Carbon Dosing your Reef tank with Lou Ekus form Tropic Marin

Not all carbon dosing is equal... so what is the difference? which type of carbon dosing is right for your goals? Join me today with special guest Lou Ekus from Tropic Marin as we dig deep into carbon dosing and reefkeeping
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Happy Reefing!

[@shoxite]

In my opinion Lou is the most knowledgable man in the industry! He loves his job and hobby. Very easy to understand!

[@EmpireReefer]

Every time Lou speaks and does an interview it’s like pure information! Wow I’m mind blown by how much you can learn from this guy. Amazing and a true legend

[@adamiller2526]

I absolutely love your interview style! You let people talk! 🥰 Sooo important when you have somebody on who knows what they are talking about. you are awesome. Watching all your episodes!

[@fragile880]

I had a terrible imbalance of nitrate and phosphate. After last talk with Lou I switched to bioactif salt. Slowly over the last 6 months my numbers have balanced out. The info here is top notch, use it, your reef will thank you.

[@karennation3580]

Are you saying that the salt change alone effected your nutrients?

[@miacuariomarino]

Excelent info I am on that subject and everything go much better with my reef. Thanks you guys for bring that info so important for reef keeping.

[@jonrenny3107]

Cyano thrives in a zero phosphate water. Dr. Tim has great lectures on how you will help cyano out by running a zero phos tank and he explains the science very clearly and shows it’s a fact

[@karennation3580]

I know that zero po4 will welcome dinos!

[@darktonio377]

Great video - Mr Ekus is a fantastic teacher for beginners like me !

[@ReefDudes]

Totally agree!

[@ReefDork]

Great video Deven - really interesting stuff 👍

[@scotttang6229]

Im going to give carbon dosing with Tropic Marin. It makes sense to culture bacteria as a form of food for corals while exporting nutrients.

[@rons6453]

Bravo something educational on a reef channel for a change.

[@alwaystmoza]

Great video and information thanks aussie reefer

[@HoroHigh369]

I love it when Lou is on!!!

[@joetaff]

Always enjoy the discussions you have with Lou, great insights as usual.

[@simonlockley-evans3925]

Great video, bacteria don't eat the po4, though, it's used as a building block in cell replication, carbon they metabolise for energy along with different combinations of organic phosphate. It's a minor distinction but important. This is the reason cyano appears, bacteria cannot replicate at 0 po4. So cyano fills that niche as it is photosynthetic it can replicate cells with light and N2 and some other bits and pieces.

[@tylerclontz]

Wish I could have made it. Lou is the man! Thank you for the great chat gentlemen!!

[@royhall557]

Thanks!

[@ReefDudes]

You’re most welcome! Thank you as well!

[@heinrichvisser8518]

My system is full of cyno. I'm very frustrated on this stage. Thank you for the advice.

[@eillyacostandinides3344]

Amazing video. But fresh water tank behind lou really..... I can't explain how much information i got from this video. Lou you are amazing. Reefdudes i just subed to your channel just because if this video. I was so hooked on it i connected the mobile and heard it while driving home

[@hugosandro]

Thanks so much Devin for these awesome videos! I’m using the Tropic Marin carbon dosing method and Chris Meckley’s kalk method and have finally reached and held a perfect place! PH steady right around 8.4 , phosphates .02 to .08 and nitrates 2-5!!! Thank you!

[@ReefDudes]

Thank you!! Happy to help :)

[@karennation3580]

Thats awesome! Which carbon dosing are you using and have you had improvements with growth, color ect? I jsy cant decide which one to use since I use gfo and its good now but only because of GFO but Nitrates are high @28! I have been wanting to try kalk but a little scared! I have heard of that method! I am going to look into it again! Thanks for sharing!

[@jamesgillum2382]

Awesome video! Dropped some serious knowledge, we appreciate it.

[@aquaticnstuff7666]

Started adding Vinegar to my kalkwasser container (25ml per 3 gallons)

[@kevinkershaw1435]

just through the np bacto pellets in the sump no reacter. worked well for me

[@ReefDudes]

Just in a bag with passive flow?

