Frank Posted May 2, 2009 Share Posted May 2, 2009 So does any one here do it? And if so what do you think if it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob Allen Posted May 2, 2009 Share Posted May 2, 2009 I know a few people that do, some with success, some not so much but I can't say that the success or even lack of success can be attributed to the vodka dosing. I however do not and will not. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andy Posted May 2, 2009 Share Posted May 2, 2009 Here's my experience with carbon dosing: http://www.pnwmas.org/forums/showthread.php?t=9096 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pledosophy Posted May 3, 2009 Share Posted May 3, 2009 Dude it is all about the sugar. I tried vodka, I would always run out. Sugar is easier to measure, and easier to keep on hand IME. Not being a drinker you might not have the same problem. I did vodka for a bit, it works, IMO sugar is just easier to measure. No syringe, just a spoon. Works just as well. I did not take the conservative increase method, IME you can go faster if you actually watch your tank. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dsoz Posted May 3, 2009 Share Posted May 3, 2009 Be careful of bacterial blooms. I just started doing this on my small anemone tank. I can't measure any nutrients, but they must be there because I have an algae outbreak that is going to kill me. I just got a skimmer for the tank, so the time came to start the sugar. I put in a little bit (I dissolved 1/2 cup in a water bottle, then added 5 ml). Nothing for 48 hours. I put in another 5 mL and nothing. one day later I added 10 ml and the tank exploded overnight with a bacterial bloom. The water was really cloudy, and things were not looking good (bacteria use up all the oxygen in the water). So I moved the skimmer from the sump to the display for better oxygenation, and I left my lights on for 2 full days so photosynthesis could maybe keep up inside the coral/anemone tissue. After dumping two cups of NASTY skimmate, the skimmer has slowed down, and the cloudy water is starting to clear. The last time I overdosed sugar on my 75g, I lost three fish and a cleaner shrimp to the bacterial bloom. :( This time I don't think I lost anything . It is not over, but I think I am in the clear. Lesson... Back to only dosing 5 ml every other day and work up to more. Once my algae issue is past, I will probably stop. It is a little bit of a pain for me to remember to do. dsoz Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steveweast Posted May 3, 2009 Share Posted May 3, 2009 Frank....I've been running vodka on my cold system for a few months now. I dose it through a GHL dosing pump.....so, it is completely automated. I'm up to 18 ml/day on a 150 gal vol. It is controlling the N & P and algae quite well in this very highly fed system. I chose vodka over the sugar or vinegar from the numerous reports of the volitility of sugar and the pH reduction of vinegar. For me, vodka is the easiest of the three....no mixing......just set it....and forget it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob Allen Posted May 3, 2009 Share Posted May 3, 2009 That is interesting to hear Steve. What did you start the dosing at and how long did it take you to reach the 18ml mark? Have you ever experienced any negative impact? Frank....I've been running vodka on my cold system for a few months now. I dose it through a GHL dosing pump.....so' date=' it is completely automated. I'm up to 18 ml/day on a 150 gal vol. It is controlling the N & P and algae quite well in this very highly fed system. I chose vodka over the sugar or vinegar from the numerous reports of the volitility of sugar and the pH reduction of vinegar. For me, vodka is the easiest of the three....no mixing......just set it....and forget it.[/quote'] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coralreefer Posted May 3, 2009 Share Posted May 3, 2009 Started dosing yesterday...of course, way too early to tell...but will keep all updated. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thbronco Posted May 3, 2009 Share Posted May 3, 2009 I been dosing my 100 reef for about three or four months now, only start on a well cycled tank.I have seen a change when I am dosing my skimmer goes into over drive pulling waste out of the water column.got to start with a low dose here is where I got my info on it there is alot of info on that subject. http//:reefkeeping.com/issue/2008-08/nftt/index/ptp I just went to a medical supply store and got a IV line shortend upto what I need, set the drip for as slow as I can get it old syringe with no plunger mount it to the door so every mornin when I get home I dose the tank.I am at 20ml and thats my maint dose so read up on it, I havent done the suger,to me its easier touse vodka than dissolving the suger up. a bottle lasts me about 6 weeks, sonot bad for an $8 dollar bottle, if the web address doesnt work just got to reefkeeping.com and search for vodka dosing. good luck Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Barelycuda Posted May 3, 2009 Share Posted May 3, 2009 I couldn't get your link to work and the search engine at reefkeeping.com has a little to de desired Anyway after looking at your link I went back thru the back issues and found it. Here is the link. I am getting ready to put a batch denitrator online in the clownhouse and vodka is going to be the carbon food source. http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/2008-08/nftt/index.php Dave Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steveweast Posted May 3, 2009 Share Posted May 3, 2009 That is interesting to hear Steve. What did you start the dosing at and how long did it take you to reach the 18ml mark? Have you ever experienced any negative impact? It took about 2 months to reach the current maintenance level ( I started at 5ml/day). There have been no negative effects....but, this is on a coldwater system...so, no hard corals. It has no effect on the fish...in fact, my catalina gobies laid eggs yesterday. