Cheap??? Method of Reefing ...

[nicken]

yo lizard44, have you change water ever since u start the sugar dosing ?

does tis system need to change water weekly or monthly ?

after dosing large amt of sugar into the tank, after a long period of time (couple of mths) will the water turn sweet

[Lucifer]

i must say dat u really did ur research very well....

[lizard44]

hello all SUGAR daddies ...

my sugar-dosing experiment (4-footer=120g) (REPORT 3):

day 1-month: ph=8.10 NO3=0 (cheap test) 0.1 (salifert test)

sg remained stable at 1.0225. (nothing to bother)

i have maintained the dosage at 3 tea-spoon per day.

my turtleweed had turned white.

no algae or slimy bact grow on the sandbed.

no adverse effect on the LS.

i have cheated on the pH. i dosed ph buffer to raise it back to 8.10 (just spent S$6 for the pH buffer, poured the whole thing in). i have noticed that actually immediately after the dosing of sugar, the pH will drop by 0.5. after about 24 hours, the pH will go back to 8.10, just before the next dosing. but, the pH value will be a shade lower than before. my suspicion is that the CO2 produced by the sugar+bact is acidic in nature and thus lowering the pH. after sufficient bubbling, the CO2 will be removed from the system (bubbled off). the pH returns to almost normal. but, some loses in alkalinity due to the sugar+bact will drop the pH slightly.

this is the second week that the nitrate tests gave zero readings. it is therefore confirmed that SUGAR-DOSING is a sharp instrument in bringing down nitrate. the age-old headache problem of reefers unable to close the loop of the nitrogen cycle is finally solved (cheaply). in the past, reefers have to change partial water to export and bring down nitrate and so on. nowadays, the water changing regime is getting less and less important.

i said that it is a sharp instrument because there are simply no algae growing in my tank. no green algae... no slime... my hugh turf of caulerpa used to grow like mad is now dead ... even the turtleweed is showing signs of dying, i.e., the nitrate level is simply too low to support any algae growth. so if you wish to encourage some algae growth, you must reduce the sugar-dosing amount per day. your gauge is 3 tea-spoons per day per 120 gallon tank = nitrate ZERO and work from there.

next week will be the last of these SUGAR-DOSING reports, as i do not think i could add any more contribution to the SUGAR-DOSING regime. pH buffering will be my next big target ...

hello jOsHiE

pH buffering will be the next thing i will try to tackle ... sugar-dosing is settled.

hello ahkit81

added in sugar...the tank go blur(3rd day already).......been adding sugar for the past 3 days...but never see my sand bed goes black...hhmmm weird....dosing too much sugar? my tank is 36"x18"x12" added in 1 teaspoon...

the blurness will clear soon. as it is, it is obvious that your bacteria are not enough, hence, the blurness. have patience. try 2 teaspoons per day to accelerate. looks like your tank's nitrate is higher than you think.

hello djviper

how much sugar to add? no. of teaspoon per ?? gallon

if 2-foot, try 1 tea-spoon; if 3-foot, try 2 tea-spoons; and if 4-foot, try 3 tea-spoons.

hello Lucifer

hows ur 2nd stage experiment going on???

should be quite good. you should try the kalkwasser, you will like it.

hello klim

I have added 3 teaspoon for 4ft tank...NO3 from previous 25mg/l go down after 4 days to 12.5mg/l...hope to get better result next week.

you will get to your goal soon. just be careful that SUGAR-DOSING is a sharp and aggressive tool. if you want algae or other nitrate eaters to grow, you must learn to reduce the dosage of sugar somehow. have fun ...

hello Zac

hi i too am willing to give dosing sugar a try.. initially when i started out i have been dosing volka on a daily basis. and on matter how much i increase my dosage i still couldnt get any better results. hope this sugar dosing will work for me . will post my result soon.

welcome to the SUGAR DADDIES SUB-CLUB. vodka is harder to break-down. so try sugar, it is easier on the bacteria. they can get to their energy faster and start to work harder for you immediately. have fun ...

