Am I ready for Vodka dosing?

[SunnyX]

I was addicted to SPS about half year ago and converted my 75G softie to SPS dominant, so far the color and growth has been decent, my NO3 has been being stable at 5, PO4 is undectable by Elos (I will get Hanna checker soon yeah), minor algea well under control. After seeing so many stunning ULN tanks, I started vodka and MB7 hope to bring level to zero, followed Sunny's instruction and dosage being set at 1ml vodka 3 drops MB7. I have to reduce/stop vodka from time to time because of cayno, my NO3 was reduced to 2 but raise back to 5 after I stopped vodka.

I did notice that water clarity has been GREATLY improved since I started vodka/MB7, but at the time when I stopped vodka only dose MB7 alone, frankly speaking there is no noticable drop of water clarity.

I am considering quit vodka but keep the MB7 which has no side affect and certainly help water clarity and nutrient export. But I want to ask you guys opinion is it worth fighting further for ULN in my situation, has anybody experienced major color improvement from LN to ULN (for example 5PPM NO3 to 0PPM)? given there are no other major factors (for example lighting change, add flow etc?) involved.

Thanks, Ryan

To your point, vodka is not for everyone. If your tank is already doing well then you may not want to delve into vodka, unless of coarse you are looking to save some cash on water changes and GFO. The dosing of vodka will help drive your nutrients to a point where your corals will lighten up to the point that they can become pastel.

You could go with a very low dosage of vodka it order to find the right balance, say .5ml daily. I would rather have my NO3 at 5 then 0 but it can be tricky keeping it at the correct level.

How is everything in your tank looking now color and growth wise?

 

[SunnyX]

If a cyno boom begins stop the carbon or the bacteria?

Hey Rob, hows it going? :D If you have cyano pop up I would stop the vodka and increase the bacteria. Also, siphon up as much cyano as possible. Check out this link here for more dosing guidelines: https://www.reef2reef.com/forums/f48/microbacter7-vodka-dosing-guide-41018.html

 

[ryanjiang]

To your point, vodka is not for everyone. If your tank is already doing well then you may not want to delve into vodka, unless of coarse you are looking to save some cash on water changes and GFO. The dosing of vodka will help drive your nutrients to a point where your corals will lighten up to the point that they can become pastel.

You could go with a very low dosage of vodka it order to find the right balance, say .5ml daily. I would rather have my NO3 at 5 then 0 but it can be tricky keeping it at the correct level.

How is everything in your tank looking now color and growth wise?

Thank you Sunny! Can I understand as such: there are no major benefits on color wise from LN (given level is stable) to ULN, but it is easier to maintain the level at 0.

Now this is my thought: I am new to SPS, at this moment as long as nutrient level is low and stable, with algae under control, I should sit tight and watch my frags growing and develop their color. It is too early for me to try different methods before seeing the full potential of my current system/method.

Below are some pictures, these are all acquired as frags, in my tank from past 1 to 5 month:

 

[ryanjiang]

I will most likely recover smaller dosage of vodka such as 0.5 ml alone with MB7 after this wave of cayno gone, but it will take it easy, no more target is for 0 level. I believe that is the best approach for me now.

 

[SunnyX]

I will most likely recover smaller dosage of vodka such as 0.5 ml alone with MB7 after this wave of cayno gone, but it will take it easy, no more target is for 0 level. I believe that is the best approach for me now.

From what I can see everything in your system looks great so I wouldn't change a thing. Just keep an eye on everything and adjust your dosing accordingly. You are correct concerning the 0 levels in a system. It is easier to feed your tank more and bring nutrient levels up then it is to bring them down.

 

[jasony816]

could dosing too much MB7 cause sps corals to STN? my corals are starting to STN not sure if I need to feed more coral food because at the moment I dont have any fish in the system.

 

[Bigdaddy]

I got a Question when you guys dose the mb7 do you follow the instructions and turn off the uv and skimmer for 4 hours ?