Vodka dosing in my 180g

[m0nk]

So today I started the vodka dosing regiment laid out in the RK Vodka article. I've been reading about other people's successes and following their regiment for several weeks and decided to give it a shot. I have a 180g tank w/ an ecosystem sump that holds about 45-50g of water at present level, but with live rock displacement I decided to consider it about 200g total volume. I have a section in the sump used as a fuge w/ 20lbs of LR and chaeto. My readings are (as of today):

NO3 ~ 15
PO4 = 0

I did notice that my dKH is down to only 6 (I like it around 7-8, personally) so that needs attention, but not sure yet if this dosing will affect dKH at all.

My dosing for today is 0.8ml. I'll try to post my results every day, I have a chart to fill out while I'm doing it all, so I'll at least have the results. I hope this will be helpful for others considering doing this too, and if anyone has any thoughts on the dKH, let me know. Thanks!

-alex
m0nk

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

It should not impact dKH, except perhaps if phosphate were slowing calcification, and the vodka dosing reduced the phosphate and so allowed increased calcification.

 

[m0nk]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13928941#post13928941 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Randy Holmes-Farley
It should not impact dKH, except perhaps if phosphate were slowing calcification, and the vodka dosing reduced the phosphate and so allowed increased calcification.

Thanks, very good info to know! Since there's no detectable phosphate, I guess I should just do my dosing for raising dKH a tad.

 

[radiata]

m0nk,

If your phosphates are indeed Zero, why mess around with vodka? You can get your nitrates to manageable levels with a sulfur filter.

Reards,
Bob

 

[JCTewks]

most test kits will read 0 phosphates even when the levels are as high as 1.0-1.5 (depending on kit). If your PO4 reads 0 on a hannah, then you know you really are at zero...and that's bad too. you want your phosphates under .05

 

[cybrsufr]

Well make sure you fully understand the Vodka method and follow it to the T. In order for it to work properly you must have some PO4 in your system.. I have been dosing for a 15 days now on my 180 (265 Total Water Volume) and am up to 6ml a day (3 in the am and 3 in the pm). Just started seeing a reduction in Nitrates and Phosphates Started at 20 Nitrate and 0.1 phosphate, currently sitting at 10ppm Nitrate and .096 Phosphate (Deltec Test).

 

[m0nk]

Thanks for the comments. I might need to get better test kits for the phosphates, but it's mainly the nitrates I'm worried about. I've got chaeto and do 15-20% water changes every other week and they're not going lower, so we'll see if this helps. I can't get any expensive equipment to do the job either.... I'll be following the method exactly, and plan on splitting up my doses into 2 times a day starting with today's dose.

 

[cybrsufr]

That is the exact reason I started as well. Never really had a problem with PO4 or anything else with the system, but the Nitrates would not go below 15-20ppm. I have used a sulphur denitrater before with excellent results but the cost of buying another at 300-400 and the 70-100 for all of the media, just could not do that right now. 1 Liter or 80 proof Vodka at 8.99 seems much more economical also the theory behind the method makes sense, whether or not it can be 100% proven scientifically is yet to be seen in our hobby, but the people who have been using it for years are having excellent results as long as you go slow and don't try to hurry the process. I seem that if you try to push the envelope too fast that is where the blooms and other issues (burnt tips, rtn, etc) occur. I have yet to find a horror story from anyone that has taken it slow and then maintained the system. Good luck and would love to see you post your results in here.

 

[nandan]

hey

hey

As Monk i have a similar situation. I have NO3 levels up to 10mg. this is with 15 % water change weekly in my 55g aquarium. The most economical thing i could find was Vodka... but having a DSB in the aquarium increase the result time? because my aquarium is more than 2 yrs old now.

 

[cybrsufr]

I really don't think water changes have much effect on Nitrates, so just as yourself and m0nk, that is why I am hoping this will work. I was doing 37G water changes weekly so that would equate to about a 40% water change per month. I have now dropped back to twice a month or about 25% per month and with using ProdiBio BioDigest and Vodka, I have been able to get from 20-25ppm down to 10ppm in a little over 2 weeks. I just upped my dosage this morning to 3ml twice a day or 6ml total. I am guessing that I will not hit the critical point where it drops to zero nitrates until I get to about 8-10ml a day, but I also have 265g total water volume in the system.