hello nicken

have you change water ever since u start the sugar dosing ?

does tis system need to change water weekly or monthly ?

after dosing large amt of sugar into the tank, after a long period of time (couple of mths) will the water turn sweet

this is best part. i might get flame because of this answer: nope. i have not changed any water since 27 Dec 2004 (day 1 of my tank). it has gone stinky and bad, but, i never change water still. i still did not plan to change any water in the near future. my top-up water is just a direct-pour from my tap.

in fact, as a reward to myself, i have just bought a lemonpeel hybrid from CR.

i may incorporate a salt-adding sequence. let me try it out and report back ... i am thinking of adding on a daily basis, a small cap of sea salt into the tank. the salinity will go up only slightly (one good thing is that the salt does not dissolve immediately, so it will be a slow release). by withdrawing some tank water using a hose and replacing it with plain tap water. the salinity will be restored.

by doing this on a regular basis, (can be 2-dayly, or weekly), the trace elements and good material present in good marine salts will find its way back to the tank on a self-renewing basis.

have fun ...

hello Lucifer

i must say dat u really did ur research very well...

i hope you could also try it and we can share the final results. have fun ...

lizard

[lizard44]

just a picture of my turtleweed ...

[lizard44]

sorry picture so big ... how to make smaller?

sorry sorry sorry ...

lizard

[Zac]

yup i added 3 teaspon today.. water not clouddy le.. mines a 4ft tank.. do i dose everyday? when the nitrate drops to i stop dosing?.. pai say need to know more

[Zac]

oh ya bro another thing. its ok to have LS in my tank when dosing right?

[klim]

Let me do a summarised of the encounterment with Bro Lizard44 suggestion on Sugar Dosing.....

Day 1 - Tested NO3 = 25mg/l; SW = 1.022; Added 3 teaspoon of sugar

Day 2 - Whole tank blur, can't see a thing, so scared that my LS all died....almost wanted to change water, but went back to read on the posting that this is normal, so waited...n waited....luckily water clear after 20hrs....

Day 3 - Start dosing sugar = 3 teaspoon

Day 4 - continue dosing sugar = 3 teaspoon

Day 5 - Tested NO3 = 12.5mg/l; SW = btw 1.022 - 1.023; Added 3 teaspoon of sugar

Day 6 - Start dosing sugar = 3 teaspoon

Day 7 - continue dosing sugar = 3 teaspoon

Day 8 - continue dosing sugar = 3 teaspoon

Day 9 - Tested NO3 = 0mg/l; SW = 1.023; PH = 7.6; Temp = 27.5C

Stopped dosing sugar, added PH buffer to restore....the PH really went down alot , so need to restore quickly.....

I am using Aqua PH tester and Tetra NO3 tester (turn Yellow means 0mg/l)

Will wait for 4 days before testing NO3 and PH to see whether it go up....

Thanks Bro Lizzard for the brillant suggestion.....

[Lucifer]

oh yah bro lizard44..4got to ask u izzit ok to use dis method with corals inside???

[Zac]

2nd day of dosing sugar .. now my tank is milky liao.. so scary hahaha

[lizard44]

hi bro zac

yup i added 3 teaspon today.. water not clouddy le.. mines a 4ft tank.. do i dose everyday? when the nitrate drops to i stop dosing?.. pai say need to know more

oh ya bro another thing. its ok to have LS in my tank when dosing right?

no harm to LS. yes, you must continue dosing until zero nitrate, then reduce again according to what you want ...

hi bro klim

Let me do a summarised of the encounterment with Bro Lizard44 suggestion on Sugar Dosing.....

thanks for the super detailed report. i am sure we all learned from you. i am very happy that we discovered this trick together ... i am indeed satisfied that this SUGAR-DOSING is a razor-sharp instrument, it implies that we can keep as many LS as possible and yet not stressed by nitrate removal ... also our newly-proven method may displace the mechanical system suggested by Singapore Polytechnic with NO limitations on the amount of LS we can keep on our side .... GREAT ... GREAT ... GREAT ... please keep up the comraderie

Stopped dosing sugar, added PH buffer to restore....the PH really went down alot, so need to restore quickly.....

