Triton testing?
Randy's vinegar dosing limit. I found it!
- Thread starter Randy Holmes-Farley
- Start date
Triton testing?
rfgonzo
New member
I just finished week #7 on a 200 gallon total water volume, 32ml of vinegar per day. I have noticed less algae on glass and nitrates at 5ppm and phosphates undetectable with Hanna checker. I have also noticed that my RBTA that has been in the same place for the last year has moved three times in the last three weeks and also is a dark brown and shrunken but still seems to be healthy. I'm wondering if I should continue on with a higher dose? (week 8) or maintain it where it is now? or if I should cut back?
Hmm, that's not a bad diet, in my opinion. I might try feeding it a bit more often, but it might just be looking for water with more nitrate and phosphate. I would expect carbon dosing to affect coloration. You might need to back off on the dosing to get the coloration back to the previous state.
Phosphate limitation might be an issue for the anemone. Are you using any PO4 removers like GFO. If so I'd stop unitil some PO4 was evident in testing, say 0.03 to 0.05 ppm or so.
32ml or 5% vinegar for 200 gallons isn't very much. FWIW, I dose a mix of vodka and vinegar which is equivalent to 368 ml of vinegar in terms of organic carbon content. to a 650 gallon sytem. I've been doing it for over 5 years, Entamacea quadricolor anemones(bubble tips) in the system are a bit darker than in a non dosed tank but have been thriving for all that time.
32ml or 5% vinegar for 200 gallons isn't very much. FWIW, I dose a mix of vodka and vinegar which is equivalent to 368 ml of vinegar in terms of organic carbon content. to a 650 gallon sytem. I've been doing it for over 5 years, Entamacea quadricolor anemones(bubble tips) in the system are a bit darker than in a non dosed tank but have been thriving for all that time.
rfgonzo
New member
I don't use GFO unless I absolutely need to, which the last time I used it was about 1-1/2 or 2 years ago. I will try feeding the RBTA a bit more and cut back slowly on Vinegar. I have about 120 diffrent corals SPS and LPS all are looking great and growing fast so I know their is nutrients in the water. The RBTA still looks healthy just not as colorful or large. 32ml is a very small amount on 200 gal but maybe cutting back for a bit will color him back up.
Vinegar dosing
Vinegar dosing
hey all
just wondering
You have to use 8 times more vinegar than vodka, I am dosing 500ml a day in an 1800 litre predator tank which is a FOWLR, nitrates are around and stay stable at 12 (red sea test)
will the 8 times the amount required compared to vodka evaporate over time, my thinking is would the tank water the fish are in eventually start becoming vinegar which I guess is not what the fish would like or as I mention will it evaporate or be skimmed out.
due to no corals I have not completed a water change for 4 months, calcium, kh and salinity are all in check.
hopefully no one will shout at this but my reasons are phosphate and nitrate are so low the need for water change was taken away?
thanks all
Vinegar dosing
hey all
just wondering
You have to use 8 times more vinegar than vodka, I am dosing 500ml a day in an 1800 litre predator tank which is a FOWLR, nitrates are around and stay stable at 12 (red sea test)
will the 8 times the amount required compared to vodka evaporate over time, my thinking is would the tank water the fish are in eventually start becoming vinegar which I guess is not what the fish would like or as I mention will it evaporate or be skimmed out.
due to no corals I have not completed a water change for 4 months, calcium, kh and salinity are all in check.
hopefully no one will shout at this but my reasons are phosphate and nitrate are so low the need for water change was taken away?
thanks all
The acetic acid in the vinegar hydrolizes to acetate when it hits the tank .The water that comes with it is no different than any other di water top off delivered to the tank.
The evaproation in stored vingar open to the air would decrease the water and thus increase the acetic acid concetration in the remaining water over time. Vinegar is 95% distilled water. 80 proof vodka is 60 % distilled water.
I think 500 ml of vinegar is a high side dose for the 470 gallons you have. I use about half that . With vinegar dose it slowly over the course of the day to avoid precipitous downward pH spikes.
due to no corals I have not completed a water change for 4 months, calcium, kh and salinity are all in check.
hopefully no one will shout at this but my reasons are phosphate and nitrate are so low the need for water change was taken away?
Water changes add and subtract a wide array of elements ,not just phosphate and nitrate , mainting levels of these elemnts is more critical in a coral tank but still helpful in a fish only, IMO.
