Vinegar dosing question

Lovefish77

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Question for the experts here. I have a 85 gallon system that has nitrates of 25ppm.
I have been trying to tone down the nitrates using vinegar
I have been dosing for like a week and a half at a midpoint for the dosage between 25 and 50 gallons in the vinegar dosing table (starting slow).
So far I have noticed one hammer turning very light colored, and just yesterday my black widow anemones are looking lighter (I never saw them like that unless they are light deprived and hiding under a rock due to lack of real estate).

My alk was 9 but I have been dialing it down by lower dosing after I started vinegar dosing.
Question is what shall I do now? Stop vinegar dosing altogether (cold turkey)? Or taper it? Currently dosing 6ml a day in 1 ml increments.
Also lowered my light a bit as I run high par for fear that water clarity could be the culprit for lighter colors.

Thoughts? Thanks everyone
 

SPR1968

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To be honest, I wouldn’t be dosing anything with a nitrate at 25 as it’s fine, and in a tank that size you can bring it down with a few water changes. My large system runs at 25 nitrate and glows with life.

If the corals are reacting and you want to keep using vinager, just reduce the dose for a while and then gradually increase it
 

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6mls of vinegar a day is nothing. I doubt it's the cause of what is happening with your nem or corals especially only 10 days in.

I wouldn't bother with lowering nitrates unless you're having some algae issues or going full blown Acropora dominant.
 
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To be honest, I wouldn’t be dosing anything with a nitrate at 25 as it’s fine, and in a tank that size you can bring it down with a few water changes. My large system runs at 25 nitrate and glows with life.

If the corals are reacting and you want to keep using vinager, just reduce the dose for a while and then gradually increase it
Thanks so probably reduce it to like 3ml a day?I already do daily water changes that translate to like 15% a month. Imhe WC are just a patch, they will rise again unless you maintain a routine of aggressive large water changes.
 
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6mls of vinegar a day is nothing. I doubt it's the cause of what is happening with your nem or corals especially only 10 days in.

I wouldn't bother with lowering nitrates unless you're having some algae issues or going full blown Acropora dominant.
True it sounds a bit strange given I am dosing 6ml a day. But nothing else has changed. I just cut back on acropower and redsea ab+ to try and curb nitrates. Everything else is the same!
 

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Nothing changed? You drop your alk and reduced acropower and redsea ab+

Changing alk is always going to be a short term stresser and the reduction of the foods for what the corals are used to is also a change.

If the corals/nem were fine before why make any changes? LPS and a nem are going to be fine with 25.0 nitrates.
 
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I dropped my alk to like 8.4 from 9 over a course of a week. So not drastic I think. Feeding the tank the same amount like 2 cubes a day. Just lowered acropower as it contributes to nitrates.
I made changes because I have a high bio load and 25ppm is starting to curb feeding liberally (my norm).
It is not just a nem, they are seven black widows and 2 of them are 12 to 14 inches across
 

Randy Holmes-Farley

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I agree that the vinegar at these doses is not likely causing the observed effects.

Reducing it is fine, but I wouldn't expect that to have any observed effects either.

FWIW, I recommend dosing vinegar well away from corals (preferably in a sump), slowly, and during the daylight hours when pH and O2 are naturally highest, since it lowers both.
 
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I agree that the vinegar at these doses is not likely causing the observed effects.

Reducing it is fine, but I wouldn't expect that to have any observed effects either.

FWIW, I recommend dosing vinegar well away from corals (preferably in a sump), slowly, and during the daylight hours when pH and O2 are naturally highest, since it lowers both.
I see thanks I add 1 ml of a wavemaker to distribute across the tank. Wavemakers are not that far from corals though. Thanks
 

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Any other thoughts? I started tapering down vinegar dosing down to like 3ml from 6ml.
Work up slowly but your fine. My tank I was dosing up to 70ml of vinegar daily. My nitrate is now at 3-5 and Po4 is .08 on a very heavy loaded tank. I have dialed it down and my normal dosage is now at 48ml daily with 150gal water. The key is slowly and none of my corals were affected including torches, hammers and clams
 

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Work up slowly but your fine. My tank I was dosing up to 70ml of vinegar daily. My nitrate is now at 3-5 and Po4 is .08 on a very heavy loaded tank. I have dialed it down and my normal dosage is now at 48ml daily with 150gal water. The key is slowly and none of my corals were affected including torches, hammers and clams
I’m up to a high of 24ml in a 28g tank, I plan on staying at this dose for a few weeks and then slowly lowering it to find a maintenance dose (I’m thinking it’ll probably be around 15-18ml.
 
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Work up slowly but your fine. My tank I was dosing up to 70ml of vinegar daily. My nitrate is now at 3-5 and Po4 is .08 on a very heavy loaded tank. I have dialed it down and my normal dosage is now at 48ml daily with 150gal water. The key is slowly and none of my corals were affected including torches, hammers and clams
Thanks for your input. But problem is y corals are starting to be affected by loosing colors a bit especially for anemones.
 

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What's wrong with 25ppm NO3?

Does a # have you thinking there are problems that potentially not there?

If you are seeing no ill effects .... don't sweat a #
 
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Lovefish77

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What's wrong with 25ppm NO3?

Does a # have you thinking there are problems that potentially not there?

If you are seeing no ill effects .... don't sweat a #
I have had the same comment from other people too. Reason to lower;
1. I feed heavy and 25ppm is curbing that amount. Mind you I have a skimmer, marine pure block and a decent algae scrubber.
2. My bw nems are growing to dinner plate size, I think due to high nitrates. So wanna bring it down to that reason too
Been around in that hobby to not hassle a number .
Idea of carbon dosing is to time N down to like 10 or so.
 
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Lovefish77

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Just an update somehow my alk went up even though I decreased the dose. I guess because i lost a couple of medium sps colonies. So my alk is 9.7dkh!!!. I will stop dosing for a few days until it slides. Could that be the reason for loss in colors?
My nitrates still at 25ppm and phosphate 0.07 (using hanna).
 

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