Vodka Dosing

[Djbeasley05]

I'm on day 7 of vodka dosing. This is a last ditch effort to drop my nitrates. I think my problem is I don't have enough live rock in my DT. Problem is, I don't want a ton of rock there. I've considered putting more rock in my sump. I am currently running a skimmer and algae scrubber. Any suggestions other than my fish swimming in a giant martini glass?


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[Nanook]

I'm on day 7 of vodka dosing. This is a last ditch effort to drop my nitrates. I think my problem is I don't have enough live rock in my DT. Problem is, I don't want a ton of rock there. I've considered putting more rock in my sump. I am currently running a skimmer and algae scrubber. Any suggestions other than my fish swimming in a giant martini glass?


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Might help to know your tank size,age and parameters. Feeding habits, equipment, water change schedule etc. hard to read minds

 

[Djbeasley05]

Might help to know your tank size,age and parameters. Feeding habits, equipment, water change schedule etc. hard to read minds

I just assumed you know I've done everything right lol

90 gallon total water
About 70 pounds of rock
Running over a year
coralline completely covered rock and almost entire bare bottom glass

Salinity 1.026
Alk 9 dkh
Calc 460
Mag 1380
Ph 8.4
Phos undetectable
Nitrates 20ppm

Stock
Two clowns
Yellow tang
Blue/green chromi
Feed every three days very minimal flake food

Mixed reed but do not feed corals

Skimmer rated at 110 gallons
Diy algae scrubber
Good flow throughout tank. No dead spots where detritus builds up

20% water change every two weeks.





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[Nanook]

My bad.

So, your parameters all seem fine to me. I would advise against carbon dosing and let it ride. What’s going on besides the nitrate being 20? Do you have corals dying, algae, or what’s not good?

 

[Djbeasley05]

My bad.

So, your parameters all seem fine to me. I would advise against carbon dosing and let it ride. What's going on besides the nitrate being 20? Do you have corals dying, algae, or what's not good?

Before carbon dosing, nitrates were in the 40s and 50s consistently. I'm surprised it dropped so quickly after 7 days. Is 20ppm drop normal within the first 7 days?


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[Crooked Reef]

I have the same basic question as Nanook. What is going on that has you concerned about your nitrate? Are you just chasing a number because it’s not what it is “supposed” to be? I did that. Crashed my tank, killed a bunch of corals, got a huge bacterial bloom. Nitrates and phosphates got high during the bad times, I’m finally getting the tank back in order and now have the opposite issue. Nitrate 0, phosphate 0.00. Corals we’re starving. I’m currebtly feeding a chunk of rods pacific plankton, two cubes of mysis, two gourmet grazers of nori and Red Sea A&B daily as well as reef roids every three days. Tank is still at 0/0.00 with 10 fish in a 90 gallon. Tank was set up March of 2017, rock wall, minimal rock in display due to wall, no rock in sump but do have some marinepure spheres. It’s like one day something clicked with the bacteria population and I now have an ULNS.

 

[Djbeasley05]

I have the same basic question as Nanook. What is going on that has you concerned about your nitrate? Are you just chasing a number because it's not what it is "œsupposed" to be? I did that. Crashed my tank, killed a bunch of corals, got a huge bacterial bloom. Nitrates and phosphates got high during the bad times, I'm finally getting the tank back in order and now have the opposite issue. Nitrate 0, phosphate 0.00. Corals we're starving. I'm currebtly feeding a chunk of rods pacific plankton, two cubes of mysis, two gourmet grazers of nori and Red Sea A&B daily as well as reef roids every three days. Tank is still at 0/0.00 with 10 fish in a 90 gallon. Tank was set up March of 2017, rock wall, minimal rock in display due to wall, no rock in sump but do have some marinepure spheres. It's like one day something clicked with the bacteria population and I now have an ULNS.

So I'm making the transition to more sps and was given advice that acros don't do well in high nutrient environments.


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[Pife]

What are you using to measure your phosphates? If they are truly that low then you are going to need the dose them to be able to lower your nitrate. Nitrate and phosphate are connected to each other through the bacteria that consume them.

 

[Djbeasley05]

What are you using to measure your phosphates? If they are truly that low then you are going to need the dose them to be able to lower your nitrate. Nitrate and phosphate are connected to each other through the bacteria that consume them.

API phosphate test kit


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[Lance A. Lot]

API phosphate test kit


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Are you using API for all tests?

 

[Djbeasley05]

Are you using API for all tests?

No. Just phosphates because I couldn't afford a Hanna at the time. Have a Hanna checker on order now

I use Red Sea for all other tests. I'll be switching to Hanna for phosphates, ph, calc and Alk when they come in.


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[Lance A. Lot]

Did you get the low range or ultra low range?

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[Djbeasley05]

Did you get the low range or ultra low range?

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Ultra low range


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[cyricdark]

Unless your dosing some kind of bacteria then it's unlikely carbon dosing lowered your nitrates that fast, probably something else affected them like your algae scrubber. Carbon dosing vodka takes a while to really kick in, it took 4+ months to bring one of my tanks down from 70 ppm nitrates to less than 10 ppm. That being said some of the prettiest sps tanks I've ever seen run 20-50 ppm nitrates, stability is more important than nitrate parameters.

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[Crooked Reef]

No. Just phosphates because I couldn't afford a Hanna at the time. Have a Hanna checker on order now

I use Red Sea for all other tests. I'll be switching to Hanna for phosphates, ph, calc and Alk when they come in.


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I would skip calcium. Hanna are notoriously hard to get correct or get consistent results for calcium. Phosphates and Alk are great tests, I don't know about the ph one.

 

[Pife]

Skip the pH and calcium.

 

[Djbeasley05]

They're in!!


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[Crooked Reef]

Nice. You will like these.

 

[Djbeasley05]

Results are in! .004 ppm phosphates at 30 ppm nitrates. From what I've read I need phosphates higher than this in order for carbon dosing to be effective?


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[Crooked Reef]

So you are registering 1.3 ppb on the Hanna phosphorous test? Just want to be sure you know that there is a conversion.