Here is my schedule so far: I was having some minor issues with the DKh as I had moved the Calcium reactor from externally feed to in sump and had to dial it all back in. I think it is about set again.

 

[m0nk]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13935161#post13935161 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by cybrsufr
I really don't think water changes have much effect on Nitrates, so just as yourself and m0nk, that is why I am hoping this will work. I was doing 37G water changes weekly so that would equate to about a 40% water change per month. I have now dropped back to twice a month or about 25% per month and with using ProdiBio BioDigest and Vodka, I have been able to get from 20-25ppm down to 10ppm in a little over 2 weeks. I just upped my dosage this morning to 3ml twice a day or 6ml total. I am guessing that I will not hit the critical point where it drops to zero nitrates until I get to about 8-10ml a day, but I also have 265g total water volume in the system.

Here is my schedule so far: I was having some minor issues with the DKh as I had moved the Calcium reactor from externally feed to in sump and had to dial it all back in. I think it is about set again.

Looks like little to no affect on the NO3 and PO4 (well, fluctuating, but not gone) so far. Hope it gets better for you.

I'm getting a bad cyano outbreak and am thinking this might be a bad idea. I'm about to dose for day 4 but I'm worried that the increase in volume could make it worse. A guy in my reef club stopped doing vodka and started using Brightwell Aquatics Reef Biofuel. Does anyone else know anything about this product? Does it really replace vodka without the negative side affects? Thanks!

 

[acrylic_300]

From the chart above it looks like a correlation between rising PO4 and declining NO3.

 

[m0nk]

Anyone have thoughts on the Brightwell Aquatics Reef Biofuel? If I'm going to stick with vodka, I should dose around noon EST, but don't want to if everyone thinks this product will be better. Cyano really bugs me....heh. Thanks!

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

Cyano really bugs me....

FWIW, I do not think that organic carbon dosing is very effective at reducing cyano. I've tried it and it does not work, presumably because the cyano can use the dosed organics. It works against green algae which cannot use organic carbon, but cyano can use it, so it odes not selectively drive other species of bacteria.

 

[m0nk]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13946300#post13946300 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Randy Holmes-Farley
Cyano really bugs me....

FWIW, I do not think that organic carbon dosing is very effective at reducing cyano. I've tried it and it does not work, presumably because the cyano can use the dosed organics. It works against green algae which cannot use organic carbon, but cyano can use it, so it odes not selectively drive other species of bacteria.

Thanks.

Since I've only gotten to day 3 of the dosing, I think I'm going to put it on hold and try that product to address my nitrates. I'll also be doing a much bigger water change next time around to see if that helps.

 

[cybrsufr]

I figure it is going to be at least another 2 weeks before I start to see the big decline in PO4 and NO3. It was steady with no changes for the first 14 days, now it is starting to fluctuate, so I am guessing I am getting to that critical point where they will begin the drastic decline. I am going to stick with it in my system as I have several locals that are having excellent results and they said it took about a month before the results started to show. I have already noticed improved growth and coloration in the corals and due not see any algae on the glass anymore (well rarely). I only have to clean the glass about once a week. I will keep you posted on my developments as well.

 

[yeniraki]

Vodka etc is food for cyano as it is for some other bacteria. Dosing OC will increase you cyano.

 

[m0nk]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13947928#post13947928 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by yeniraki
Vodka etc is food for cyano as it is for some other bacteria. Dosing OC will increase you cyano.

So is it possible I'd have the same problem with that Reef BioFuel product?

 

[danorth]

Wednesday will start my 3rd week. I am dosing 2.5ml, and soon will be 3ml. My nitrates are off the charts as are my phosphates. We will see what this can do. I don't have corals.

 

[Genetics]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13949279#post13949279 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by danorth
Wednesday will start my 3rd week. I am dosing 2.5ml, and soon will be 3ml. My nitrates are off the charts as are my phosphates. We will see what this can do. I don't have corals.

Do you have any ability to detect a decrease in either nitrates or phosphates with levels that high?