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob Allen Posted May 3, 2009 Share Posted May 3, 2009 Thanks Steve. Sounds like your fish are drunk and happy -- just kidding. Seriously, that is good news. If you encounter more positive or negative affects, please keep us posted. Rob It took about 2 months to reach the current maintenance level ( I started at 5ml/day). There have been no negative effects....but' date=' this is on a coldwater system...so, no hard corals. It has no effect on the fish...in fact, my catalina gobies laid eggs yesterday.[/quote'] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
downhill_biker Posted May 4, 2009 Share Posted May 4, 2009 i have been dosing for about 4 months now, and have had no ill effects that i tribute to that. my nitrates basically stayed the same until i got to the maintenance dose, then after a few weeks of that the nitrates began to drop and now are consistant at 0, usually... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Barelycuda Posted May 7, 2009 Share Posted May 7, 2009 Steve, How high were your nitrates before you started dosing the vodka? I saw that you had mentioned that your coldwater system is heavily fed so does the dosing keep your nitrates at or near zero? Thanks, Dave Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steveweast Posted May 7, 2009 Share Posted May 7, 2009 Steve, How high were your nitrates before you started dosing the vodka? I saw that you had mentioned that your coldwater system is heavily fed so does the dosing keep your nitrates at or near zero? Thanks, Dave Because of the high feedings and no natural denitrification, my coldwater tank would normally reach over 100ppm within weeks. Before vodka dosing, I always water changed enough to keep nitrates under 20ppm. I then started vodka and increased the dosage until I felt the vodka kept up with the NO3 production.....I then water changed a few times to reduce the NO3 to near zero.....the vodka is now keeping the tank under 5ppm. So basically I found the amount of vodka to maintain nitrate close to zero....then water changed to near zero rather than using the vodka to lower nitrates then having to find equilibrium. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Barelycuda Posted May 8, 2009 Share Posted May 8, 2009 Thanks Steve. Do cold water tanks in general not have means to handle dentrification?? I guess I assumed that live rock would react the same in cold water as tropical. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
COReefer Posted May 8, 2009 Share Posted May 8, 2009 Thanks Steve. Do cold water tanks in general not have means to handle dentrification?? I guess I assumed that live rock would react the same in cold water as tropical. They are highly fed due to the critters not being photosynthetic. It takes much more feeding than our tropical reef tanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dsoz Posted May 8, 2009 Share Posted May 8, 2009 The rock in the cold water tanks is dense and not porous. There are fewer anoxic and anaerobic zones. Another consideration is the temperature. Bacteria colonies do not multiply well at such a low temperature, so they don't react well to change. I believe that the denitrification bacteria need a higher temperature than coldwater tanks offer. dsoz Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steveweast Posted May 9, 2009 Share Posted May 9, 2009 The rock in the cold water tanks is dense and not porous. There are fewer anoxic and anaerobic zones. Another consideration is the temperature. Bacteria colonies do not multiply well at such a low temperature, so they don't react well to change. I believe that the denitrification bacteria need a higher temperature than coldwater tanks offer. dsoz Yes......and no...... the native rocks are granite/basalt......so, they have no porosity at all and thus no denitrification. While it is true that the cooler temp slows down bacterial activity, it does not stop it. I used to run a sulfur denitrator with great success.....but, it frequently got clogged with dead bacteria and required frequent maintenance.....which is the reason why I switched to vodka. I wasn't sure that vodka would even work that well at the lower temps....but, it seems to working fine so far. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
albertareef Posted May 9, 2009 Share Posted May 9, 2009 Thanks Steve... very interesting info and comparison to the tropical reef scenario. How are those cold water tanks coming these days? I was kind of disappointed when they left SWF but am glad to hear you have them back. I loved to check them out whenever I was in the store. Sorry... back to topic (enforcer) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.