The evaproation in stored vingar open to the air would decrease the water and thus increase the acetic acid concetration in the remaining water over time. Vinegar is 95% distilled water. 80 proof vodka is 60 % distilled water.
I think 500 ml of vinegar is a high side dose for the 470 gallons you have. I use about half that . With vinegar dose it slowly over the course of the day to avoid precipitous downward pH spikes.
due to no corals I have not completed a water change for 4 months, calcium, kh and salinity are all in check.
hopefully no one will shout at this but my reasons are phosphate and nitrate are so low the need for water change was taken away?
Water changes add and subtract a wide array of elements ,not just phosphate and nitrate , mainting levels of these elemnts is more critical in a coral tank but still helpful in a fish only, IMO.
wow thank you for such a quick response.
I will lower the dosage and carryout a water change a little more often then rather than never, I use red sea pro which has raised elements which I use in my reef tank so I will use this on my FOWLR.
once I start the drop slowly I will check weekly for changes in my nitrate levels as the tank is well fed especially my fat guinea foul now at 14 inch's, fat bugger lol
the dosing unit I have is set to dose the daily amount over 6 periods in 24 hours
thank you
I will lower the dosage and carryout a water change a little more often then rather than never, I use red sea pro which has raised elements which I use in my reef tank so I will use this on my FOWLR.
once I start the drop slowly I will check weekly for changes in my nitrate levels as the tank is well fed especially my fat guinea foul now at 14 inch's, fat bugger lol
the dosing unit I have is set to dose the daily amount over 6 periods in 24 hours
thank you
james30ct
New member
Question for everyone. I started vinegar dosing my 180g tank and I'm on week 2. 15ml per day. When I woke up this morning tank was a little cloudy and after I dosed this afternoon it got a little cloudy again. Should I cut back? I wouldnt think this small of a dose would cause a bacterial bloom.
tank specs
temp 80
sg 1.026
alk 8
mag 1400
cal 430
nitrates always read zero but its an api test
phos also read zero with api and elos test but I have glass algae almost daily
I have 3 tangs, 2 clown and 3 smaller fish. I wanted to start vinegar because I feed a lot and I have sand and wanted to keep nutrients down.
tank specs
temp 80
sg 1.026
alk 8
mag 1400
cal 430
nitrates always read zero but its an api test
phos also read zero with api and elos test but I have glass algae almost daily
I have 3 tangs, 2 clown and 3 smaller fish. I wanted to start vinegar because I feed a lot and I have sand and wanted to keep nutrients down.
HighlandReefer
Team RC
Dosing vinegar or other carbon sources will increase your bacterial populations. These bacteria need to be removed in order to export nutrients from your water column.
Either you cut back a bit on the amount you dose or increase your filter methods like adding bag filters or diatom filters into your system to remove the bacteria quicker.
Either you cut back a bit on the amount you dose or increase your filter methods like adding bag filters or diatom filters into your system to remove the bacteria quicker.
swk
New member
What skimmer are you running on this tank? Seems odd. At one point I was dosing almost 65ml a day in my 75 gal and never had any cloudy water.
I dose and amount of vodka and vinegar equivalent to about 102ml 5% acetic acid vinegar at your water volume. I don't know why you are experiencing cloudiness at the low level dose in use; maybe coincidental. I'd probably back off the vinegar though to see if the clouldness persists.
Tokyoyankee
New member
I've ramped up to150ml now on my 90g plus sump. Quite high but I'm assuming it's bc of the 18 fish bio load. I'm using it to combat the nuisance algae along with 500grams of GFO
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MrineLfRlz
Active member
Got my results back from AWT today wow! Nitrates 48!
I didnt see these results with my test kit time to buy new ones!
Im really thinking about starting vinegar dosing i tried bio pellet reactor explosion of cyano! I read here http://reefkeeping.com/joomla/index...ar-dosing-methodology-for-the-marine-aquarium
that vinegar has reduced cyano growth and not to mention having to keep alk low for bio pellets, that was almost impossible for me!
I didnt see these results with my test kit time to buy new ones!
Im really thinking about starting vinegar dosing i tried bio pellet reactor explosion of cyano! I read here http://reefkeeping.com/joomla/index...ar-dosing-methodology-for-the-marine-aquarium
that vinegar has reduced cyano growth and not to mention having to keep alk low for bio pellets, that was almost impossible for me!
