Vodka Dosers!!

[fejer]

How long did it take before you started to see results with using vodka

Fejer

[Basketstar]

By "results" do you mean lower nitrates? It depends on how much you are dosing, bioload, existing nitrate level, and whether or not anything is leeching trates into your water(lr, sand, etc.). All of these variables will effect how quickly NO3 levels are lowered from your water column. As a general rule, dosing should be very conservative in the beginning to avoid a massive bacteria bloom.

[fejer]

nitrates are at 0 but phosphates has always been a problem, phosphates are at 1 at the moment, running phosphate reactor but nothings happening, saw the vodka idea and thought give it a try, only on 2nd day but im dosing .7ml, and yeah how long untill phosphates start to lower?

[sirbiggstixx]

i saw them around a month or two..once you get around dosing 2.5ml daily or more you should seeing some good things out your tank..maybe a little longer..in about a month my tank had coralline everywhere with NO hair algae or a phosphate or nitrate..plus your corals should gain some extreme color..its def not something overnight or in a week..just keep at it and good things will come and dont rush it..

[fejer]

thanks mate, thats what i needed to hear haha, yeah i just started cause i needed to get the phosphates down and you hear about all the other benefits from it, so it sounded like a good idea

[Original Fin]

What test/method are you using to check phosphates? You really need a Hanna checker or similar to get accurate low end resolution on which to base your dosing decisions on.

Nitrates dropped to zero very quickly for me as well. I'm still on the induction phase of dosing after two months. I'm at 4 ML and almost there. Phosphate now at .2, started at 2. Be advised that carbon dosing can actually encourage cyano growth in some cases, so don't let that be your gauge for success. Also, if it's hair algae you're struggling with, be sure low mag isn't your problem first.

[Basketstar]

It concerns me that you have such high P04 while running a reactor. I would cross check you testing with another kit or lfs, and be sure that nothing else could be leeching phosphate into your water.

[fejer]

i use natural sea water so i should probably test that, but im sure its not it, at the start we put in some rock covered in hair algea which was not a good idea as you look back on it, and the test kit is sera its good

[Basketstar]

That rock might be the culprit.

[burnah]

i had bad rocks too, it takes quite some time to clear them of hair algae but your tank might look better than ever before that...

[Toxiq reef]

It was about 3 months before I got to a low nutrient(having to dose aminos)

[180+55reef]

now sure whether u had LPS or SPS, but when I vodka dosed I noticed my LPS didnt extend as much, same for softies

also I couldnt get my ph to 7.9 no matter how much kalk I dripped

[btkrausen]

I'm on day 28 or something like that. Phosphates and Nitrates are both low, but not at 0 yet. My Hanna checker gave me 0.12 first time, then 0.00 the next. I'm measuring again today so we'll see where I'm at.

I havent' seen any benefits or problems with dosing yet. I'm currently on 2.6ml and doing about 0.5ml of MB7 per day.

[om619]

I took me about a month and a half to see results

[180+55reef]

For the people that are dosing,

do you have LPS, or SPS tanks?

[btkrausen]

I'm almost all SPS and some zoas. I do have a few random things thrown in, but 95% SPS in my tank.

[DeepSeaBeauti]

I began to see nitrate reduction within a month, My P04 took forever. I finaly was able to bring them down with a combination of GFO, and Vodka. It still took months to get my phosphates under control. Im still in the battle, but atleast ive got it semi under control. Ive got some before pictures in one of my post somewhere here on RC. If i get a chance ill take an updated picture tomorrow. Its amazing how much my tank cleaned up.

[fejer]

I began to see nitrate reduction within a month, My P04 took forever. I finaly was able to bring them down with a combination of GFO, and Vodka. It still took months to get my phosphates under control. Im still in the battle, but atleast ive got it semi under control. Ive got some before pictures in one of my post somewhere here on RC. If i get a chance ill take an updated picture tomorrow. Its amazing how much my tank cleaned up.

yeah im just hoping vodka will do the trick cause nothing else has worked and hopefully the reactor will help with the phosphate reduction

[DeepSeaBeauti]

I was unable to get a decent picture this morning. Sorry. But the vodka worked for me, Just make sure you follow the the dose instructions exactly, you dont want to dose too much or too fast. And make sure you check your water parameters often.

[btkrausen]

I'm excited as my parameters are almost at 0 now. My Phosphates have been 0.00 with the Hanna Checker for the last few days, and my nitrates are down to 0.2 according to a SeaChem test. I have a Salifert Nitrate test on the way.

