan. But I've already got enough noise coming from the tank once the MH+Fixture fan start running. That's a pretty amazing drop for a fan and from what I read not terribly typical though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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