Vodka dosing questions

[cfgenesis]

I just finished reading the article on vodka dosing on reefkeeping.com. My first question is if my current levels of nitrates and phosphates are already at zero (according to my API testing kit) how do I establish a base point for determining the amount of vodka to dose? The system seems predicated on increasing the dose until nitrates and phos starts to fall, which I can't detect if it is already at it's lowest.

I am in about week 5 since I started cycling water. I had a brown diatom bloom a couple weeks ago that faded out, and now I am having a bloom of a bright green algae on my sand and glass only. It does not seem to be hair algae as there are no strands and it takes a razor to scrape it off the glass. Is this caused by phosphates that are locked in so I'm not picking it up on tests of the water column? Is this just a natural part of the start-up cycle, or do I need vodka or other phosphate mitigation?

[Manwolf]

Your system is too new for vodka dosing. There is no need for you to dose vodka if you have ur nitrates and phos a 0.

[spw4949]

I agree, no need to dose vodka, algae blooms are a natural part of the maturation process of your tank, just be patient, in most cases good husbandry will keep all your levels at acceptable ranges & keep algae to a minimum...if your concerned about PO4 then run some GFC, that will help remove any that is possibly in your system

[spw4949]

Forgot to ask, what is your water source? Do you use RO/DI?

[cfgenesis]

Your system is too new for vodka dosing. There is no need for you to dose vodka if you have ur nitrates and phos a 0.

How mature should it be before I think about dosing? The article showed that it promotes good coral growth and color, so would this be a reason to do it even if nitrates and phosphates are not a problem?

[cfgenesis]

Forgot to ask, what is your water source? Do you use RO/DI?

Yes, R/O water bought from LFS.

[Tswifty]

I don't think any system really "needs" vodka, although it has many benefits IMO. I used it on my UNLS system for a period of time with great results. Had no detectable NO3 levels when I started as well, but figured PO4 levels were causing issues (if you look at my avatar pic, you can see a little of what I was dealing with back then). Most PO4 kits won't register on the low end and are pretty much a waste of money IMO/E.

I had to suspend my dosing due to a move for a new job which made me unable to monitor/administer daily dosages, but am hoping to resume again shortly. When I start again I'm positive my water will show 0 NO3 readings... so I'll be following my previous path.

The best advice I can give for starting any type of dosing regiment is first educate yourself. Don't just read 1 article or listen to 1 person's opinion. Search out multiple sources of information to get various perspectives, before deciding on a particular course of action. Also, there's no prize for moving fast, and there's no overnight fix to anything in this hobby. Patience is vital.

Anyway, here's the thread... hopefully it will help a little. There are also a few links located in it to other threads I found useful while doing my initial investigation.

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1685800

Good luck.