So you mix the 500 ml vinegar , 375 ml vodka , and 125 ml RO/DI and then add 2ml per day according to the NO-POx chart?
It all depends on your nitrate (phosphate) levels in your tank. First off, with any carbon dosing, I'd recommend starting slow by ramping up the dose. I'll use NOPOX (or the DIY version) as an example. I'll also assume your nitrate level is above 10 ppm. At this concentration, you'll eventually want to be at a dose of 3 mls per 25 gallons of tank water. However, when starting out, I'd suggest 1 ml/25 gallons for the first week or so, then 2 mls/25 for another week or so, and finally up to 3 mls/25 gallons. During this, if you notice a cyano or algae bloom occurring, either back off a bit or maintain at that dose until the cyano/algae is resolved.
Note, any carbon dosing doesn't "work" the day you put it in. That is, you're not going to immediately notice nitrates falling on day 1. It takes time to build up the bacteria and then export via your skimmer.
So you've now been dosing 3 mls and maybe you're doing weekly testing, and finally you see nitrates below 10ppm. Now is when you cut back the dosing to 2 mls/25 gallons. Continue testing (maybe weekly), and when it gets below 1 - 2 ppm, cut back to 1 ml/25. You might have to play with that last dosing amount as your "maintenance" dose to keep nitrates at that desired level. Note that corals also need nitrate to grow, so you don't want to run it all the way to zero.
Finally, and again, with any form of carbon dosing, you need both nitrates and phosphates for it to work. If one or the other is lacking, it won't work. That is, as an example, nitrates at 10 ppm, but phosphates at 0 ppm, the nitrates will stall and stay at 10 ppm.
Hope this helps.
And yes, that is the formula for DIY NOPOX developed by a professor who had his grad students run NMR to determine the mix.
