Hey guys so I haven't had a nitrate problem but lately I've had a little more algae growth than usual and both nitrates and phosphates are at 0 so ... I want to give vodka a try. I also hear it improves coral growth and coloration. Anyway, what vodka do I use and how much? I have a 30g cube with a 20g sump
Vodka dosing. How and what?
- Thread starter biologicalme
- Start date
Here you go...............http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2008-08/nftt/
if you have algea growing more than likely your nitrates and phosphates are not zero, what test are you using to test for nitrates and phos ??? I was using API for nitrates and it would alwys ready zero, Then i switched to Red Sea Nitrate test kit and that one read close to 15 ppm, i know have it at about 2 ppm as recommended by the Red Sea No3Po4x stuf im dosing to keep it low.
with any carbon dosing, you want to start low and increase your dosage slightly every week. Too much too fast and you risk death in your tank or cyano will hit you hard. Make sure you have a protein skimmer that can handle it too. I've seen tank crashes because the skimmer couldn't handle the bacteria load.
I used to dose vinegar and it worked. The reason I chose vinegar was because it was less prone to cyano blooms, according to my research. You do have to be careful you don't overdose or you will strip your system of nutrients, hence the aminos dosing. I had good results with vinegar, but they did dull the color of my SPS because my system was too low nutrient. That could have been fixed by decreasing the dosage though. The only thing about vinegar/vodka dosing is that you can't skip a dose, you have to be very strict with the dosing or else it won't work. But at the time, I was dosing vinegar manually and I'm sure it'll make it easier with a doser, but I still was a little paranoid than just dosing by hand. Today, I started running biopellets and once I get my Salifert test kit, I'll see how they're doing. Vinegar/vodka is just a more controlled way of dosing and allows for fine adjustments as opposed to biopellets where you're just putting in a certain amount.
They're both carbon sources. But they have different dosing regimens. You dose less vinegar than vodka. I don't think vodka/vinegar would be a "fix" for cyano cause I had it too while dosing. But from what I read, vinegar was less likely to trigger cyano blooms and I never had one while I dosed. I did have some before dosing though. Vinegar is also cheaper than a bottle of vodka. Go figure. Both are being done with success.
Just run some chemiclean for your cyano. I know a lot of people say you gotta hit the source of the problem, but I tried everything with my green cyano and it wouldn't go away. Chemiclean did the job and it never came back unless I had really high nutrients in my system.
Just run some chemiclean for your cyano. I know a lot of people say you gotta hit the source of the problem, but I tried everything with my green cyano and it wouldn't go away. Chemiclean did the job and it never came back unless I had really high nutrients in my system.
Your in Santa Ana, come to the SCMAS meeting tomorrow night at the IHOP on 17th street. You can get your phosphates tested with a Hanna Colormeter by Steve Garrett.
Also Dr. Sanjay Joshi will be at the meeting discussing LED lighting and he is the lighting guru in our hobby. PLUG DONE
Also Dr. Sanjay Joshi will be at the meeting discussing LED lighting and he is the lighting guru in our hobby. PLUG DONE
read the article linked above, use plain unflavored vodka (because gray goose is for me, sky blue for wifey), like the giant smirnoffs from costco, ramp up dose & dont miss any days. Best to use a dosing pump.
Imo biopellet is the most expensive way to dose carbon and who needs another reactor? I did it for <6months
Now i prefer vinegar, the 2gallon white vinegar from costco
Imo biopellet is the most expensive way to dose carbon and who needs another reactor? I did it for <6months
Now i prefer vinegar, the 2gallon white vinegar from costco
