Vodka dosing for large system , Help me!

[New Jersey REEF]

Hi folks, I need advice here
My nitrates are super high at 50 ppm last checked 2 days ago.
I’ve been dosing vodka for 7 weeks now and I’m up to 17.2ml
Raising dosage 1ml per week

phosphates are at 0.09ppm

total water volume is about 1400gal

I was wondering if it’s okay to try and increase dosage more than 1ml per week?

I hear success with lowering nitrates and phosphates for large systems where dosing is 30-60ml daily. If I keep increasing 1ml per week it will take another 15weeks to those numbers at minimum, maybe longer

so again, what would be safest / higher number to increase dosing by of 80 proof vodka? Please share and thank you !

 

[Pistondog]

If volume is 1400 gallons then you can go at least 2x or more.
Are there any calculators

 

[New Jersey REEF]

If volume is 1400 gallons then you can go at least 2x or more.
Are there any calculators

When you say 2x or more, do you mean I should increase dosing 2ml or more per week? Or I can double right right away?

 

[VO3434]

I dose regularly with vodka, however tonight is a beer night !!!
Happy Holidays!

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

IMO, your dose (1 mL per day) is very low. I started my system at 15 mL 80 proof vodka per day with a total water volume about 1/4 of yours. I switch over to vinegar since the vodka seemed to spur cyano.

 

[New Jersey REEF]

IMO, your dose (1 mL per day) is very low. I started my system at 15 mL 80 proof vodka per day with a total water volume about 1/4 of yours. I switch over to vinegar since the vodka seemed to spur cyano.

Current dosing 17.2ml per day, do you think it’s safe to increase dosing by 1ml every 4 days?

 

[Dan_P]

Hi folks, I need advice here
My nitrates are super high at 50 ppm last checked 2 days ago.
I’ve been dosing vodka for 7 weeks now and I’m up to 17.2ml
Raising dosage 1ml per week

phosphates are at 0.09ppm

total water volume is about 1400gal

I was wondering if it’s okay to try and increase dosage more than 1ml per week?

I hear success with lowering nitrates and phosphates for large systems where dosing is 30-60ml daily. If I keep increasing 1ml per week it will take another 15weeks to those numbers at minimum, maybe longer

so again, what would be safest / higher number to increase dosing by of 80 proof vodka? Please share and thank you !

I dose vinegar which has been describe as being 1/8 the carbon dose of vodka. I typically see dramatic bacteria growth and nitrate reduction happen as I near 1 mL/gal vinegar in my fish only system. No experience dosing a coral system. This translates to 1400/8 mL of vodka. I ramped up to this value over about one month. I did not go higher for esthetic reasons. I don’t like cloudy water and got tired of managing the slime on the glass and in the mechanical filter. Using a doser to spread the dose over the entire day would be insurance against any potential problems that might occur with a large bolus dose and just a smart way to manage this method.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

Current dosing 17.2ml per day, do you think it’s safe to increase dosing by 1ml every 4 days?

For a while, yes.

 

[josvanmeer]

I think a big reactor with seachem matrix or other nitrate lowering media would be more effective at this point right? I think youll need a lot of vodka at this point. Any particular reason you went with vodka dosing?

 

[New Jersey REEF]

I think a big reactor with seachem matrix or other nitrate lowering media would be more effective at this point right? I think youll need a lot of vodka at this point. Any particular reason you went with vodka dosing?

No particular reason, I’m just trying different things to see what’s more effective.