Vodka dosing

[scotty333]

So having tried vinegar for a month and nopox for a month with no effects on no3 or po4 I’m trying vodka
Looking at the chart for my 150g is 0.6ml for 3 days , seems very little ? Is this right?

 

[lapin]

Vodka is 8 times more carbon than vinegar. If your replacing vinegar I would calculate how much you need to equal what your feeding your tank now.
No pox has both vinegar and vodka.

 

[scotty333]

I’ve not dosed for a week but I guess the bacteria that’s built up over the last 2 month dosing will still be there hungry?
Should I raise the dose to say. 1ml ?
Only effects I saw with dosing more than the recommended is slime coming of the rocks

 

[lapin]

Ya I would start with 1ml and then go up as the chart says. Monitor your No3 , Po4

 

[scotty333]

Sounds like a good idea , any experience yourself of how long it’ll take to drop 30ppm ?

 

[benmed]

I just started vodka dosing about 2 weeks ago. I’m following the following chart which is more aggressive. I have noticed no ill effects.

NEW Vodka and Vinegar Dosing Charts

The reasons I'm updating the Vinegar and Vodka dosing charts are two-fold: 1. The ramp was unnecessarily slow. There was no perceived benefit to such a tedious ramp, and it led to reefers quitting because they thought carbon dosing didn't work. 2. The ramp did not scale up correctly...

www.reef2reef.com

 

[lapin]

I cant remember how long it took. Its been years. I have 600 gallon tank and I dose 30 ml vodka and 150 ml vinegar.

 

[blecki]

It took me about a bottle of nopox to see nitrates drop. At the dosage for my tank that was about 3 weeks. I'm up to 14ml daily vodka in 230 gallons and holding here as long as my nitrates stay down.

 

[scotty333]

I just started vodka dosing about 2 weeks ago. I’m following the following chart which is more aggressive. I have noticed no ill effects.

NEW Vodka and Vinegar Dosing Charts

The reasons I'm updating the Vinegar and Vodka dosing charts are two-fold: 1. The ramp was unnecessarily slow. There was no perceived benefit to such a tedious ramp, and it led to reefers quitting because they thought carbon dosing didn't work. 2. The ramp did not scale up correctly...

www.reef2reef.com

Says I should use 4.7ml that’s a huge jump from the old chart at 0.6ml
I was dosing 44ml of vinigar and it’s supposed to be 8x weaker
Now , do I go 4.7ml?

 

[scotty333]

It took me about a bottle of nopox to see nitrates drop. At the dosage for my tank that was about 3 weeks. I'm up to 14ml daily vodka in 230 gallons and holding here as long as my nitrates stay down.

I’ve used 750ml in 150g in a month

 

[Idech]

I just started dosing vodka today, using the old recipe. Thanks for that, I will switch to this chart starting tomorrow.

 

[scotty333]

Me too
Keep your findings posted please

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

I’ve not dosed for a week but I guess the bacteria that’s built up over the last 2 month dosing will still be there hungry?
Should I raise the dose to say. 1ml ?
Only effects I saw with dosing more than the recommended is slime coming of the rocks

If one sees problematic levels of bacteria in the display, it may be worth switching to a different organic carbon source to see if you can get a bacteria species growing that is less undesirably visible.

 

[scotty333]

If one sees problematic levels of bacteria in the display, it may be worth switching to a different organic carbon source to see if you can get a bacteria species growing that is less undesirably visible.

So I’ll give vodka a shot, cheers

 

[scotty333]

Confirmed salinity at 1.022 with lfs
Checked mag on fresh batch of salt water at 1245ppm , 100 ltr changed
Stats are now

Calcium 460
Nitrate 25
Magnesium 1200
Kh 7.7
Phosphate 0.20

 

[scotty333]

Buffering mag, now 1275
Kh 9.6
Nitrate 20 (could be dropping with the vodka?)

 

[Foneman02]

Buffering mag, now 1275
Kh 9.6
Nitrate 20 (could be dropping with the vodka?)

I’ve been using vodka as a carbon source for 3 years now. I manually dose about 15m a day in a 120. My hanna checker reading is between a 5.0 and a 3.0. Have to empty my skimmer cup once a week. I was dosing nopox but it became too expensive.

 

[scotty333]

How long for the vodka to kick in? Can you remember?
I’m dosing 7ml in 150g , it’s only day 4
Nopox did nothing for me neither vinigar

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

How long for the vodka to kick in? Can you remember?
I’m dosing 7ml in 150g , it’s only day 4
Nopox did nothing for me neither vinigar

It can take a long time if the doses are low:

Looking for thoughts on organic carbon dosing and nitrate

It is frequently claimed that it takes a long time (sometimes weeks) for organic carbon dosing to reduce nitrate. Do folks believe that is true, and if it is, why would it be true? Are most folks just starting to dose too slowly? Bacterial number increase is sometimes cited as a reason, but...

www.reef2reef.com

 

[scotty333]

Is 7ml low dosage?