Dummyforclownfi
New member
Dose anyone have a good regime for dosing vodka. This is the first time I will be looking into this so just trying to get a background on it before I get serious.
Vodka Dosing
- Thread starter Dummyforclownfi
- Start date
This article should help:
http://reefkeeping.com/joomla/index...ar-dosing-methodology-for-the-marine-aquarium
http://reefkeeping.com/joomla/index...ar-dosing-methodology-for-the-marine-aquarium
dkeller_nc
New member
Hmm - You specifically asked about Vodka dosing:
http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/2008-08/nftt/index.php
The article Bertoni linked to is about vinegar dosing. However, if this is your first experience with carbon dosing, I would strongly recommend that you start with vinegar dosing. You most definitely can overdose and nuke an aquarium with carbon dosing, and Vodka is far more concentrated than vinegar with respect to its carbon content, so small liquid volume measurement errors are going to have a much bigger effect with vodka than with vinegar.
Also, you don't have to pay high liquor taxes with the vinegar.
http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/2008-08/nftt/index.php
The article Bertoni linked to is about vinegar dosing. However, if this is your first experience with carbon dosing, I would strongly recommend that you start with vinegar dosing. You most definitely can overdose and nuke an aquarium with carbon dosing, and Vodka is far more concentrated than vinegar with respect to its carbon content, so small liquid volume measurement errors are going to have a much bigger effect with vodka than with vinegar.
Also, you don't have to pay high liquor taxes with the vinegar.
Dummyforclownfi
New member
Dont worry Bertoni, we forgive you. Here's a stupid question. So if everything in my tank is very stable and flourishing, should I need to mess with anything? I just feel I want to start doing more for even better results.
Fishyoga
New member
Also, be careful with Vinegar dosing and your pH. I know what people are probably thinking: 'pH swing shouldn't be much if you have a good buffer in your system'.
I foolishly started vinegar dosing without monitoring pH. about 2.5 ml per day.
My pH dropped to about 7.8.
When I switched to vodka dosing (again, follow the experts opinions), my tank had an immediate and decisive response. No more cyano.
I foolishly started vinegar dosing without monitoring pH. about 2.5 ml per day.
My pH dropped to about 7.8.
When I switched to vodka dosing (again, follow the experts opinions), my tank had an immediate and decisive response. No more cyano.
FWIW, all organic carbon dosing methods reduce pH, and if dosed slowly enough, by about the same amount as they are converted into CO2. I agree that a sudden dose of vinegar also has an immediate pH concern that other organics do not. 
Vodka is less dilute than vinegar in terms of the organic carbon. 80 proof vokda is 40% ethanol and 60% water. Plain white vinegar is only 5% acetic acid and 95% water. So, when converting from vinegar to vodka just divide the dose by 8.
Ethanol and acetic acid/aka ethanoic acid are about the same . Ethanol oxidizes to acetic acid in water. Acetic acid does release H+ quickly when added to the tank and can drop pH precipitously when dosed in volume at one time. It's best for slow dosing during periods of photosynthesis.
Vodka can be more easily bolus dosed(dosed at once) and is difficult to dose with dosing pumps etc since only small amounts are needed.
So, which you choose to use depends mostly on how you wish to dose it.imo.
Both cost just about the same, if you don't count the water. Both will have the same net effect on decreasing pH from bacterial activity and CO2 additions in the end( about .15 units in my case at a moderate dose) but vinegar drops pH fast and early and makes some of it back up.
FIWIW, I've used both vodka and vinegar for about 5.5 years.
Whether or not to use organic carbon depends on your goals ,your preferences , your tank , the corals you want to keep, the amount you wish to feed and whether or not you think the extra bacteria will help the food web among other things.
This thread which discusses organic carbon dosing choices and use may be of interest; there is also a vodka dosing article linked in it:
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2134105&highlight=organic+carbon+dosing
Ethanol and acetic acid/aka ethanoic acid are about the same . Ethanol oxidizes to acetic acid in water. Acetic acid does release H+ quickly when added to the tank and can drop pH precipitously when dosed in volume at one time. It's best for slow dosing during periods of photosynthesis.
Vodka can be more easily bolus dosed(dosed at once) and is difficult to dose with dosing pumps etc since only small amounts are needed.
So, which you choose to use depends mostly on how you wish to dose it.imo.
Both cost just about the same, if you don't count the water. Both will have the same net effect on decreasing pH from bacterial activity and CO2 additions in the end( about .15 units in my case at a moderate dose) but vinegar drops pH fast and early and makes some of it back up.
FIWIW, I've used both vodka and vinegar for about 5.5 years.
Whether or not to use organic carbon depends on your goals ,your preferences , your tank , the corals you want to keep, the amount you wish to feed and whether or not you think the extra bacteria will help the food web among other things.
This thread which discusses organic carbon dosing choices and use may be of interest; there is also a vodka dosing article linked in it:
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2134105&highlight=organic+carbon+dosing
Last edited:
Lol I had to post simply because being new to the reefing hobby every time I here the term vodka dosing I get a picture in my head of a group of reefers doing vodka shots while admiring tanks.
When I dose it that way my tanks always look better.
dkeller_nc
New member
I suspect most that have "been around the block" would share this opinion: don't fix what isn't broken. It sounds trite, but I've certainly read a whole lot of threads where folks really caused problems by trying to "tweak" their system when nothing was really wrong.
With regard to carbon dosing, I'd suggest making a decision based on whether or not your nitrate concentration is well above 5 ppm and (emphasis on the and!) you have major algae problems. Another factor would be the corals in your tank - reefers with SPS-dominated tanks tend to want NO3 less than 5 ppm (but not necessarily zero). But many with LPS-dominated tanks find that their corals do better in "dirtier" environments.
