vodka dosing
- Thread starter damac20
- Start date
plyle02
Active member
Very good experience, just go very slow, and observe how the corals react... SPS can go light on you quickly, have a plan to supplement aminos to provide the corals with nutrients. I would also begin running carbon in a reactor. Your skimmer will more than likely begin producing more skimmate and darken too. This will give you evidence that nitrate and phosphate are being exported from the system, which is indicated by water that appears crystal clear. If you dose too much, the tank will become cloudy, at this point the carbon will only assist, try not and get to that point, take it slow..... Good luck...
plyle02
Active member
It really depends on where you are starting out... I started at 10ppm, got it to zero in about 2 weeks. I went slow though. You can gradually increase as time goes by. Once you establish zero, you can then begin feeding heavier, add aminos and other coral coloring agents and foods. You would still continue to dose to maintain that low nutrient level.
bagged87blayzer
New member
Now with Vodka Dosing. Do I still need to do weekly water changes?
plyle02
Active member
Well,
That is really up to you... I still like to do w/c's, but not as frequently due to adding in trace elements...for example: Salifert Hard Trace(when it runs out, BW's Replinish), BW's Iodion, BW's Mag, BW's Ferrion(Iron), BW's Pottasion, a few drops of Lugols per week, and Strontium. When I do a w/c, I skip a week on the Hard Trace and Strontium. The skimmer will be in overdrive and capable of removing more than usual, as a fyi....
plyle02
Active member
I would start off .5 to 1 ml... It is really trial and error, you should introduce slowly, don't look to acheive overnight results, your corals might react negatively. The sign of overdosing is a slightly cloudy look to the water, at this point, back off, give it a few days, and re-introduce slowly, start off with less than recommended. You can ramp up over several weeks, and as suggested, then you to help you dial in nutrient levels. Kinda like finding the sweet spot with your alk/ca/mag. At this point you are low to ultra low nutrients.
I think it is worth stating that I am running ULNS, but not with vodka currently. I have been running the Neo-Zeo system with the zeo-lite media. I have used vodka and aminos with other products in the past, just using this method currently. Contemplating Zeovit...
Thanks,
Perry
Dugg her is the article that I have been using for my reference on dosing amounts an other info. http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/2008-08/nftt/index.php
cham
New member
I'll quickly toss my .02 in here.
Take it very very slow. Purposly propagating bateria in a closed system is inheritely troublesome. Go slow, watch your PH and make sure your skimmer is up to the job.
Otherwise I've seen some very positive results in others tanks as well as mine. I don't dose vodka but Vit C which is another carbon source that has also been speculated to be beneficial to zoanthids.
Take it very very slow. Purposly propagating bateria in a closed system is inheritely troublesome. Go slow, watch your PH and make sure your skimmer is up to the job.
Otherwise I've seen some very positive results in others tanks as well as mine. I don't dose vodka but Vit C which is another carbon source that has also been speculated to be beneficial to zoanthids.
