Do NPX Bio Plastics cause ORP to drop?

[gerry0625]

Ok I have 135g mixed reef Nitrates have never been a problem in this system but phosphates have been an issue since day one and a lot of algae growth on the rock. Fast forward a year and still no better. My nitrates are always 0 when I have tested no matter what test I use. My phosphates were at 0.25ppm I tried GFO, Chemepure, and everything else, finally I got a reactor and NPX Bio Plastics adding only 100ml of NPX into the reactor 2 weeks at a time to insure I didn't cause a bacteria bloom. My Phosphates went from 0.25ppm to 0.12ppm over the first 3 weeks. Then from 0.12ppm to 0.0ppm over the next 5 weeks. PO4 has been 0 ever since I have only added 300ml of NPX Bio Plastics at this point. I want to keep 400ml of NPX in the reactor, i just haven't added the last 100ml because i noticed over the last month my ORP has been dropping it normally ranged 385 - 350 in a day now its around 275 - 230 in a day. I do water changes once per week about 25 gal I use IO mixed with RO/DI, I dose part A/B, Mag, Trace, Iodine, Strontium and Moly. The only change was adding the NPX reactor I am hoping over time the bio load in the NPX reactor will stabilize and my orp will go back up but I wonder if any one else has seen this correlation between OPR and NPX reactor? My algae problem is almost gone for the most part I see some cyno bacteria pop up on the sand now and then but for the most part its under control for now. :a45:


Temp 81-81.4F
PH 8.08-8.23
Salinity 33ppt
ORP 275-230
ALK 9dkh
Cal 460ppm
Mag 1500ppm
Iodine 0.03ppm
NO3 0ppm
PO4 0ppm

Thanks,
Gerry0625

 

[gerry0625]

Ok ORP has come up a little bit now around 290-310. Cant believe no one has come across this issue, seems like as the NPX Bio Plastics get started and eat up a lot of the available O2 causing the ORP to drop and as I go through my apex logs also made my PH drop for a few weeks there. Still some Cyano here and there but most my algae is still under control just added the last 100ml of Bio Plastics. Water clarity has been good and the only thing i have lost is an elegance coral which was not a total surprise. I have a feeling that once this last batch of pellets I added get seeded and do there thing my ORP will return to normal my ph has been good back to normal.

Temp 81.5-81.9F
PH 8.17-8.28
Salinity 33ppt
ORP 290-310
ALK 10dkh
Cal 440ppm
Mag 1425ppm
Iodine 0.03ppm
Strontium 10ppm
NO3 0ppm
PO4 0.25ppm

I have been feeding a lot more every day since the NPX reactor has been running which is why I think my PO4 jumped back up hopefully since I added more Bio Plastics it will catch back up. If any one is using these NPX Bio Plastics I would love to hear anything you notice going on in your tank.
Thanks
Gerry0625

 

[gerry0625]

Ok so ORP is sitting around 220, Cyano is gone and has been gone for about a month now still some algae growth on my overflows and back wall but my snails are keeping it in check and my sump has turned itself into a refugium with red and green macro algae's growing. My NPX bioplastics seem to be doing the trick I feed every day pretty heavy I have 15 fish in a mixed reef but mostly LPS and No trace of NO3 and fairly low PO4:a23:
I have done large water changes hoping to help my ORP but it only works for a day or so then it drops back down so I am back to weekly water changes about 25gal/wk. I guess with the bacteria the Bio plastics produce are fighting my ORP which is fine now I know what my new normal is for my tank running the NPX. Water quality is good everything looks good fish are happy. My skimmer is extra nasty and I notice I have to clean it more often, my cup drains automatically but I have to clean the build up on the neck and it is set to a pretty wet skim. The fluid in the cup is basically black or the darkest green you can imagine and you done want to smell it, I have started keeping a bag of carbon on top of my collection cup for the the smell.
My Temp, PH, Salinity, and ORP are all monitored by my Apex, and I test the rest weekly using Salifert test's except NO3 I use API test.

Temp 81.4-81.7F
PH 8.28-8.34
Salinity 35ppt
ORP 200-240
ALK 11dkh
Cal 500ppm
Mag 1500ppm
Iodine 0.03ppm
Strontium 10ppm
NO3 0ppm
PO4 0.125ppm - 0.25ppm Tested at 0ppm once but has not happen again since. I have read that some low levels of PO4 are good, maybe I should stop trying to aim for 0ppm and be happy where its at as long as my algae is under control...