hey guys whats up its me again within the last month or so ive been nitrate crazy ive cleaned all pads sponges frequently i syphoned my sand bed i feed less do water changes everything u can think of. i cant invest in no new equipment right now to help with nitrates so i was thinking on dosing vodka CAN ANYONE IN AS LITTLE WORDS AS POSSIBLE TELL ME HOW TO DOSE AND HOW OFTEN AND WHATS THE PROS AND CONS i already made up my mind and im willing to share my grey goose vodka with my fish.thanks alot guys
tried everything nitrates still there
- Thread starter baldomero
- Start date
Aquarist007
New member
By your signture can we assume you have a fowlr tank. If so what exactly are your nitrate levels. Nitrate levels are far less and issue as with mixed reefs
Tswifty
New member
You're running a FOWLR, so unless your Nitrates are extremely high, I really don't see what the issue is? People dosing vodka are primarily doing it in reef tanks where the nutrient levels are affecting coral growth/color.
There is no one "magic fix" that will solve your problems. A PROPERLY set up system, along with good husbandry habits, and a good skimmer should be more than enough to keep them in check in a FOWLR.
However, for a one hit drop in Nitrates, I like melev's water change method.
http://www.melevsreef.com/reducing_nitrates.html
It WILL drastically cut your Nitrates in one shot... keeping them low is up to you after that.
As far as the Vodka dosing question. IMO this is the wrong forum to ask in. Most people will have little to no experience with it, or be able to comment knowledgeably on it.
I suggest checking out the SPS forum, or Reef Discussion for better information. Here is an article, and 2 threads to get you started.
http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2008-08/nftt/index.php
http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=1225324
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=1589131
I see posts like this in the New to the Hobby forum, and it worries me. A lot of terms are thrown around without any background information given. IMO, when you begin to look at these types of solutions, there needs to be an understanding on your part of the entire process/system/etc... It's not something that you just run down to the liquor store for, and start dumping it into your tank.
There is no one "magic fix" that will solve your problems. A PROPERLY set up system, along with good husbandry habits, and a good skimmer should be more than enough to keep them in check in a FOWLR.
However, for a one hit drop in Nitrates, I like melev's water change method.
http://www.melevsreef.com/reducing_nitrates.html
It WILL drastically cut your Nitrates in one shot... keeping them low is up to you after that.
As far as the Vodka dosing question. IMO this is the wrong forum to ask in. Most people will have little to no experience with it, or be able to comment knowledgeably on it.
I suggest checking out the SPS forum, or Reef Discussion for better information. Here is an article, and 2 threads to get you started.
http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2008-08/nftt/index.php
http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=1225324
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=1589131
I see posts like this in the New to the Hobby forum, and it worries me. A lot of terms are thrown around without any background information given. IMO, when you begin to look at these types of solutions, there needs to be an understanding on your part of the entire process/system/etc... It's not something that you just run down to the liquor store for, and start dumping it into your tank.
surge19us
New member
Well triggers are pretty messy eaters. They also limit your ability to have much of a clean up crew to eat what gets down into the rocks and the bottom uneaten. How much live rock do you have? I would try to keep it as open as possible and maybe add more flow to keep the food in the water column as long as possible so it gets consumed. A lot of those fish are voracious eaters and will eat a lot every time you feed. It doesn't mean you need to feed as much. Just keep them full bodied.
MrTuskfish
Team RC
Nitrates in this range are no big deal in your tank. If, in spite of all the reading you can do to confirm this, it still "bothers you"; can you tell us why? Perhaps you need a different sort of help than fish hobbiests can provide.
Plus, if you are using a quick dip test strip your nitrates will always read high. I use them and get an ~40ppm on nitrates in my 44gal FOWLR, but if take water to my LFS to have it tested they read less then half that, usually around 15. But like others have said, without corals that is not that high. If you just want an excuse to keep more vodka around, then just tell the family you're dosing and it'll be RC's little secret!
MrTuskfish
Team RC
Yeah, you're right on the test strips. I have a chemist/fellow hobbiest friend who says that almost all nitrate test kits are very unreliable.
Sisterlimonpot
Premium Member
Dosing vodka isn't something that is reserved for the elite aquarist. It is an extremely simple solution to high nitrates and phosphates. The article in reef keeping magazine sums it up really well. Follow the guidelines and make sure you fully understand it before starting. And like mentioned above a good skimmer is a must and your skimmer (coralife 250) will work fine.
Good luck and when you get your N03 down, hopefully you will be tempted to try some corals in your tank.
Here is the link to the article:
http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2008-08/nftt/index.php
Good luck and when you get your N03 down, hopefully you will be tempted to try some corals in your tank.
Here is the link to the article:
http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2008-08/nftt/index.php
mustang51js
New member
i might have asked you this before but do you have a sump
Alaskan Reefer
New member
60-80 is perfectly acceptable for FOWLR. Don't sweat it.
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