Vinegar Dosing

[rodasphoto]

I am currently vinegar dosing 17 mL in my 65 gal tank to help bring my nitrates and phosphates down from when my auto feeder got stuck on feeding every once an hour for about 10 hours which resulted in GHA. I am on week 4 of dosing and have been running GFO in a reactor for about half that time. I have been testing the tank for nitrates and phosphates and have gotten 0 for both tests. The good news is my GHA is turning white and is not covering my rocks as much and recent addition of a lawn mower blenny has helped eat some of the GHA.

How do I know what my maintenance dose will eventually be if I have not been able to see when nitrates and phosphates drop?

I may switch to NP All in One pellets with an Avast Spyglass reactor so I don't have to dose every day. But if I do what would you recommend as a way to transition over. The only reason I am thinking of going this route is because it would be one less thing to do each day and when I go on vacation.

 

[jvb89]

Basically cut your dose in half and see if the nitrates rise, if they do let them get to 2-3 and begin to increase the dose until it maintains at a certain number. I would suggest 2-3 ( your corals will like this too)

 

[rodasphoto]

Even when I was dosing I got 0 for nitrates but I attribute that to the gha. I am going to continue dosing at my current level until the gha is gone. Then see if my nitrates become detectable. But I appreciate the advice especially about letting my nitrates become 2-3 for coral growth. I really want them low because I want to grow DPS in theis tank.

 

[rodasphoto]

...DPS in this tank. **** fat fingers and autocorrect.

 

[jvb89]

You don't want zero nitrates or phosphates with sps. Low is fine but zero will be walking a troublesome line of keeping the sps near death.

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[snowmansnow]

1.5-2.0 will be your magic sps NO3 number in my limited experience. Colors will be more vibrant.
They will still grow just fine w 0.
Again, just my limited experience w these animals


So long, and thanks for all the fish.

 

[jvb89]

I've also noticed better polyp extension when keeping nitrates detectable

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