Vodka dosing

[Montaquelaveist]

hello fellow reefers so i have stopped using my bio pellets and GFO and started dosing with vodka i have only been using it for about two weeks and i know i can't expect any results anytime soon just trying to find out if anyone else doses vodka and what were the results on another note since i started dosing my water has gotten incredibly clearer than normal almost like the fish are in HD lol should that be happening so quickly

 

[thirty6]

Sounds interesting, Following along
Dosing manually? How much ect

 

[nharbarte]

Theres a lot of articles concerning this subject. http://melevsreef.com/node/184 and http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2008-08/nftt/

I personally tried sugar & vinegar. Both are helpful as long as you understand what you are doing. As of now vinegar works for me.

Skimmer is very important for this usage.

Maybe I'll give vodka a shot too. I'll post some results too.
Y

 

[Montaquelaveist]

Sounds interesting, Following along
Dosing manually? How much ect

I'm currently using the chart from melves reef with a slight change as I'm using my bubble magnus doser to dose so that i don't forget and when its time to do the .5ml increase i does that part manually I'm currently up to 2.5ml per day

 

[b-ridge]

When vodka dosing how long does it usually take to get your nitrates down? I know it depends on how high they are. Let's say nitrates 60-80ppm and phosphates at 1.0. I noticed he said he stopped using gfo also. Does vodka dosing help lower phosphates. also does anyone still run carbon and or gfo while dosing vodka?

 

[mrdobie]

Sounds interestin think im going to follow this post

 

[duke62]

Never noticed it lowering po4. It did lower my nitrates from .25 to 5 but took about 8 weeks following melvs article. I have since stopped vodka dosing and I'm using bio pellets and my no3 is staying at 5

 

[cypher]

Just be careful when you do vodka dosing I stop doing it

 

[cmantis]

I am dosing Red Sea NO3O4 (nopox): http://www.redseafish.com/reef-care-program/algae-management-program/no3po4-x/

 

[Montaquelaveist]

Just be careful when you do vodka dosing I stop doing it

why did you stop dosing it

 

[Montaquelaveist]

I am dosing Red Sea NO3O4 (nopox): http://www.redseafish.com/reef-care-program/algae-management-program/no3po4-x/

how do you like this stuff and what else do you use and after reading the instructions it talks about the removal of items i currently use to remove PO4 and NO3 but what if I'm not using any of it in the first place and have you ever used vodka

on another note here is the first update since stopping the bio pellets and GFO levels have gone up as suspected no adverse effect on tank but the weird thing is a few sps corals that weren't growing before have started to show signs of life lol sorry no pics but my iPhone doesn't take good pics lmao so here are my two lovels

NO3 - .25 based on salifert test kit
PO4 - 0.34 i use the hanna checker

i will keep posting each week as i test only weekly i hoping to see a decline by the third week at least a little

 

[vio]

Any Carbon like BioPeletts, Vodka,Vinegar,Sugar etc. will encourage Bacteria grow, is NOT enough to control the PO4 just by using large density of Bacteria, you have to keep your tank (sump) clean, good Protein Skimmer is a must. I consider sand a "Luxury" need constant clean, water flow very important, help to export the Detritus fast, avoiding precipitation, AquaScope also very important , Berlin socks help, make the water crystal clear, but how long stay the Detritus in (days) then when come to clean, pain, not to mention what kind the water use to rinse, the domestic water supply (cooper) full of PO4, chlorine,Ammonia, bad minerals etc. Also use a good RO/DI water, feed less . In my opinion the faster you remove Detritus and export the better will be. Much easy to control the tank. Right now i use :
No sand
No Berlin Sucks
NO Active Carbon
NO GFO
Just 12 mi of Vodka for 280 Gal. system.
Clean Sump every time i see Detritus precipitation by using Diatom Filter.
Vio.

 

[robert0419]

i will try to dosing myself first!!! i let you no how i feel loll

 

[Chefjpaul]

Dose tank first, then self.

 

[jenny]

i dose self then tank,both feel good lol

 

[ducati335i]

I dose bac 7 vodka vinegar and continue gfo as well..

 

[seldin]

For me, I dose with vinegar with good success. Years ago, I switched from Vodka because it seemed cheaper. Both had good results. Remember, to figure out what is your goal that you are trying to achieve. For me, it's just to lower nitrates. however, water changes are still done weekly. Using a dosing pump is a must. Makes life so easy.

Remember, dosing carbon takes a while for success. In addition, under dosing amounts are much safer on your tank. Key with carbon dosing is patience. Takes a while to see results.

 

[ducati335i]

Do you all think I can drop the bacter 7???
i haven’t used it in a good two months.. just using nopox
I know this sounds crazy but I think some of my fish weren’t ? do to all the bacteria in the water? Maybe there was some negative bacteria in there as well? I read some articles on it and while it could happen it’s not likely..
But I guess dosing the bacter 7 isn’t a must.

 

[seldin]

Carbon dosing used to lower nitrates, phosphates not so much or not at all...

In carbon dosing, you are creating bacteria to feed and consume the bad stuff. You must have excellent water flow with strong aeration and good skimmer. If you overdose, then fish will react like they are gulping air and move around strangely. Fish can be seriously harmed. The idea is that there are many ways to do carbon dosing and vinegar, etc. is cheaper than using a commercial product.

Most of the time, the recommendation is not to do cold turkey but to reduce your version of carbon dosing slowly.

Now if you wanted to get rid of phosphates, there are better and faster ways. I does infrequently with Agent green which is a commercial version of Lanthanum Chloride. Reduces phosphates very fast. Just follow directions to make sure you don't overdose or you can harm your fish.

Safer ways to reduce phosphates are such things as GFO, reduce feedings, frequent water changes, etc.

 

[Rebels23]

For me, I dose with vinegar with good success. Years ago, I switched from Vodka because it seemed cheaper. Both had good results. Remember, to figure out what is your goal that you are trying to achieve. For me, it's just to lower nitrates. however, water changes are still done weekly. Using a dosing pump is a must. Makes life so easy.

Remember, dosing carbon takes a while for success. In addition, under dosing amounts are much safer on your tank. Key with carbon dosing is patience. Takes a while to see results.

Seldin, how long did it take before you saw your nitrates start to go down with vinegar? Did it happen gradually or just go poof one day like how nitrite just disappears one day when cycling a tank?