Least expensive forms of carbon dosing

[ZoWhat]

I've been 80proof vodka dosing for yeeeears. See phenomenal results holding back out-of-control no3 feeding right into GHA growth.

(My tank cant handle any NO3 above 2ppm or GHA goes bonkers. I must have GHA spores deep inside my LR or smthg. I've read some ppl having 20ppm no3 tanks. Geeez, my tank would have GHA where I could comb it with a brush at those levels. Lol)

I've 3mos ago started dosing 1000mg of VitC as an experiment bc the DollarTree had a huge bottle of VitC for a mere $1.

With the combo of Vodka and VitC I've been seeing my zoas/palys look fully extended, full and FLESHY. all great signs.

Then..... drum roll... I ran out of my 5th of Vodka. Now about 7-9 days later GHA is starting to return.

I know, I know THIS WEEKEND I'm getting in the car to buy more 80proof vodka.

But at $14 a 5th...and the 5th lasts about a month... that about $170/yr.

Begs to question: besides 80proof vodka is there a less expensive form of carbon dosing?

(Not a big fan of Vinegar which makes my pH stay around 7.8 .. in my mind I dont think zoas/palys grow as fast if pH is under 8.0)

Thoughts....

 

[Scrubber_steve]

You could combine vinegar with sugar to raise the pH

 

[ZoWhat]

You could combine vinegar with sugar to raise the pH

Is there a recipe for a 220g total water volume?

 

[Scrubber_steve]

Is there a recipe for a 220g total water volume?

I don't know tbh. I just noted you stating that your pH falls when dosing vinegar as opposed to vodka.
Vodka pH = 4
Vinegar pH = 2.4
Sugar, another carbon source, pH = 7

 

[Dilan Patel]

VitC=vitamin C? what type and why? what negative and or positive effects are associated with it?

 

[bevo5]

You sure that’s the cheapest vodka? Just gotta look at the even lower shelves!!!!

 

[ZoWhat]

You sure that’s the cheapest vodka? Just gotta look at the even lower shelves!!!!

Yep. The bottom shelf crap vodka in Ohio is still $14

I mean.... $170/yr in this hobby is petty cash. But didnt want to be using vodka if one day I discovered DAAAAAH, I could have been using an alternative at 1/4th the cost with the same exact results

---------

VitC = vitamin c aerobic acid. As in the human VitC you take as a supplement. I've read dozens of scientific reason why VitC is a nonplayer.

But after 3mos of dosing the plain white tablets which dissolves at the bottom of the tank......I am noticing my zoas/palys are FLESHIER. Not sure if VitC just bonds NO3 (or straight up organics) and it gets skimmed out or if VitC has some kind of absorption... but there is a visual difference in dosing VitC. One of life's mysteries....

 

[bevo5]

I hear ya. We spend enough money keeping these things going already.

Maybe it’s cheaper in the bigger bottles.

 

[redfishbluefish]

You're going to a highfalutin liquor store....I buy 1.75 liters of Travelers Club Vodka for $12.99. The other thing is that I use a DIY NOPOX (as determined by a college professor and his grad students using NMR), by mixing 500 mls vinegar (5%), 375 mls vodka (80 proof), and 125 mls RO/DI water. Dose as per instructions for NOPOX.

 

[ZoWhat]

You're going to a highfalutin liquor store....I buy 1.75 liters of Travelers Club Vodka for $12.99. The other thing is that I use a DIY NOPOX (as determined by a college professor and his grad students using NMR), by mixing 500 mls vinegar (5%), 375 mls vodka (80 proof), and 125 mls RO/DI water. Dose as per instructions for NOPOX.

In Ohio all 80proof vodka has to be purchased thru a State Licensed Liquor Store. All of them have the cheapest bottom shelf vodka at about $14 after taxes

 

[motortrendz]

I used vitamin c years ago, it did work well for coral pe and colors. But it really didnt bring down nutrients like other carbon dosing. Vinigar I continue bc you have to use so much of it and it really puts a hit on your ph... i use absolute vodka when i was doaing for that 2 years(just stopped bc I added a new sump and frag tank and doubled my water volume and bottomed out my nutrients and really made my ta k mad! ) anyway the reason I used absolute compared to the cheapest bottle i could find was i noticed with the cheap bottled vodka i would get a film and a fun y odor from my tank. And noticed color fade on more sensitive sps. Went back to absolute and it was fine. I just buy a big bottle 750ml it's like 20$ and itll last me 4 months.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

You could combine vinegar with sugar to raise the pH

Sugar to raise pH? How?

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

I've been 80proof vodka dosing for yeeeears. See phenomenal results holding back out-of-control no3 feeding right into GHA growth.

(My tank cant handle any NO3 above 2ppm or GHA goes bonkers. I must have GHA spores deep inside my LR or smthg. I've read some ppl having 20ppm no3 tanks. Geeez, my tank would have GHA where I could comb it with a brush at those levels. Lol)

I've 3mos ago started dosing 1000mg of VitC as an experiment bc the DollarTree had a huge bottle of VitC for a mere $1.

With the combo of Vodka and VitC I've been seeing my zoas/palys look fully extended, full and FLESHY. all great signs.

Then..... drum roll... I ran out of my 5th of Vodka. Now about 7-9 days later GHA is starting to return.

I know, I know THIS WEEKEND I'm getting in the car to buy more 80proof vodka.

But at $14 a 5th...and the 5th lasts about a month... that about $170/yr.

Begs to question: besides 80proof vodka is there a less expensive form of carbon dosing?

(Not a big fan of Vinegar which makes my pH stay around 7.8 .. in my mind I dont think zoas/palys grow as fast if pH is under 8.0)

Thoughts....

adding vinegar slowly won’t lower pH more than vodka since both end up lowering pH as CO2, but if you want all at once dosing of vinegar to not lower pH, you can saturate it with calcium hydroxide. I dosed it that way before I got a dosing pump.

 

[Scrubber_steve]

Sugar to raise pH? How?

My 2nd post puts what I meant into perspective

Least expensive forms of carbon dosing

I've been 80proof vodka dosing for yeeeears. See phenomenal results holding back out-of-control no3 feeding right into GHA growth. (My tank cant handle any NO3 above 2ppm or GHA goes bonkers. I must have GHA spores deep inside my LR or smthg. I've read some ppl having 20ppm no3 tanks. Geeez...

www.reef2reef.com

 

[lilgrounchuck]

If you’re by a military base and have friends in the service the “military special brand” (yes, that’s a thing and no, you don’t actually want to drink it) is like $10/gal at the class six/package store. Other than that, I think vinegar is your next option.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

I’m not a fan of sugar dosing, but it is super cheap.

 

[Quietman]

Always been curious, would 190 proof Everclear work? You'd have to adjust the dosage of course. The 190 proof version is illegal in some states though. I doubt there's any additives in it, nothing is listed.

 

[Rybren]

Here in Ottawa, a 375ml (12.7oz) bottle of the cheapest vodka is over $15.

I also use a DIY NOPOX but omit the RODI. 700ml vinegar + 300ml vodka

 

[clm65]

In Ohio all 80proof vodka has to be purchased thru a State Licensed Liquor Store. All of them have the cheapest bottom shelf vodka at about $14 after taxes

Since Cincinnati is close to Kentucky and Indiana, I was going to suggest a road trip and stocking up. But it looks like Ohio has laws against doing that?

 

[Silver14SS]

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Several options for 1.75L < $10. Looks like this Kroger has quite the selection.