[@kevinkershaw1435]

@@ReefDudes passive flow and the full tin of pellets

[@karennation3580]

@@kevinkershaw1435 WOW! Thats awesome! I may try that. I already hand dose alk, calcium and mag so one thing left to dose is perfect. I do that with my gfo and wouldnt check again for months after I got down to 0.03 but now I am testing more and numbers are seesawing! probably been doing that all along! I need a change plus nitrates are up to 28 now!

[@karennation3580]

Wonder how it would work in sock with direct flow. Not much flow in my sump but I could add a wavemaker like I used to have!

[@joshua_w]

Lou is very good at explaining complex systems. This message tonight was excellent as the Macna 2019 presentation was, with a little more detail. Great job Dev, get the message out on leading edge understanding of our reef environments. Thank you.

[@ReefDudes]

Thanks Joshua!

[@NerdistAquarist]

The way carbocalcium works made it very tricky when I tried to control the dosing using my Trident. I was getting big swings because of the delayed formate metabolism. Switched over to 2 part.

[@kmlkosowski]

Nerdist Aquarist yes but once it is stabilised it’s the best... we don’t even get it in Oz and I pay over 70usd with shipping just to get 700 grans. BTW... Lou if your reading this make your oz suppliers stock it!!!!

[@jamesisaac9416]

Great video! Interesting to hear how the different products work. As far as i can see, though, there is no way near the same level of detail and information on the tropic marin website to explain how and when the different products are supposed to be used!

[@StephenJeal]

I’ve now watched this multiple times as it has loads of great information. I’m running Triton other methods and I’d like to use Tropic Marin products to both control my phosphate and feed the corals. My only slight concern is that Bacto Balance includes trace elements. Will this be ok in combination with Triton?

[@reefaddict5314]

Interesting topic. Thanks for the video!

[@karennation3580]

If I am supposed to lay off on the gfo I am assuming my levels will be over 10 so I dont know if its smarter to start with elimnp/ bacto balance or a milder one? Whish is recommend weaning off GFO? Why would anyone use a milder one? especially since you have ones for all levels? What makes it milder? Is it just pure seaweed polymers with no other base? Are pellets faster acting? Says on the screen! He says find where you phosphates are and use that one! Then why are there two to use for any level? Also not so easy if you are weaning of gfo and adding this before it gets to high and dangerous! What is the most popular one and why would anyone mix the products? ? Not sure if you know the answers Devin, hoping Mr Ekus can answer! Its easy for him to say swich to this or that one but much less expensive to stay with one and also very expensive to keep different ones on hand and especially taking 10 days to arrive since my LFS dosnt carry then you kind of need to have maybe 2 to 3 on hand! Quite costly Especially if you dont use them! Sorry I just have so many questions. I need to get nitrates down because I have a bunch of coarls coming in! How can I directly speak or email Mr Ekus?

[@Younotus455]

Hey man, I know your all into your new style of videos. Would love to see tank update video , also hear your thoughts. things you would change or have done differently. But most of all an up close walk around of your tank. Possibly?🤔

[@ReefDudes]

It’s coming soon. Maybe this weekend :)

[@thekillermef]

I have a problem with the phosphates, I already tried with rowa and they do not go below .2, does the same thing happen with Nopox from red sea? I can't find many tropic marine products here

[@levasconcelos]

Hello, I have a doubt, my phosphate is 0.28 and nitrate 50ppm, can I use tropic marin np bacto balance? do i need to use gfo and carbon or is this product already able to improve my parameters? Thank you.

[@insectkiller2005]

Use elimi np

[@tomg5405]

Can the pellets be used on an external filter? Can the reef actif be put on a dosing pump?

[@sandroaces]

Nice one. So if I use his product does that mean I don’t need dr time bacteria to keep things clean.

[@MeTOre1]

Hi Deven and Lou. Fantastic video. Ok, my Notrates and Phosphates are out of balance. My Nitrates are between 10 and 15 and my PO4 is down at 0.02 - 0.05. Will Bacto pellets bottom out my Phosphates? What would you recommend here?

[@joeyballz7679]

I have been following the last two videos I have discovered with you speaking on this topic. I have been a big fan of biopellet since I started reefing and I'm running a recirculating biopellet reactor with about nine cups of Bulk Reef Supply biopellets. PHA based. 550 gallon system. po3 0.16 no3 10. Also running about 8 cups of gfo in a fluidized reactor trying to bring phosphate closer to .06 is PHA a good product to be using at this point until I reach my goal of .06 and then switch to your product?

