Nitrate and Phosphate problems - Can I vodka dose 55 gal?

[mmincey200]

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Salinity 1.022 pH 8.0 Phosphates 0.12 Nitrates 4 Nitrites 0 Ammonia 0 Calcium 400 Alkalinity 6/107.4 KH

2 clowns, 1 yellow tang, 2 pajama cardinals, 1 green chromis, 2 yellow fin damels, 1 watchman goby, 1 pistol shrimp, cleaner shrimp and fire shrimp. Lots of crabs and snails.

I feed once daily pellets and only enough for them to eat in a few mins. I have feeder ring so that is does not get into the overflow for the sump.

These are my water parameters from last Sunday. I had done a 15 gal water change the weekend before. I have added pH buffer to raise the alkalinity I am in the process of slowly increasing my salinity. I have a 55 gal tank with a seaclone protein skimmer which will be changed out tomorrow if all goes well. The propeller in the pump started coming apart. The phosphates are down from .25 the week before. My question is Is my tank too small for vodka dosing? I read somewhere that it is not recommended for 55 gal tanks. I recently had the nitrate spike and the phosphate issue is ongoing. I have a 7 gal sump, 2 AI Led Nano lights, not sure how much live rock as I have added as I go. I have lost a pulsating zenia, a green star polyp and my Duncan stays closed up but is still bright green. The Duncan is slowly starting to put out a few tentacles but will not fully open. I have to clean the brown algae off my glass daily to every other day. 2 of my mussels on my liverock just up and died within the last week not sure what is going on. My brain coral is also staying mostly closed up. Any ideas or comments welcome.

This tank has been up and running since Feb. I upgraded to 55gal from 29gal. All water and rocks moved with it, new sand was added. All my problems seemed to start within the last 4-5 weeks.

 

[Aquaph8]

I don't see any problems with the tank being 55 gallons but I do recommend a more powerful skimmer while dosing vodka.

 

[mmincey200]

I am planning on getting a Reef Octopus tomorrow if my LFS has the HOB type. I cannot get the submersible ones into my sump-Not enough space.

 

[mike007]

Yes you can dose a 55.

 

[mmincey200]

How much would I start with? The website I found said 0.1ml. That does not seem like much at all. If I cannot get the skimmer and have to order then I will wait to start dosing til the new skimmer comes. I did put a new pump on the current skimmer so at least it is working again for now.

 

[Muney Mun]

I have a 55 and I vodka dose I've been doing it for a few months and haven't had any problems from dosing. I think I started at 2 ml and increase 1 every week so if u go the rate I did then day u start dosing 2ml a day for a week then that following week dose 3ml a day for another week then the following week increase it by 1ml so that would b 4ml that next week and so on. When u get ur nitrates to 0 then whatever dose you are doing cut it in half and that is ur daily maintaince dose. Like right now I'm at 10ml and just checked my nitrates are almost 0 so I'm continue to dose 10 a few more days and check again and if it is 0 nitrates then ill start dosing 5ml a day for continued maintaince

 

[Reefing Madness]

Yes you can dose a 55.

^+1

 

[NanaReefer]

IMO you need more rock in your display. More to house the beneficial bacteria for a tank that size.

 

[mmincey200]

I have been wanting to add more but all the rock on top had a mussel or a coral attached. Now that the mussels have died off I can now add some new rock on top of it. I will wait til my LFS has some good looking live rock come in with all the goodies on it. I wanted to go upward with my rock. I am new to corals so am still learning this whole process. I had a FOWLR tank about 13 years ago. This round I have a tank up for close to 3 years. I am reading and learning as I go. My few Zoa frags are do ok. The brain coral came on some liverock. I have a colony of Palys and the Duncan frag.

 

[NanaReefer]

I'm sure once you add more rock you'll find no need to carbon dose.
Although on a smaller scale, I pretty much run the same setup as you. 26g with a 3.3g HOB fuge. However I have about 25# of rock Plus about half a # in my fuge. 2+ years and I've never dosed carbon of any kind to keep nitrates/PO4 low. Just good ole water changes.
See once you start carbon dosing you'll need to continue indefinitely, or so I've read.

 

[Reefing Madness]

I'm sure once you add more rock you'll find no need to carbon dose.
Although on a smaller scale, I pretty much run the same setup as you. 26g with a 3.3g HOB fuge. However I have about 25# of rock Plus about half a # in my fuge. 2+ years and I've never dosed carbon of any kind to keep nitrates/PO4 low. Just good ole water changes.
See once you start carbon dosing you'll need to continue indefinitely, or so I've read.

You are correct, you must continue the Carbon Dosing, it doesn't stop. Then again, its cheaper than all the water changes you do.

 

[NanaReefer]

You are correct, you must continue the Carbon Dosing, it doesn't stop. Then again, its cheaper than all the water changes you do.

Cheaper/easier then doing a wc I'm sure. But carbon dosing doesn't add the essential elements that water changes do.

 

[mmincey200]

I changed out my Phosguard and carbon this morning. While changing it out I noted alot of detritus came out of the HOB filter that I use for that purpose. I took it down and cleaned it well. It had quite bit in the bottom. Now my ammonia has spiked to 2. Is this from the detritus stirred up or from the 2 mussels that I found empty shells of? I will start Vodka dosing tonight after I get the the new skimmer. I know it will be a slow process, but I have been fighting this battle for over a month anyway. I have killed 3 anemones in the past and don't know what I am doing wrong. I may try one more after I can get my levels to stay in check.

 

[mmincey200]

I will try vodka dosing and will still continue to do water changes every other weekend. My schedule lately makes it hard to keep up with these weekly and twice weekly I am doing right now. I am open to suggestions at this point.

 

[Reefing Madness]

Cheaper/easier then doing a wc I'm sure. But carbon dosing doesn't add the essential elements that water changes do.

Most Dose that as well. Along with Cal, Mag and Alk.

 

[Reefing Madness]

I changed out my Phosguard and carbon this morning. While changing it out I noted alot of detritus came out of the HOB filter that I use for that purpose. I took it down and cleaned it well. It had quite bit in the bottom. Now my ammonia has spiked to 2. Is this from the detritus stirred up or from the 2 mussels that I found empty shells of? I will start Vodka dosing tonight after I get the the new skimmer. I know it will be a slow process, but I have been fighting this battle for over a month anyway. I have killed 3 anemones in the past and don't know what I am doing wrong. I may try one more after I can get my levels to stay in check.

The mini cycle has been caused by stirring up the Nitates factory called a Filter. It will be short lived, and shouldn't cause any ill effects.
Anemones are a bit tougher to keep than one would think. Nitrates under 5 at all times, Mag, Cal, Alk, SG, Temp, PH, Phosphates at .005 and very strong lighting are all needs of the Anemone. Not easy to keep this up without a weekly routine.

 

[mmincey200]

Well No new protein skimmer today--at least my other one is working at the moment. Will have to order from BRS. I did buy 11 lbs of liverock, one piece had nice little pink brain coral attached. I now have a green brain and pink brain. 2 peppermint shrimp to help with my aptaisia that I have. I killed the largest with lemon juice but couldn't get the smaller ones. I found a frag of acan they were having a sale on. Now we wait and keep doing water changes til then. Thanks for all your input.