Vinegar dosing at 200 ml no changes

[rc1]

Started with 100ml, 2 week to 15, 3rd week to 175, 1 week at 200ml and still no changes.
At what point do I just called it quits?
Nitrates testing with Salifurt and API to verify and still over 100+
No algea anywhere in DT or sump/refugium,

 

[crazyfishmom]

Started with 100ml, 2 week to 15, 3rd week to 175, 1 week at 200ml and still no changes.
At what point do I just called it quits?
Nitrates testing with Salifurt and API to verify and still over 100+
No algea anywhere in DT or sump/refugium,

Can you please provide a bit more information?

What size tank? Do you do water changes? What does your mechanical filtration look like? What do your phosphates look like? What does routine maintenance look like? How many fish? How much do you feed?

 

[Reefering1]

And list parameters

 

[rc1]

Can you please provide a bit more information?

What size tank? Do you do water changes? What does your mechanical filtration look like? What do your phosphates look like? What does routine maintenance look like? How many fish? How much do you feed?

220 dt plus 48 sump. I run a Reef mat 1200, a Reefer 900 skimmer and have cheato. I feed 2 half sheets off nori once a day and 2 frozen mysis every other day.
Don’t do water changes over a year and a half, as everything looks good and don’t want to be chasing numbers. No corals just GSP that is growing on back wall.
Sand is clean, no algae, salinity at 1.027, ammonia 0, nitrites 0, Phosphate at 4.0, Calcium at 480 and PH 8.2
Have medium size Naso, large 2 stripe rabbit fish, medium fox face, medium sailfish and large dr tang, 2 clowns, 1 goby, 3 black cardinals and a dinner plate size anemone.

 

[crazyfishmom]

220 dt plus 48 sump. I run a Reef mat 1200, a Reefer 900 skimmer and have cheato. I feed 2 half sheets off nori once a day and 2 frozen mysis every other day.
Don’t do water changes over a year and a half, as everything looks good and don’t want to be chasing numbers. No corals just GSP that is growing on back wall.
Sand is clean, no algae, salinity at 1.027, ammonia 0, nitrites 0, Phosphate at 4.0
Have medium size Naso, large 2 stripe rabbit fish, medium fox face, medium sailfish and large dr tang, 2 clowns, 1 goby, 3 black cardinals and a dinner plate size anemone.

Thanks for providing all this info.

Both phosphate and nitrate are fairly high and when they are this high it takes an extremely long time and lots of carbon dosing to help.

Many people have more success with vodka compared to vinegar (takes lower volume of vodka compared to vinegar to start making a dent) but for levels that high I would consider doing large water changes to get you to wherever you think you’re comfortable and then using carbon dosing to keep the levels where you want them.

I have a 210g tank/60 g sump. My nitrates were 70 and phosphates 0.8 about two months ago. I keep a lot of acros that were looking dull and my alkalinity consumption was going down so I decided it was time to reduce nutrients. I also don’t typically do water changes. I tried to go the carbon dosing way for a few weeks but that was not sufficient. I ended up doing large water changes and that got them down to 50 and then I added purigen and phosban. Now my nutrients are nitrates 25-35 and phosphate 0.2-0.3 which is where my corals seem to do best. Alkalinity consumption has taken off again and tank seems happier than ever.

 

[Miami Reef]

I’m a little confused. Your tank is essentially a FOWLR?

You can pretty much leave the nutrients as it is; there is no algae and the fish and corals are doing well.

If you really want to lower nitrate, you need a better test kit before assuming it isn’t working. You can drop the nitrates by 20ppm, but your kits aren’t accurate enough to detect it.

 

[Miami Reef]

Many people have more success with vodka compared to vinegar (takes lower volume of vodka compared to vinegar to start making a dent)

That’s not true. If you follow my chart in this thread, they work equally: https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/new-vodka-and-vinegar-dosing-charts.1024056/

1mL vodka = 8mL vinegar.

You can use vinegar, vodka, a mix of both, or commercial carbon products.


When nitrate is really high, I like to use a combination of a refugium and carbon dosing.

 

[crazyfishmom]

That’s not true. If you follow my chart in this thread, they work equally: https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/new-vodka-and-vinegar-dosing-charts.1024056/

1mL vodka = 8mL vinegar.

You can use vinegar, vodka, a mix of both, or commercial carbon products.


When nitrate is really high, I like to use a combination of a refugium and carbon dosing.

Hi, yes I agree. Read my sentence. I specifically stated that it takes higher volume of vodka compared to vinegar. OP appeared worried at the cheer volume of vinegar he was adding to his tank.

 

[Miami Reef]

Hi, yes I agree. Read my sentence. I specifically stated that it takes higher volume of vodka compared to vinegar. OP appeared worried at the cheer volume of vinegar he was adding to his tank.

Yes, it takes a larger volume of vinegar to equal vodka’s dose, but most people should use a chart or guide to dosing organic carbon. The OP is not underdosing vinegar, so mentioning that vodka is more effective is not accurate.

Vinegar is equally effective when you dose the same molecules of carbon. When using the chart above, both are equal.

 

[rc1]

Yes, it takes a larger volume of vinegar to equal vodka’s dose, but most people should use a chart or guide to dosing organic carbon. The OP is not underdosing vinegar, so mentioning that vodka is more effective is not accurate.

Vinegar is equally effective when you dose the same molecules of carbon. When using the chart above, both are equal.

I have been increasing it by 50 ml per week until I would see some changes in the readings.

 

[apb03]

You can use phosguard to get your phosphate down. For nitrate do 20% water changes a week and see where you stable out at. After that if you still need to reduce further you can try vodka. Vinegar never worked for me either.

What is your water change schedule currently?

 

[rc1]

You can use phosguard to get your phosphate down. For nitrate do 20% water changes a week and see where you stable out at. After that if you still need to reduce further you can try vodka. Vinegar never worked for me either.

What is your water change schedule currently?

None in over a year and a half

 

[GARRIGA]

My nitrates post cycle wouldn’t drop with carbon dosing because I was phosphate limited. Added Neo Phos and dropped nitrates to under 5 ppm. Started with 160 plus due to heavy stress testing with ammonium chloride.

 

[rc1]

My nitrates post cycle wouldn’t drop with carbon dosing because I was phosphate limited. Added Neo Phos and dropped nitrates to under 5 ppm. Started with 160 plus due to heavy stress testing with ammonium chloride.

Mine are over 4 so I don’t think that would work out. I read that it is for low nutrients set ups

 

[Miami Reef]

I have been increasing it by 50 ml per week until I would see some changes in the readings.

268mL vinegar per day, preferably spread out, will give you the fastest results possible. The readings will start to drop. That’s for your tank size.

If you want the same strength in vodka, it’s 33.5mL.

Definitely have a good skimmer. It will remove a lot of bacteria and junk with the above dosage.

I would start dosing trace elements that include iron. It should get the algae back in the refugium which will speed up nitrate consumption.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Can you post a tank picture?

 

[rc1]

Here u go

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

I don't know if it will just take more time (it sometimes is a slow process), but have you ever added trace elements? they may become limiting.

4.0 on phosphate means 4 ppm? Not 4 ppb?

 

[rc1]

I don't know if it will just take more time (it sometimes is a slow process), but have you ever added trace elements? they may become limiting.

4.0 on phosphate means 4 ppm? Not 4 ppb?

No, I don’t add trace elements, I make sure salinity is where it should be and that’s pretty much it.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

No, I don’t add trace elements, I make sure salinity is where it should be and that’s pretty much it.

I don't know if it would help, but I can't see it hurting.