Quote:
Originally Posted by Belgian Anthias
, The problem is that when the dosing is interrupted the carrying capacity will change. When the change is to big it will have its effect and its consequences. Dangerous? A system that may loses a part of its carrying capacity from one day to an other, yes I find this situation dangerous. It is a risk one does not have to take, not for fine tuning the nitrate level.
When one messes with nature it has always consequences. It is important to know what may happen before starting messing with it.
|
The C:N ratio in the reference I quoted for complete heterotrophic N assimilation is 13:1. That means a 39:1 ratio of acetic acid to ammonia nitrgen. That corresponds to a volume of vinegar of 780 mL per gram of ammonia nitrogen. I am pretty sure no aquarist is at this level of dosing, and therefore, has not pushed their system into all heterotrophic activity. A large ammonia spike does not seem like a realistic danger. Beyond this point, estimating the size of the consequence of abruptly stopping carbon additions seems impossible. To this point in time carbon dosing does not seem to have increased aquarium issues, something to be expected if many of the systems were teetering on the edge of disaster.
I understand your concern about the risk of dosing and agree with the idea to understand before attempting to adjust aquarium conditions. We disagree on the severity of the risk of carbon dosing. I think the size of the risk is testable, maybe without endangering organisms other than bacteria.