How much vodka to dose a 43G tank?

[Zeal]

Title. Been looking all over and I'm getting different information. Anyone some concrete info?

 

[theMeat]

Can’t go wrong with this. Tried and true. Would recommend vinegar, more margin for error

http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2008-08/nftt/

 

[F i s h y]

2 shots for you one for the tank.... I don't really know but it's fun to joke... happy reefing!

 

[Zeal]

Can’t go wrong with this. Tried and true. Would recommend vinegar, more margin for error

http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2008-08/nftt/

Why vinegar

 

[theMeat]

Why vinegar

It’s a source of carbon like many others. As compared to vodka it’s 5% proof compared to 80. That means you have to put more, so measuring easier and more forgiving. Especially in a smaller tank.
Cheap, widely available. If you ato and put it there that makes it less of a chore.
It takes some time and you have to pay attention so you don’t bottom out nutrients but it def works .

 

[theMeat]

Reefkeeping Magazine - Vinegar Dosing Methodology for the Marine Aquarium

Reefkeeping ...an online magazine for the marine aquarist.

reefkeeping.com

 

[Mastiffsrule]

Can’t go wrong with this. Tried and true. Would recommend vinegar, more margin for error

http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2008-08/nftt/

I did it for a long time. I did it manually so it was a pain. Works great.

Go slowly as mentioned. I eventually stopped all carbon dosing.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Why vinegar

I prefer vinegar for three reasons:

1. Cheaper
2. Vinegar appears to be used by a wider array of organisms, including corals, sponges, etc.
3. In my tank, it lead to less cyano than did vodka. That may depend on which strains of cyano are present in your aquarium.

 

[cpachris]

I did it for a long time. I did it manually so it was a pain. Works great.

Go slowly as mentioned. I eventually stopped all carbon dosing.

Curious....did you stop for a different method of nitrate/phosphate control? Didn't need anymore?

 

[Zeal]

I prefer vinegar for three reasons:

1. Cheaper
2. Vinegar appears to be used by a wider array of organisms, including corals, sponges, etc.
3. In my tank, it lead to less cyano than did vodka. That may depend on which strains of cyano are present in your aquarium.

Just the man I was hoping to respond. I tested my parameters last night. My phosphate was 0 and nitrates were around 10. Now I need to somehow raise my phosphates...

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Just the man I was hoping to respond. I tested my parameters last night. My phosphate was 0 and nitrates were around 10. Now I need to somehow raise my phosphates...

Feed more or dose phosphate. It is cheap and easy to do.

Food grade sodium phosphate is a good way to go:

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[Zeal]

Feed more or dose phosphate. It is cheap and easy to do.

Food grade sodium phosphate is a good way to go:

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A more natural way.. feeding. I currently feed LRS reef freezy. Should I just give more or there's alternatives like Reef Roids or Red Sea AB+ etc etc

 

[NeonRabbit221B]

A more natural way.. feeding. I currently feed LRS reef freezy. Should I just give more or there's alternatives like Reef Roids or Red Sea AB+ etc etc

I could never maintain steady levels with RR. Its so phosphate dense that a single feeding with bounce me around.

I dose for now, much easier.

 

[Zeal]

I could never maintain steady levels with RR. Its so phosphate dense that a single feeding with bounce me around.

I dose for now, much easier.

What do you dose instead?

 

[Zeal]

Feed more or dose phosphate. It is cheap and easy to do.

Food grade sodium phosphate is a good way to go:

This item is unavailable - Etsy

Find the perfect handmade gift, vintage & on-trend clothes, unique jewelry, and more… lots more.

www.etsy.com

Also forgot to ask, how much vinegar should I be dosing?

 

[Rmckoy]

Also forgot to ask, how much vinegar should I be dosing?

There is a conversation online for dosing vinegar .
being 5% acidic acid and not 40% alcohol
Dosing a lot more vinegar volume compared to using vodka .

I believe nopox is a combination of vodka and vinegar ( there are mixing instructions online to make nopox . And to be cheaper .
essentially .. carbon dosing is the same .
you’re dosing a carbon source to colonize another bacteria which can be exported via skimming

 

[Rmckoy]

Nopox is reasonably inexpensive and has easy to read instructions .

 

[NeonRabbit221B]

Also forgot to ask, how much vinegar should I be dosing?

Neophos currently but just got in some trisodium phosphate. Neophos is fairly watered down.

 

[Zeal]

There is a conversation online for dosing vinegar .
being 5% acidic acid and not 40% alcohol
Dosing a lot more vinegar volume compared to using vodka .

I believe nopox is a combination of vodka and vinegar ( there are mixing instructions online to make nopox . And to be cheaper .
essentially .. carbon dosing is the same .
you’re dosing a carbon source to colonize another bacteria which can be exported via skimming

I have noticed that my skimmer goes crazy after dosing Microbacteria7 (After 4 hours of being off)

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Also forgot to ask, how much vinegar should I be dosing?

Start slow and ramp up until you see what you want to accomplish. Article above is too cautious and slow, IMO, but is an OK start.

If you do manual once a day dosing, I would dose in the late AM when pH and O2 are high.

For doser dosing, I'd dose through the daylight hours, concentrating on mid day.

For manual once a day, you can saturate the vinegar with calcium hydroxide to eliminate and pH drop. That is not needed for spread out dosing.