VERY EXPENSIVE METHOD ... psst ... give you a hint .... try dosing 20 gram of baking soda (454 gram for $1.80 seng shiong arm & hammer PURE 100% and 150 years old, man ... great brand) everyday for 3 days ... guess what? you get back your pH at 8.20 ... hahahahahhaha ... so simple so cheap ...

hi bro Lucifer

4got to ask u izzit ok to use dis method with corals inside???

very advanced question i don't know man ...

i have !@#$%^ expensive clam, blue sponge, green zoos, purple fan, sea squirts, a million starfishes and hermit crabs. still not dead yet. so i really not sure.

but, fish stock i have quite a lot: 4xtrue perculas (hahahahahaha, no fighting), 1xcoral beauty, 1xargi angel, 1x!@#$%^ lemonpeel hybrid, 1xlemonpeel, 1xflame, 1xyellow tang (very stupid one), 3xdory, plus 50 others (all LS 0.5 inch each, some a little bigger)

all of them are pigs by nature, poo machines of the east.

hi bro zac

2nd day of dosing sugar .. now my tank is milky liao.. so scary hahaha

don't worry keep trying ... it is quite safe. btw, do keep up ... we are already reducing our doses already .... my doses are now 1.5 teaspoon per day for 4-footer, my turtleweed shows great recovery, i.e., there is no such thing as zero nitrate, better leave some for the macro living things and not train the bacteria to eat them all and grow fat. the problem is we can't see bacteria, otherwise i suspect quite piggy ... i am trying to keep the nitrate at 1 ... i.e., SUGAR-DOSING is not a science but an ART ...

pssst ... my pH is now at 8.15 based on baking soda dosing at 20g per day .... once it hit 8.20, i will stop and watch .... great fun for all of you ....

lizard

[lizard44]

hello all MA BAKERs ...

dosing baking soda will add alkalinity to the tank quite quickly. according to CHEMICAL- ALI bro EKIA, if you are concerned about too high an alkalinity for your tank, please buy a KH test kit to check.

me of course not buying, can't afford.

reason: pH reading does reflect some indication on tank's alkalinity. so by keeping it at about 8.20 ... should be safe as a turtle shell ... (my take)

lizard

[Goondoo]

hello all MA BAKERs ...

dosing baking soda will add alkalinity to the tank quite quickly. according to CHEMICAL- ALI bro EKIA, if you are concerned about too high an alkalinity for your tank, please buy a KH test kit to check.

me of course not buying, can't afford.

reason: pH reading does reflect some indication on tank's alkalinity. so by keeping it at about 8.20 ... should be safe as a turtle shell ... (my take)

lizard

A point to share.

Make sure you are buying Sodium Bicarbonate (Baking Soda-Potash) and not baking powder.

I had using Redman brand from Phoon Huat(the shop that sells alot of cake making ingredient) to maintain my KH on my fresh water tank too. I got a 500gm bottle from them few years back? so can't remember the price.

Cheers,

Goondoo

[Zac]

thanks lizard44 i will keep trying will update on the results again..

[marble]

I have added 3 teaspoon for 4ft tank...NO3 from previous 25mg/l go down after 4 days to 12.5mg/l...hope to get better result next week.

Thanks bro Lizard44 for your advice.

Cheers!

Hi kilm n all e sugar bros n sis here....

Will e sugar method have any side effect on e invert like feature dust,sea star,prawns n anemone???

Do u leave all tis invert in ur tank when using e sugar method to bring dw no3.

Undstd tat star fish n prawns r beri sensitive to sudden drop in ph etc....How is urs doing now???

Keen to try out tis sugar method oso as my no3 is oso ard 25-50ppm.Have being using water changing method but useless leh....sigh

Wat brand or type of sugar to go for??