[@LarKange01280]

can we use np bacto pellet and carbon dosing product like np bacto balance at the same time ? thanks for your reply Dude

[@ReefDudes]

I’m sure all is well in moderation. I would do maybe a half dose if using multiple products

[@LarKange01280]

@@ReefDudes ah yes sounds good, does bio pellet reactor drop nutrient to zero ? Cause at the moment without any bio reactor, just media i have to dose nitrate and plus NP and in 24h it is hard to climb , i do not know why (and i am at full dose since 48h ..)

[@mmh1197]

Can I use Reef Actif during new tank cycling?

[@michaelbalsley6041]

Awesome stream!! Took a lot of notes. What would be the best way to switch over to the balling method or All for Reef from BRS 2 part and keep levels constant?

[@ReefDudes]

Brs2 part is more or less balling so swapping yourself mix should be a similar dose. For all for reef they may have a dosing calculator for a base line. Then swap it Use your estimated dose. Test alk. Wait 24h test alk and see if it’s the same or changes then tweak dose accordingly

[@michaelbalsley6041]

@@ReefDudes Thank you!!

[@reefnoob8430]

the thing he's sed regarding dinoflagellates and cyanobacteria bacteria with hi flow makes sense te me be cus have my algae scrubber chaedo algae combo on top of my nano and the water free fall's down back in to the tank and there's this brown stuff growing in the tube it never gets in the tank I guess now I know why thanks for the video📹

[@insanity4224]

Shame these products are not available in Australia :(

[@ReefDudes]

Yea the international thing is tricky even for me on canada a lot of the time

[@kylesreef2989]

Deven can you follow-up with Lou and see who's distributing TM in Canada? I haven't seen anything locally, or even at the usual national guys.

[@louekus]

I think the best sources in Canada are: Sustainable Marine Canada 998 Oxford Street East London, N5Y 3K7, Ontario, 226-268-9300 And the Big Al's Stores. There are also now a number of other stores carrying the products. A quick phone call will help you identify who they are. We only have them listed on our Preferred Dealer site, if they are part of the program like Sustainable is.

[@tsurro8086]

Hey Lou I would love to try the np bacto pellets but I can’t find them anywhere? Any suggestions, no brs, no marine depot.?

[@louekus]

You should be able to get the NP-Bacto Pellets at ANY of the Tropic Marin Preferred Dealers. Here is a link to the dealer locator, so you can find the Tropic Marin Preferred Dealer nearest you: www.tropicmarin-usa.com/pdp.html I hope this helps.

[@tsurro8086]

louekus , thx, but even the closest store doesn’t carry them, also, the recipe for the powder calcium, liquid A, K, Mag that brs has on their website when u buy all together , is missing a step, and when I added all the ingredients together on paper, it didn’t add up to one liter? Is that correct

[@tomg5405]

Something seem not logical for me ,the corals have a good capacity too absorb nitrate he say but not need nitrate,but they need phosphate and the absorption is poor.why should an animal have the capacity to take something he not need and lack the capacity for what he needs??

[@kmlkosowski]

Hey Guys which product does Lou recommend for a general phosphate lvl? Ie 0.03-0.1

[@louekus]

If your PO4 is in the desirable range of 0.03-0.1, then the NP-Bacto Balance is the way to go.

[@benmorten9577]

Lou just been looking on the tropic marin website and it says NP Bacto Balance has trace elements in it so can you use it with other 2 part like triton etc

[@darktonio377]

@@louekus Thanks a lot for this excellent presentation. I understood that: Po4 < 0.03 : use bacto-plus Po4 0.03-0.1 : use np-balance Po4 > 0.1 : use Elimi-np …. Ok but when do yoy want to use actif reef then? Where this product is placed in the range?? Thanks !

