# EasyCarbo Dosing



## LondonDragon (16 May 2008)

Hi guys,

Just a quick question, before I started dosing EasyCarbo I always had my water very clear, but since then I always have cloudy water, not much but its noticable.
When I do water changes it goes away and its clear again, but when I start dosing EasyCarbo again it comes back, I am dosing it together with my EI ferts.

Any ideas?

Thanks


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## JamesC (16 May 2008)

Is the cloudy water white or green?

James


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## LondonDragon (16 May 2008)

JamesC said:
			
		

> Is the cloudy water white or green?
> James


White, thanks


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## JamesC (16 May 2008)

What trace are you adding?

James


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## johnny70 (16 May 2008)

I dose 8 of my tanks with it, not noticed any cloudy water, I have noticed it go cloudy with the ferts mix that I use but clears after 10mins or so

JOHNNY


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## LondonDragon (16 May 2008)

I dose Macro and Micro on different days, but I dose EasyCarbo everyday!


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## LondonDragon (18 May 2008)

Just to clarify before I make the next 3 week batch of dry ferts. I dose in my tank the following:

KNO3, KH2PO4, K2SO4, MgS04, Trace

I divide them into this: 

1:  KNO3, KH2PO4, K2SO4

2: MgS04, Trace

And then dose in alternate days.

Is this correct, could it be the cause of the cloud? Many thanks guys


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## ceg4048 (18 May 2008)

LondonDragon said:
			
		

> Just to clarify before I make the next 3 week batch of dry ferts. I dose in my tank the following:
> 
> KNO3, KH2PO4, K2SO4, MgS04, Trace
> 
> ...



Nope. No way, no how. I'm 99% convinced this is a bacterial issue. Your tank is producing higher bacterial loads now as a result of improved dosing. You can get the same thing for weeks after a heavy filter clean. You need to be patient mate. As long as this is not algae you have nothing to worry about. At some point the cloudiness will disappear. The higher the filter flow rate the faster it goes away. Also, the higher the CO2 the faster it goes away. By the way, you don't need K2SO4. Try skipping that. (It's the reason for the 1% doubt.)

Repeat this mantra while sitting in the lotus position: "The only things that happen quickly in an aquarium are bad things..."   

Cheers,


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## LondonDragon (18 May 2008)

Thanks Clive as always  I am only dosing K2SO4 because I purchased it so I am just going to use it until it runs out then I won't buy it no more. I will wait and see what happens  Since everything is growing nicely with no algea issues.


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## George Farmer (18 May 2008)

ceg4048 said:
			
		

> Your tank is producing higher bacterial loads now as a result of improved dosing.



How does that work, Clive?  Higher O2 from improved photosynthesis?

It's very interesting as I had minor clouding issues in my nano.  Weirdly, when I stopped CO2 dosing and switched to Easycarbo, the cloudiness stopped.  Any ideas?


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## ceg4048 (18 May 2008)

George Farmer said:
			
		

> ceg4048 said:
> 
> 
> 
> ...



Hi George,
                  Yes, fundamentally more O2 means the bacteria can increase their population. But bacteria have needs beyond O2. They need phosphorous and carbon in addition to the nitrogen they are consuming, just like everyone else. Plants leach carbon in the form of sugars into the water column. Bacteria can also feed directly on the inorganic phosphates we dose. So there is a certain amount of O2 + food production rate but as the plants wake up and start to become more efficient producers of this food and O2 these levels fluctuate. This occurs both above and beneath the sediment.  But an individual bacterium doesn't have a very long lifespan so there is a population rise-crash-rise until the population is in equilibrium with the available O2+food production. I think that when the plants stabilize their "organic waste" output the bacterial population then also stabilizes. A component of the cloudiness could easily be masses of bacteria carcasses. These carcasses get broken down as they decay and their nutritious components re-assimilated by the living members of the colonies. 

I'm speculating that when you stopped the CO2 the unstable/transient O2+food production fell to less unstable values. Easycaro/Excel doesn't produce as much CO2 as direct gas injection so perhaps the this causes less volatility in the population. My tank exhibited this cloudiness after every water change for what seemed like an eternity. Within 24 hours it always became crystal clear. It seems like once there is some threshold biomass level in the tank these fluctuations aren't as radical and are less noticeable.

Cheers,


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## George Farmer (19 May 2008)

Thanks, Clive.  Makes sense now.


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## LondonDragon (19 May 2008)

Just an update, after a few water changes everything is back to normal and the water is clear as always.


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