Who's dosing vodka? And why?

[tmz]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15638854#post15638854 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by McSassy
Does it matter what kind of vodka it is? In terms of quality...distillation and all that. Can it be any 80 proof liquor? Such as rum?

Yes , it matters. You want to dose ethanol. Vodka at is pure ethanol in distilled water. Plain vodka without flavoring, charcol filtered ,suitable for parking lot drinking is fine.
80 proof equals 40%. So if you use a higher proof voda or another ethanol source such as everclear adjust your doses accordingly.

 

[kmckay]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15635689#post15635689 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Genetics
I kept a few clams without issues. Have you introduced any new clams recently? What type was it and how large was it?

I don't know if phyto levels change drastically with dosing. I have also not seen concrete evidence that trace element depletion actually occurs with organic dosing, even though there is always some discussion on K depletion. As clams get larger their requirements for phyto are supposed to diminish b/c they can get more energy from sunlight.

Thanks for the input Genetics. First, I would like to say that I have very little experience with clams. I would think that any tank condition which starves out visible algae would also starve out phyto at least to some degree. Due to this I would speculate that keeping a small clam who is more dependent on phyto as you say (new info for me BTW, thx) would be akin to keeping dendros in an SPS tank. A task that can certainly be accomplished by a seasoned aquarist, but a situation one goes into with a disadvantage. Admitidly, this is speculation, but I think it is reasonable. BTW, I take it from your tone that you are skeptical about the K speculations. I would like to hear your thoughts on the subject. Do you by chance have a link to somewhere you expound on the question.

kstallbe: Skipping 2-3 is not a problem, just don't dose double after skipping. Please read this carefully before dosing:

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

 

[pong]

ok... success!!!

nitrates at 0! 1 problem down!
phosphates... still at 10!

looks like the vodka, new sand, and new rocks helped

 

[melev]

That's good news at last. Now to get those Phosphates down...

 

[trueblackpercula]

Finaly zero Po4 and zero nitrates but have a small problem and need some advice. The sps are getting very light in color is now the time to start adding Amino Acids?
Also I am dosing 3.3 ml a day so I need to cut that in half correct? And that's my new dosing daily until there is a spike again correct?

 

[kmckay]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15681409#post15681409 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by trueblackpercula
Finaly zero Po4 and zero nitrates but have a small problem and need some advice. The sps are getting very light in color is now the time to start adding Amino Acids?
Also I am dosing 3.3 ml a day so I need to cut that in half correct? And that's my new dosing daily until there is a spike again correct?

Congratulations on your success!
I think your dosing plan sounds good. Just take it slow with the amino acids. Using Zeo AAHC I began with 1/4 the dose listed on the bottle and increased slowly.

 

[LobsterOfJustice]

Would a polyfilter interfere with vodka? It's sitting downstream in my sump from where I've been adding the vodka. I have no reason to think it's causing problems, but just thought I'd ask. Polyfilters seem to unspecifically remove a large variety of organic molecules, so I thought maybe the alcohol would be removed?

 

[trueblackpercula]

I have Elos aminoacids I will be adding 3 drops once a week is that ok or should I add more?
Michael Anthony

 

[tmz]

I don't think poyfilter would remove ethanol . I run some of it and dose vodka which seems to have the usual effects.Don't know teh relevant chemistry though.

 

[Henry Bowman]

By using filter socks or a polyfilter, I think either may strip bacteria and the beneficial mulm it creates from the water column thus reducing the effectiveness of dosing vodka.

Polyfilters are designed with particular additives so that they don't just filter water. They pull other items out of the water column due to these additives. Not known is what all they do specifically pull out.

I have used them in the past (polyfilters) and believe they are a good product, it's just that we're trying to grow particular bacteria in our systems. I'm not going to put any kind of filter on my system that ALL the water runs through that could possibly remove these beneficial organisms or their by products.

 

[tmz]

Polyfilters or filter socks or other media including gac and gfo are ok to use. They may be less effective once colonized by bacteria which will use the extra surface area they provide and likely clog them more quickly than usual .
In fact without gac for example total organic carbon levels can rise in a tank doing harm.

 

[spscoral101]

Vodka works great for me.

 

[trueblackpercula]

Any updates pictures? My tank has never looked so good until I joined the world of Vodka....
Many thanks everyone.
Michael Anthony

 

[impur]

I'm up to 1.4ml on my tank and dosing 5 drops of MB7. I am starting to notice some spots on rocks where the turf algae is going away and a lot of the bubble algae is turning clear. I've noticed a reduction in the bubble algae as well but I did add 2 emerald crabs.

One thing that worried me was my clowns had been spawning regularly since about Feb. Every 18-21 days like clockwork. Once i began dosing they stopped spawning. Now 1 month into it and just yesterday the laid another batch. Today there are only about 10 eggs left though. It obviously is messing with them somehow. I don't mind much, the clowns would just toss corals and inverts around when they were spawning, but interesting to note nonetheless.

 

[trueblackpercula]

Wow "¦..All I can say is that Vodka dosing has been working for my system. I started carbon dosing on 7/28/2009 and have not seen any major problems yet. I have also included is Microbaxter 7 and lugol's solution.
The quality of my water is crystal clear after the addition of vodka at a rate of 2.0ml a day. I have included some photographs of the tank from start until today to show the results of my tank. I know my tank has a long way to go with filling in but someday I hope it grows out like others around here.

The only problem I have encountered is some of my SPS turned very pale in color so I started to dose amino acids (brightwell) at12 drops a week. I have seen some results but still not where I want to be with the health of the SPS. All Zoanthids are doing great and have very nice color and extension.

Bubble algae is almost completely gone and I don't have any Hair Algea at all. I do get some Cyno build up on the sandbed but nothing to complain about I just remove it and add new sand. I clean my glass about once a week only to remove the very light film that builds up.
Here are a few pictures that show why a Protein skimmer is so important when dosing Vodka. I have to clean this skimmer at least once a week or it gets clogged. My skimmer is a MRC MR2 single beckett and is over rated for my size tank.
Look at how thick the waste matter is on my hand its like mud and smells like pure evil. I will update again real soon and thanks for the Vodka journey as I am very pleased with.
Michael Anthony

 

[melev]

Are those all current shots, or over time? What's the timeline per image?

I can't tell from the images, but I have a feeling you need to feed that Yellow Tang some nori. Now that your tank is cleaner, it won't find as much to forage upon. Using a feeding clip, you can keep the food visible to see how much is eaten and not add waste to the system.

 

[NexDog]

I'm up to 6ml per on my 450g volume system. In teh last few weeks I've noticed alot more brown film/diatom build up on teh tank front so I'm magnet cleaning more than I used to. Nitrates haven't really moved - around 4. I dosed Phosphate Control a few months ago to kill the phosphate and it crept up to 1 again already so I dosed it again.

Has anyone increased dosage by 1ml a week?

 

[mcrist]

I'm up to 6ml per on my 450g volume system. In teh last few weeks I've noticed alot more brown film/diatom build up on teh tank front so I'm magnet cleaning more than I used to. Nitrates haven't really moved - around 4. I dosed Phosphate Control a few months ago to kill the phosphate and it crept up to 1 again already so I dosed it again.

Has anyone increased dosage by 1ml a week?

I'm at 32ml per day on my 500g total system volume. Yes I've been increasing my dosage at 1ml a week with no issues.

 

[trueblackpercula]

The pictures were taken from top to bottom July August september on the last day of each month. The tang eats well I feed flake two times a day but I will try the nori with a clip and see if it likes it.
Michael Anthony