Vodka Method

[Reefing Madness]

Everyone is correct on the point that all tanks are different, but what your missing is in fact exactly how much vodka it takes to take care of a certain amount of nitrates, thats not going to differ. It takes a certain amount to rid the tank, and if you even set up and just change your dosing my 1ml a week, your going to be at it for a very long time, trust me. Not many people get away with just dosing 5mls a day, in any tank, unless you only have a 29g tank. And you also read that people give up very easily, thats because following the normal graph, it will take forever to get the Trates to fall, or I should say, enough bacteria in the system to make an affect on them.

 

[Wiz]

Ng

Everyone is correct on the point that all tanks are different, but what your missing is in fact exactly how much vodka it takes to take care of a certain amount of nitrates, thats not going to differ. It takes a certain amount to rid the tank, and if you even set up and just change your dosing my 1ml a week, your going to be at it for a very long time, trust me. Not many people get away with just dosing 5mls a day, in any tank, unless you only have a 29g tank. And you also read that people give up very easily, thats because following the normal graph, it will take forever to get the Trates to fall, or I should say, enough bacteria in the system to make an affect on them.

if my tank creates 2 ppm of nitrate a day and I do not start dosing until I have 50 ppm in my tank. the amount that it will take in order to see an effect and the amount I need to dose to keep it even are going to be drastically different. I think the point of dosing slow is to allow for that catch up. if I start dosing too high immediately I might eat through that 50 ppm faster and show a differents sooner but I will also be much higher of a dose then I actually need for maintenance. I think that is where people will go wrong. Just my opinion

 

[rayn]

Ng
if my tank creates 2 ppm of nitrate a day and I do not start dosing until I have 50 ppm in my tank. the amount that it will take in order to see an effect and the amount I need to dose to keep it even are going to be drastically different. I think the point of dosing slow is to allow for that catch up. if I start dosing too high immediately I might eat through that 50 ppm faster and show a differents sooner but I will also be much higher of a dose then I actually need for maintenance. I think that is where people will go wrong. Just my opinion

This is where you need to watch your tank. If you start to notice slime or a white cloud in the tank, the bacteria is on overload. Carbon dosing, vodka or vinegar isn't just some thing to jump into and hope it works. It is another form of husbandry that helps, just like everything else we do.

 

[Reefing Madness]

Your killing me now. Theres no reason to dose at 2ppm, none at all. And at even 50, you have to have a certain amount of the bacteria in the water to get it down, the only differing thing would be, how long it takes to actually come down to 0 from a certain number. Its still going to take x amount to get them to fall, but the higher they are, the longer it take it to fall, not necessarily goint to take more. you will eventually see them start to fall at X amount, its just a metter of patience at that point til they fall to 0.
But lets say your at 2, and you want 0, your still going to have to ramp up the bacteria to get enough to eat whats in there, and again, its all a matter of time once you've hit the mark.

 

[Maltese]

Can I ask a question. Right now I'm using the vodka method (dosing vodka) while I'm dosing can i use amino acids ?

 

[Reefing Madness]

Now that one I don't know. Might have to get Randy in to answer that one.

 

[hart24601]

Your killing me now. Theres no reason to dose at 2ppm, none at all. And at even 50, you have to have a certain amount of the bacteria in the water to get it down, the only differing thing would be, how long it takes to actually come down to 0 from a certain number. Its still going to take x amount to get them to fall, but the higher they are, the longer it take it to fall, not necessarily goint to take more. you will eventually see them start to fall at X amount, its just a metter of patience at that point til they fall to 0.
But lets say your at 2, and you want 0, your still going to have to ramp up the bacteria to get enough to eat whats in there, and again, its all a matter of time once you've hit the mark.

I dose at 2ppm. I actually dose nitrate to keep color in a kit but I also keep dosing vodka at a reduced rate. I feel there is a huge reason to dose at 2ppm and that is to feed my inverts. That is really the main reason I carbon dose at all, increased food for feather dusters, sponges, clams and so on.

I use acropower (amino acids) while adding carbon. No issues.

 

[red reef]

I have a 360 gal mixed reef tank that I have kept very clean and did 6-5gal water changes in a week for two weeks in a row. after all that a week later I had a nitrate spike to 80ppm. had been reading about vodka and thought I would give it a try. after 3 days I saw a clarity difference. and at the end of day 5 the nitrates dropped to 5ppm, checked it twice. I think those that are not getting any changes may have a lot of history in the tank to make up for. My tank Is 1 year old and I think I have been feeding the right amount of food. I also keep my skimmer skimming on the wet side. I guess what I would like to say is keep the faith and stay on course. slow and steady wins the race all of the time. and who was it that says nothing good happens fast in a reef tank.