ONE LUMP OR TWO

[hydra]

Read the last articles in this site :

http://www.ifocas.fsworld.co.uk/MASWA/march.htm

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ONE LUMP OR TWO

Just a spoonful of sugar helps the nitrates go down... Andy

Whilst reading through my archive of information downloaded from the internet I came across a discussion on the use of sugar - yes the stuff you put on your Cornflakes - to aid the reduction of nitrates in the aquarium. Since I am still battling serious hair algae and had a nitrate reading that wouldn't go away I read the article with interest.

This is a very controversial procedure and is surrounded by a great deal of speculation and a dash or two of scepticism. The basic idea is that adding sucrose to a system will supply fuel to denitrifying bacteria allowing for greater synthesis of nitrates by them with harmless gases as by-products. I am neither a chemist nor a biologist so I'm not going to expand on this except to say that not all contributors to the discussion agree that it can work.

My 250 litre system had nitrates exceeding 5ppm for some weeks and whilst this may not be a problem in fish-only systems, I had a number of small polyped corals which had not been open for some time and had even begun to degenerate. Despite some reservations there appeared to be enough anecdotal evidence for me to give the sugar solution a try. Around midday I dissolved 1/2 teaspoon of sugar in 500ml of tap water (distilled/purified would be better) and set this slowly dripping into the tank at the main water return for maximum distribution through the system. This drip continued over about 2 hours. Around 10pm that same night I repeated this.

The following day the water was extremely cloudy with visibility barely a couple of inches. By that evening the cloudiness had lessened considerably. This is caused by a bacterial bloom and was expected. I maximised surface agitation with powerheads to aid oxygenation of the water. Some inverts were closed up, particularly a small Sinularia soft coral.

By day three the water had virtually cleared and a nitrate test returned a zero reading! The soft coral, some colonial anemones and the small hard corals remained closed. By day four the small polyped hard corals began to open for the first time in three weeks. The colonial anemones also returned to their normal state. The Sinularia was tightly shut but still seemed rigid enough to leave in place.

After one week the Sinularia opened fully, nitrates were still zero and a small water change (about 15%) was performed. At this stage the hair algae is still a problem but it is hoped that this removal of nitrates and the reduction of phosphates through the use of limewater will contribute to its decline and eventual eradication.

Please take note that all this is extremely experimental and as stated earlier is based largely on theory that seems to work in at least some cases. There have also been some negative reports on the use of sugar including the loss of some species of inverts, however whether these losses were directly a result of sugar additions or coincidence remains to be seen. The depletion of oxygen has also been noted and may have been a factor in some of these cases. It may be that correct dosage is still to be calculated though at this stage, approx. 1 teaspoon per 50USGal (190 litres) appears about right. Adding too much sugar may lead to problems. It might also be that some inverts have a serious reaction to sucrose and may perhaps respond better with other types of sugars; fructose and brewer's yeast have also been suggested as alternatives.

Nitrates returned to my system after two and a half weeks. This time I added just half a teaspoon of dissolved sugar, there was no clouding and no noticeable reaction by any inverts. Two days later nitrates were back to zero. This seems to be an ongoing cycle in my tank and the presence of nitrates is usually indicated by the closing up of the small polyped hard corals. Adding a small amount of sugar sees these corals open again a day or so later. Meanwhile I'm trying to improve the tanks denitrifying capabilities by replacing the existing coarse shell grit base with a layer of fine coral sand. I will report any other observations in future articles.

MASWA Home Page **** Comments to Andy

[B|uEc@rpEt]

Sounds interesting though I wun dare to try

[Achilles Tang]

Salt, garlic and sugar in reef tanks... pepper next?

[Hon]

Don't you know this trick?

I have used that 8yrs ago. Just a teaspoon of normal kopi sugar, your tank water will turn a little cloudy, protein skimmer bubble like crazy, after 3-4 days, your NO3 will be zero liao, as good as AZ-NO3 product...

But this is just a temperory measure hor. It's still better to establish your DSB or Biological system for the health of your tank in the long run.

[hydra]

Hon,

You should have package this recipe 8 yrs ago, call it something

denitrator and made millions......

[Tanzy]

The denitrifying bacteria still needs somewhere anoxic to live and eat all that sugar. Concept is the same for denitrators and their deniballs or so called 'bacteria food'. Methanol can also be used.

[ep4546]

it is the 1st time i hear of this sound funny

[piero]

I justed added some sugar to my sump tank.. Behold the results in a few days' time.

[wedgee]

I justed added some sugar to my sump tank.. Behold the results in a few days' time.

I will be praying for u, Piero...