Bleaching while doing vodka dosing

[condiman]

My tank 180 gallon with 30 gallon sump
Current tank specks
Ph 8.3
Alk 10.2
Calcium 475
Nitrate 80 (reason why im doing vodka dosing)
Nitrite 0
Phosphate barely detectable


I want to make sure I am doing this right I was up to dosing 15ml if vodka daily and noticed bleaching in my monti cap and sponges. So I cut dosing in half is that correct or is there something else I should be doing. I was also thinking of dosing amino acids but dont know if that is the way to go or not.

 

[mike007]

Do you really mean 80 ppm nitrates? When you started dosing did you start out with small doses and work your way up.

 

[condiman]

Yes I do mean 80. Things with my job got hecktic so I slacked off. I am now doing biweekly water changes of 50 gallons and yes I started slowly adding in the beginning. I have now gotten back into fixing things so they are getting back into better shape.

 

[Reefing Madness]

I'd say if thers bleaching going on (more like dying) its because your Nitrates are to high for them. At 15mls a day, I'd figure you would get to around 20 before you saw trates dropping, so I don't think thats whats bleaching out your coral. It can burn the SPS tips, but i've not seen it bleach them.

And if you did 50g biweekly water changes, then your trates should already be coming down. Then you should only be at like 8-9mls a day as a maintenance dosage.

 

[HiddenUser]

Alk a little too high while dosing?

 

[Reefing Madness]

Alk a little too high while dosing?

? Why is that?

 

[HiddenUser]

? Why is that?

Just a guess as to why there might be some bleaching while dosing. Everything I've read is to keep dkh as close as possible to natural sea water while dosing.

Sounds like the water change schedule might have to be picked up a little just to get the nitrates down...

 

[Aquaph8]

I agree your alk is a little high for carbon dosing, I wouldn't let it go above 8 DKH but I don't think that's causing the bleaching. How long have you been dosing and how fast have you ramped up your dose?

 

[Reefing Madness]

Alk being high during dosing causes burns, not the bleaching out. But it would also happen more to the Sps coral for some reason and not the LPS. Ive not had one LPS bleach out during the process or after.

 

[mike007]

Yes you should keep alk levels 7-7.5 If you are carbon dosing. I have had mine go beyond that with no Ill effects. If your are experiences bleaching I think it might be your nitrate level.

 

[condiman]

I didnt realize that with the Alk. The monti cap is getting lighter in color along with the sponges. I will try to up the water changes to weekly