[@ldballoon4]

Let's get the guest's audio mixed correctly. :)

[@KlemmetsmoReefing]

The real reason his products work the best is because they make him the most money. $2.50 buys you a gallon of vinegar that will do the exact same thing! They haven’t developed specific polymer/food that only good bacteria eat 😂

[@laurens6267]

Great talk but I dont agree with him on the chaeto/algae is better then gfo. He is saying gfo takes stuff out of the water, so does algae and chaeto. Even more frome what I ve heard, the guy from ACI was talking about all kinds of things he needed to add back to the tank. He was also saying you can just scrape the algae or cut back the caeto. It is obvious to me that it is easier to control the po4 by cutting back flow to the gfo or removing some then by removing the chaeto/algae. Does he have any prove that by dosing carbon the amount of bacteria in the water increases and the skimmer doesnt take it out to the same level as without?

[@louekus]

LJ, I agree 100% that chaeto also takes other things out of the water besides PO4. No question about it. I was trying to explain that, IF you are going to use one or the other (I prefer neither one over their use), that my personal preference is the algae over the GFO. It feels like a more natural way of doing it. However, in a perfect world, I would do the carbon dosing and let the corals take what they need. As for the proof of the beneficial bacterial populations when carbon dosing, I don't have that information. I am not a chemist or a marine biologist, so I go on what my scientists in out lab in Germany tell me is the way things work. However, if that proof is something that you are really interested in, the effectiveness of carbon dosing is well established enough, that I'm sure an in depth INTERNET search would yield some solid information about that aspect of it.

[@laurens6267]

louekus thanks for the answer. I do trust your brand a lot (use your salt), and if I would decide to dose carbon I would certainly use your brand. I would like to see another podcast talking about the fish foods and balling products.

[@louekus]

@@laurens6267 Thanks, I mention this to Deven as possible topics for our next live stream. In the meantime, here is a link to a video I did a few years ago explaining the Balling Method. Be sure to hit the "captions" button, so you get the subtitles. kzbin.info/www/bejne/mIvcaIWJbdB4l8k I hope that helps until we can get on a chat about it.

[@lisafoster4468]

And vodka is often used to euthanize fish, albeit in higher concentrations, so... Always be wary of the advice of someone who's trying to sell you something. However, his logic makes perfect sense, and I liked the fact that he's willing to admit when he doesn't know something.

[@bluethumbaquaculture6370]

Great stream! 1 question - what about lanthanum chloride + reef actif? same rules as GFO or?

[@louekus]

I really like the lanthanum chloride approach, but only in very severe instances of extremely high PO4 levels. It is very good at targeting the PO4 only. Also, there is little risk or down side to using it in small quantities. But to answer your question, yes, same basic rules as GFO. Try to let the tank do it on it's own with carbon dosing. Then step in with the lanthanum chloride if absolutely necessary.

[@jeremybw2180]

If you have NO3 and PO4 you have GHA, if you have NO3 and no PO4 you have cyano, and if you don't have NO3 or PO4 you have diatoms. Cyano has the ability to conduct nitrogen fixation much like how lightning strikes fixate atmospheric nitrogen into the ground. Having PO4 inhibits cyano's ability to fixate nitrogen for itself.

[@piquesegue]

Sorry Dude, I have plenty of Po4 and plenty of cyanos...

[@jeremybw2180]

@@piquesegue not possible. You have a bad PO4 test kit, or it isn't cyano.

[@hmm5131]

I loved this video, but the typing was sooooo annoying. Use a quiet keyboard for live streams, please 🙏 It's unbearable.

[@ReefDudes]

This is a very old video. I have a quieter one now :). And Lou is coming on again later this month!

[@Place2bi]

trying to listen to the guy,when all I can hear is clicking on the keyboard. so annoying !

[@MilanyFTW]

because he don't have chat moderators who can support him. he is doing 3 in one job.

[@ReefDudes]

Trying to answer questions in the chat and que up questions to ask for the viewers.

[@nornicle2]

ReefDudes is it possible to mute yourself?

[@ReefDudes]

Anything is possible. Haha but the I have to remember to unmute :P. maybe a less sensitive microphone one day. Or I jsit don’t reply to questions during the steam but then I don’t feel it is as helpful

[@Dummythxc]

Here to comment same thing. Easy fix is just not use a mechanical keyboard for this. That way you don’t have the mute issue. I know exactly why you are typing just food for thought. Love your channel and you as a person. Mechanical keyboards are just loud my dude ! But either way I still think the mic would pic it up.