vodka dosing stories

Wiz · Mar 3, 2015

A lil while back my girl overfed the tank one night. Never had a problem with nitrates before. Not sure if it was coinsidense or not. But 2 days later my sps started to bleach. I tested all parameters and nitrates were at 20ppm. The rest were fine. Did a 50% water change and dropped feeding to once every other day. Half a cube of mysis and half a cap marine snow. Nitrates tested at 10ppm after water change. Then 15 the following week. Dropped feeding to once every three days. And a week later 30 ppm! Another water change and about 10 days later 40ppm! Corals seem fine oddly. But Im frightened. So I'm gonna start vodka dosing. I have read two great articles and feel I have a good feel for how it should be done. There is a lot of posative feedback for it. If done right it would seem it is a great way to get nitrates and phosphates out of a reef. Anyone tried this and have stories? Either good or bad?

Reefing Madness · Mar 3, 2015

No bad story here. I still dose today, and have been dosing for a few years now. Still have to test and adjust here and there, but thats a reef tank. I try to keep mine above 0 but under 10.

Wiz · Mar 3, 2015

Reefing Madness said:
No bad story here. I still dose today, and have been dosing for a few years now. Still have to test and adjust here and there, but thats a reef tank. I try to keep mine above 0 but under 10.

I would imagine that dosing amounts are based on overall nitrate accumulation as well as water volume. my tank is roughly 50 gallons total so I don't think it will take as much as most. Can you give me a little background on how big your tank is and how much you have in it or a link to your thread for your tank. as well as what you dose roughly per week. Thanks

Reefing Madness · Mar 3, 2015

You do not go by how much is dosed pe week, its the daily dose that eats the nitrates out.
My tank:
240g- 8'x2'x2'
220lbs Rock
1.5" Crushed Coral Sand Bed
Valmingi Tang, Sailfin Tang, Mimic Tang, Hippo Tang, Yellow Eye Tang, Mono Argentus, and a few Mollies.
I dose currently 24mls a day.
Colt Coral, Devils Hand, Green Nepthea, Orange Button Palys

Tank Shots:
TheReefingMadness's Library | Photobucket

declanisadog · Mar 3, 2015

I'm a big fan of carbon dosing. I've been dosing vodka for about a year. I dose 9ml daily (5 in the morning 4 in the evening via doser) in my 40gallon system. I have a couple of finicky fish so being able to overfeed without worrying about my nitrates going crazy is huge!

rayn · Mar 3, 2015

One thing I have noticed is that carbon or vodka dosing goes after the nitrates and will leave phosphate behind. It will help, but I am finding I need to run a phosphate media with my nitrates low.

Reefing Madness · Mar 3, 2015

I run SeaKlear, dosing a capful only once a week for Phosphates.

Wiz · Mar 3, 2015

I know madness. Just interrested to see how much different setups eat over time. So weekly should be ok to compare. My 40b is very well stocked. So ill bet it will eat a bit. We shall see.

Wiz · Mar 3, 2015

declanisadog said:
I'm a big fan of carbon dosing. I've been dosing vodka for about a year. I dose 9ml daily (5 in the morning 4 in the evening via doser) in my 40gallon system. I have a couple of finicky fish so being able to overfeed without worrying about my nitrates going crazy is huge!

I also run a 40b. How well stalked is yours? 9ml a day seems like a lot compared to some large tanks I've heard about.

rayn · Mar 3, 2015

I am probably dosing around 9 if not more in my 40 as well. Being able to pull the nitrates out easier allows to feed more, whether it is fish or coral food

Wiz · Mar 3, 2015

I don't generally have a problem with phosphate. I have a pad in the sump bur more for pod breeding. Lol my fuge seems to eat the phosphates pretty well. Only recently started showing nitrates. Never had a problem with them before. Not sure why that changef.

Wiz · Mar 3, 2015

rayn said:
I am probably dosing around 9 if not more in my 40 as well. Being able to pull the nitrates out easier allows to feed more, whether it is fish or coral food

How well stocked?

declanisadog · Mar 3, 2015

Mine is pretty heavily stocked, but I also feed a ton, which has a lot to do with it. My sump is also pretty filthy. I am about to redo my plumbing, and get a new sump. once I do, and actually start keeping it clean, I am sure that amount will go down.

declanisadog · Mar 3, 2015

I also run rox carbon and GFO which I change out biweekly.

Wiz · Mar 3, 2015

declanisadog said:
Mine is pretty heavily stocked, but I also feed a ton, which has a lot to do with it. My sump is also pretty filthy. I am about to redo my plumbing, and get a new sump. once I do, and actually start keeping it clean, I am sure that amount will go down.

Do you have a tank thread? Pretty heavily stocked is a matter of opinion. No offense. But my idea and others of heavily stocked has been different in the past. Lol

declanisadog · Mar 3, 2015

Wiz said:
Do you have a tank thread? Pretty heavily stocked is a matter of opinion. No offense. But my idea and others of heavily stocked has been different in the past. Lol

Nope, but it's a 30gallon with a pair of clowns, a redtail tamarin, a mandarin, pair of yasha gobies, and a kole tang (about to go to my work tank as soon as I can catch it). I also have several LPS/NPS that I feed regularly.

Wiz · Mar 3, 2015

most are small colonies but my list goes something like this.
Lg purple firefish, sm occelaris, md six line, springeri dottyback, md bangai, md flame angel, sm blue tang, sm watchman.
3 shrimp
1lg serpent
1md brittle
2 conchs
1 mythrax
1 porcelin
14 hermits
Bout 150 various snails
3 bta
17 lps
6 sps
6 softies
3 ricordea
7 different shrooms
6 pallys
15 zoas
1 feather duster

Wiz · Mar 3, 2015

declanisadog said:
Nope, but it's a 30gallon with a pair of clowns, a redtail tamarin, a mandarin, pair of yasha gobies, and a kole tang (about to go to my work tank as soon as I can catch it). I also have several LPS/NPS that I feed regularly.

See what I mean... lol I win