Did I completely miss something here? I've always read that you need to run a skimmer if you're going to organic carbon dose. He doesnt have a skimmer and barely has a nitrate problem. The simple addition of a skimmer would likely reduce the nitrate levels in his tank without having to carbon dose. Plus isnt carbon dosing without a skimmer really dangerous?
"Well if it sounds so great, why can’t I just start dumping vodka/organic carbon into my system? Before running to the liquor cabinet, the simple answer is overdosing can cause serious and detrimental effects to the reef system. To help circumvent this potential issue a dosing regimen along with some basic equipment is needed. The absolute must is the requirement for a powerful skimmer. People that have reported beneficial results using this method all have had strong skimmer and report a change in skimmate from a light brown to a strong odiferous black sludge. This makes a good skimmer a key requirement and important for two reasons:
1. Gas exchange. The increased bacterial biomass and growth will decrease your dissolved O2 levels in the water column. Too much vodka can result in a drastic decrease of O2 and can cause stress to your reef inhabitants, if not death.
2. Exporting bacteria/macromolecule mass. Vodka addition results in lower NO3 and PO4 levels. You will want to export the incorporated nitrogen and phosphates that you are cultivating by organic carbon dosing. Efficient skimming allows such removal."
http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2008-08/nftt/index.php