Who's dosing vodka? And why?

[kmckay]

Different experience here. I have been dosing vodka for over a year on my tank. I use GFO with vodka at a daily dose of 12 ml. Tank is 90% SPS with a medium fish load and generous feeding. Under these conditions I have to dose nutrients to keep my PO4 at 0.01 to 0.03 and my NO3 at 0.2 to 0.5.

With regard to alk, I find that running high alk does not harm my SPS directly, but it makes them more suseptable to STN and RTN from other causes. Thus, I have concluded that in my system a high ALK decreases SPS tolerance to injury (ie, my own stupidity). I therefore like to run my alk close to NSW. Subjectively, my growth rates are no different under high alk conditions.

It is interesting that observations vary with regard to effect of alk in systems that employ carbon dosing. It would be great if we could figure out why.

 

[derek4real]

Thank you guys. Now my other question is do i have to DO THE VSV or can i just used Volka and Prodibio BIO DIGEST, Prodibio reef booster ?

 

[melev]

That's your call.

 

[derek4real]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15491178#post15491178 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by melev
That's your call.

Thank Marc have you tried Vodka and Prodibio before ? if so you mind sharing your experience ? Or maybe someone else had done this before that would like to share ....

 

[melev]

I tried out Prodibio years ago, but wasn't happy with what was going on in my tank. I stopped and restarted several times, but issues kept resurfacing and I would worry it was the product causing it. I really have no idea. The corals could have suffered because of high PO4 or high NO3, it could have been stray electricity, it could have been salinity swings, it could have been alleopathy in the tank, AEFW, red bugs, etc. Because there were so many issues in my tank back then, it simply wasn't a good test subject / candidate for Prodibio. I've discussed this with them a couple of times, and they even asked me if I was willing to try it again. When I explained I was dosing Vodka for now and didn't want to add yet another variable, they understood.

That being said, I still have some of their vials on my shelf, and have dosed BioDigest two or three times during the past 6 months, pretty much as a way to avoid the mono-culture issue that has been discussed.

Whether it helped or hurt the corals is unknown. I don't have losses to report. One acro in the back of my tank is unhappy, but it is dim there and the flow is almost non-existent. I'm trying to see if I can save it, but I don't think vodka is the problem. Oh, and my bubble coral that I've had for 3.5 years is unhappy, which I moved out of my tank into the quarantine system in hopes of saving it.

Perhaps I should dose some Phytoplankton to my tank again, something I stopped adding about two years ago.

 

[derek4real]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15491472#post15491472 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by melev
I tried out Prodibio years ago, but wasn't happy with what was going on in my tank. I stopped and restarted several times, but issues kept resurfacing and I would worry it was the product causing it. I really have no idea. The corals could have suffered because of high PO4 or high NO3, it could have been stray electricity, it could have been salinity swings, it could have been alleopathy in the tank, AEFW, red bugs, etc. Because there were so many issues in my tank back then, it simply wasn't a good test subject / candidate for Prodibio. I've discussed this with them a couple of times, and they even asked me if I was willing to try it again. When I explained I was dosing Vodka for now and didn't want to add yet another variable, they understood.

That being said, I still have some of their vials on my shelf, and have dosed BioDigest two or three times during the past 6 months, pretty much as a way to avoid the mono-culture issue that has been discussed.

Whether it helped or hurt the corals is unknown. I don't have losses to report. One acro in the back of my tank is unhappy, but it is dim there and the flow is almost non-existent. I'm trying to see if I can save it, but I don't think vodka is the problem. Oh, and my bubble coral that I've had for 3.5 years is unhappy, which I moved out of my tank into the quarantine system in hopes of saving it.

Perhaps I should dose some Phytoplankton to my tank again, something I stopped adding about two years ago.

Thank you for sharing Marc, I guess they not as good as they said they are...

 

[melev]

Please be sure to read up on Prodibio. There are many people using it with success. My tank simply wasn't a good choice.

 

[Hucklebery]

I've read the bulk of this thread, and I'm convinced to start dosing my 135 reef. Stupid question first...Does it have to be vodka? I have gin, rum, & tequila, but happen to be out of vodka right now?

 

[Hucklebery]

Oops double post. Deleted. :rolleye1:

 

[melev]

You are going to have to go buy a bottle of Vodka tomorrow. You can buy a 1.75 L bottle of Skol for $10 at your liquor store.

No, the other bottles you listed are for you.

 

[Hucklebery]

Thanks Marc. I'm one step ahead of ya on the others! :beer:

 

[Sisterlimonpot]

+1. get the cheapest vodka you can find. it'll work just as well.

 

[trueblackpercula]

Yes you have to use vodka and only vodka.

 

[trueblackpercula]

Can someone post a picture of what .4 or .8 ml looks like.
Please I think I am over dosing but need to make sure first.
Michael

 

[melev]

Do you have any Salifert test kits? Calcium and Magnesium both use the 1ml syringe. You would fill it up to the 4 or 8 markings, both of which are less than a full 1 ml.

 

[trueblackpercula]

Ok so when it says I should be dosing 1.3 ml it would be up to the 1 ml mark plus 3 lines?

 

[Sisterlimonpot]

Yep as long as the graduations are 0.1 ml (10 lines between 1ml and 2ml). 1.3 is hardly anything right??? but your doing it right.

 

[trueblackpercula]

Ok because I just can't belive how the tank looks. I am going to have to post pictures seeing is beliving.
Stay tuned
Michael

 

[kmckay]

I tried switching from vodka to VSV (10:1:2) for 2 months recently. All measurable variables remained unchanged over this period. No observable differences in any organism was noted. Moreover, subjectively the quality of skimmate production decreased and became more erratic (admittedly other variables could have caused this). Since I saw no difference, I switched back to the tried and true Dubra which served me so well. In my system, VSV provided no benefit over vodka. JME

 

[noahm]

Just to make things easier, when I first started, mine was at 1.3 I believe. Within a week, I rounded it to the nearest .5 so I wouldn't have to think too hard . Just my experience, but .2 mL in either direction isn't going to make a diff, and 1.5, 2.0 is a whole lot easier to deal with than 1.3, 1.8 etc.