vinegar dosing

[tmz]

Tom,

What test kit are you using in getting such low results with nitrate testing? I see in your previous posts you are getting results in the tenths of a point range. Salifert . Viewed through the side and divided by 10; on a white backround it reads lighter than 2ppm ,once in a while somewhere between 2 and 5ppm. No discernable color at all from the top. Nitrate test are a pain but this has been very consistent on weekly tests.

 

[tmz]

For folks at their maintenance levels - does this change how you would bring new coral or fish into the tank when the day comes? Any kind of shock observed or different acclimation process?

No matched system and qt :sg, temp and normal range ph ; same as always . There is nothing I can think of related to organic carbon dosing to shock a fish or coral, except, perhaps for corals a nitrogen deficiency in a true 0 NO3 tank which should not be an issue in a tank with fed fish.

 

[Znut Reefer]

I'm thinking on dosing my tank with vinegar and vodka. Does anyone here have a BB tank? I'm having some problem with hair algae.

 

[tmz]

Yes, I have both bare bottom and sandy tanks.

 

[biecacka]

update....i added sand to my BB tank and took in a piece of rock that i must not have scrubbed well because tank is covered in GHA. yes it was some laziness on my part to let it get this far out of control but i am pulling it out as we speak and i am back on the vinegar train to help reduce algae.
i see where Randy puts 44ml in his tank a day(i think) and her upped the dosage to that rather quickly, anyone else tried this method
corey

 

[Wolfmann81]

I think Randy uses a limewater solution (also) if I remember correctly - somewhat different things going on when you are also dosing limewater versus just vodka/vinegar. perhaps he will see this thread and chime in.

TMZ (who posted above) who is the Nov 2011 TOTM, doses a high vodka/vinegar amount, and is probably one of the most knowledgeable on the pros and cons of it. 44mL is a lot regardless of tank size, and I don't think that is a level one should get 'up to' quickly. I dose 42mL daily of vodka/vinegar in my 200G TWV, but I have been doing it since December 2010. I think slow is the way to go.

 

[biecacka]

i have a 220 and dose lime too. I've read randy's threads and he went a few days dosing 15ml and then jumped up to 44 i believe and had it up to 100ml a day but was getting ill affects i think
im dosing about 20ml a day in my 220 mostly via ATO w limewater
corey

 

[TPSante]

Hey Cory,

I live in Columbus too. I know this is off topic, but I just wanted to know which lfs you use. I going to start a new tank soon. What do you think of Aqu Adv, and Phishy Business???

Thanks,
Tim

 

[biecacka]

i use phishy. live by them and they are great ppl who have aquariums themselves. AA(aquarium adventure) they want to sell you something and they also are usually overpriced unless its dry goods. now don't get me wrong they do have some nice stuff but phishy is my spot.
you should check out our local group, CORA

http://www.corareef.org/forum

hope to see you there man!!!

 

[TPSante]

Thanks!

 

[ganjero]

is a bacteria bloom harmful from dosing too much too soon?

 

[bertoni]

Well, maybe. The dose might be too much for the tank long-term, too. We don't know much about what's happening with carbon dosing.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

The suspended bacteria themselves may be a plus rather than a detriment as creatures may feed on them, but dosing too much, whether there is a visible bloom or not, can be detrimental.

 

[Wolfmann81]

is a bacteria bloom harmful from dosing too much too soon?

I would say yes, definitely. All the literature that I have ever read always discusses starting slowly on the dosing and ramping up from there to avoid blooms and getting your water adjusted slowly to the chemical/bacterial changes happening. there have even been accounts of people 'accidentally' dumping large amounts of vodka in their tank (don't sit your vodka bottle on the lip of the tank!!!:headwally and had a huge dump of vodka into the display. Bad things are sure to happen if that were to happen! If you haven't already, read this article on carbon dosing and the dosing 'ramp-up' schedule that is set forth in it:

http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2008-08/nftt/index.php

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

True "overdosing" is, by definition, a problem.

The question is whether the final dose one could get too by the slow ramp method you linked to is a problem if given all at once as the very first dose.

IMO, there is no data bearing on that point.

 

[bdroddy]

Randy, if you don't detect NO3 or PO4, then how do you know what the end dosage will be? Right now I can't detect either with Hanna and Salifert test kits, but I have a little HA. I started dosing vinegar on Thursday. I tried vodka once but it made my sand solid as a rock.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

Just like growing macroalgae and using GFO, I judge by the look of the tank. I went higher (400+ mL per day) and it was clearly too much from a number of results (brown RBTA anemones, slightly hazy water, etc).

 

[bdroddy]

Thanks Randy for the quick reply. I know this is going to sound wierd but I'm already seeing positive results from the beginning dosage. I saw 1/2 inch growth in my orange/green birdnest since Friday.

 

[marc nichols]

FWIW: I started dosing vinegar about 6 months ago and it has helped resolve some sand bed, PO3 and PO4 issues. (7 year old system) I recently pushed a little too far and before I realized what was about to happen, I had a carbon caused bacteria bloom. What a mess! I simply shut down the vinegar dosing (4 days) and was real busy changing sump socks and cleaning up inside the tank. In my case, no casualties and all is back to normal and with @ 50% of my high dosage rate back on stream.

 

[mpongrac]

I would have never thought I could put vinegar in a tank with fish in it... learn something new every day