Mine is a 3by2by1.5ft tank.How many teaspoon shld i put???

Can i add ph buffer to stablise e ph when addin sugar to prevent ph fm dropping???

N lastly how long shld e test b????

Pls advise Sugar "daddy's" keke

[klim]

Hi Bro Lizard44, pardon me for answering the question for Marble....

I have feature dust,sea star,prawns, anemone, clown fish, tang n etc...so far for the 9 days, nothing happened to them, but can't guarantee anything, as diff living things have their endurence to the environment, thus nothing is the same...hope you understand

Since your tank is 3by2by1.5ft, I suggest 2 teaspoon first...remember, your tank will be blur (will occur either immediately or after serveral hours) due to cloudiness of the sugar in water...beside do you have sump, if yes, put it in the sump and let it enter the main tank slowly.

Not sure about adding PH with Sugar, did not try, maybe Bro Lizard44 can advice you.

Test ur NO3 every 4days (IMO) to see any effect....

Good luck

[marble]

Hi Bro Lizard44, pardon me for answering the question for Marble....

I have feature dust,sea star,prawns, anemone, clown fish, tang n etc...so far for the 9 days, nothing happened to them, but can't guarantee anything, as diff living things have their endurence to the environment, thus nothing is the same...hope you understand

Since your tank is 3by2by1.5ft, I suggest 2 teaspoon first...remember, your tank will be blur (will occur either immediately or after serveral hours) due to cloudiness of the sugar in water...beside do you have sump, if yes, put it in the sump and let it enter the main tank slowly.

Not sure about adding PH with Sugar, did not try, maybe Bro Lizard44 can advice you.

Test ur NO3 every 4days (IMO) to see any effect....

Good luck

tks Klim,

Wat type of sugar to use??Those tat we use for cooking???

Bro Lizard44,

By adding PH buffer with Sugar,will it maintain my ph so tat it wont drop???

[marble]

4got to ask,when adding sugar,do i off my skimmer??If so for how long??2hr???

[Zac]

after thrid day of dosing my nitrate drop more than half already . using selifert test kit it show close to 0 from the top view ,from the side view is 5 reading off the colour indicator. its really amazing .. now for the PH .. i do not have a PH test kit. can i does PH buffer now?

[marble]

after thrid day of dosing my nitrate drop more than half already . using selifert test kit it show close to 0 from the top view ,from the side view is 5 reading off the colour indicator. its really amazing .. now for the PH .. i do not have a PH test kit. can i does PH buffer now?

Hi Zac,

Wat type of sugar to do use??

Normal sugar tat we use for coking???

tks..

[wil_lee76]

bro,

im impress by the way you solve ur current problems!

And why not start to write a article on your method? So all fellow reefers like us can take your case for studies.

Im deeply impressed and will become one of the surgar daddy in here...

Will try SURGAR DOSING soon!!!

Good Work Pal and rem...take my suggestions....write an article on these...so i can file it up for future references......

a million!

[Zac]

hi marble i use normal sugar for cooking , for coffee .. previous msg on sugar dosing got discuss. you can read thru the post welcome to the club.

[seafood]

umm...tried the sugar and baking soda mtd for my 3ft tank.

NO3 -> getting close to 0 ppm.

Hardness -> from 7 to 9.

after dosing the baking soda (little) (brand: "Bake King" Bicarbonate of soda from NTUC). smell some wired smell (hard to describe, some chemical smell)...now tank is still in cycling stage. The "smell" still exist after 1 day, izit normal???

[LaW]

been using baking soda when i first started my reef tank.

be careful with it. a little dose will make ur KH go sky high.

[dleecool]

Hi all the experts,

After reading all these sugar method, I had decided to try myself too to get my NO3 to drop, at the moment is around 50ppm.

So I went to NTUC last nite to buy those packet sugar and I put 2 packs last nite (1 pack 5g), may I ask how long should I continue to dose? Until my NO3 drop to nearly zero? then stop?