Soon I'll be moving to the maintenance dose on the vodka. Can't wait til effects start kicking in :) My SPS already grows decently, so I hope it accelerates it.

[fejer]

I was unable to get a decent picture this morning. Sorry. But the vodka worked for me, Just make sure you follow the the dose instructions exactly, you dont want to dose too much or too fast. And make sure you check your water parameters often.

thats okay, iv been following the dosing instructions off the article thats on this site, but it seems alot of people are getting positive results, so im looking forward to the next month or so

[fejer]

I'm excited as my parameters are almost at 0 now. My Phosphates have been 0.00 with the Hanna Checker for the last few days, and my nitrates are down to 0.2 according to a SeaChem test. I have a Salifert Nitrate test on the way.

Soon I'll be moving to the maintenance dose on the vodka. Can't wait til effects start kicking in :) My SPS already grows decently, so I hope it accelerates it.

sounds good, so you'll have to get to the maintenance dose before real results start to show? or have you seen them before, maintenance dose is week 4 isnt it?

[noobtothereef]

i thought you keep increasing the dose until you see a drop and then cut the dose in half and thats the start of the maintenence dose, i could be wrong.

[jimmyj7090]

FWIW with carbon dosing if nitrate actually gets to zero then that will be a limiting factor for phosphate reduction. Bacteria need both to grow, without any of one or the other you're just getting your fish drunk :)

[btkrausen]

i thought you keep increasing the dose until you see a drop and then cut the dose in half and thats the start of the maintenence dose, i could be wrong.

You are correct. Dose until you start to see both drop, then maintain that dosage. When you hit 0's, then you cut in half for maintenance dose. Not sure if its week 4 or not, everyones tank is going to be different. I'm on day 31 or 32 right now, and tomorrow I'll probably cut in half if my nitrates are at the same level or below.

[180+55reef]

Has any measured their PH during this? I have started dosing 3 ml in my 300 gallon system...... In the am I have noticed that in the 4 days I have been doing this my ph (in the earlier morning is 7.9 ) is dropping, my low ph use to be 8.05. I measure this will a ph meter

btw how low is too low for ph?

thanks!

[burnah]

how big a skimmer do you use? is the room airated well? the bacterial growth uses up quite some oxygen..

[180+55reef]

how big a skimmer do you use? is the room airated well? the bacterial growth uses up quite some oxygen..

the skimmer is

Reeflo Orca 200 Skimmer with gold pump

I added airstone for what that is worth

even with kalk dripping my ph is below 8, this is the 4th day of adding 3x 1ml of vodka


skimmer is in basement,it has a bit of a draft.... occasionally I do run the intake of the skimmer outside, although today we are having a blizzard

I am wondering if others recorded their low PH, if if they didnt experience it

[Bananafish]

You should never have zeroes. Everything living organism needs both nitrates and phosphates to successfully manufacture proteins. You should have less than 10 ppm dissolved nitrates and a small but detectable amount of phosphates at all times. Every time you add a new fish, you need to adjust your filtration and your routine to bring the chemistry to where it should be.

I have been using vodka for a very long time to keep my systems in check. It takes anywhere from 4-8 weeks, depending on the size of the tank, the bio load, and the state of the nitrogen cycle when you start. Sometimes you can eventually taper off slowly and stop using vodka entirely. Helps prevent alcoholic fish ;)

[180+55reef]

well given that I have algae I am guessing my test kits arent quite accurate....

thanks for all the info

[ati70cutlass]

i started out with a test of 60+ on my api kit. i have been dosing for a week now up to 1ml on my 150gallon setup. im down to 10 at this moment.

[180+55reef]

wow in 1 week and only 1 ml

[Haksar]

Do you think heavy feeding matters when vodka dosing.I am dosing Vodka and have a hard time bringing down my PO4 (0.19ppm)although I feed nori and pellets one time in a day for my 136gallon mixed reef tank with only 10 fishes.

[burnah]

it is important to feed alot because you could get almost no nutrients or lack one of the two (nitrates/phosphates) and both of them are needed to reduce them. be patient and ramp up your dose slowly, there will be a decrease.

[Haksar]

it is important to feed alot because you could get almost no nutrients or lack one of the two (nitrates/phosphates) and both of them are needed to reduce them. be patient and ramp up your dose slowly, there will be a decrease.

Thanks burnah,I am hoping the po4 comes down.
Will do another WC this week and see.