Vodka Overdose: What to worry about?

[Treefer32]

So, I may have primed my doser for a 3 hour period. Which means I may have overdosed my tank with 180 ml of vodka into a 350 gallon salt water volume. What should I be worried about over the next few days. Initially I was worried about oxygen crash due to bacterial bloom (how long does it take for bacterial bloom?)

Will it kill corals and fish?

I was dosing around 25 ml per day of vodka. I noticed my dosing container was almost empty and the dosing line was empty so I refilled it and primed the line over what was supposed to be 10-20 minutes. I forgot I left it on and just turned it off now. 3 hours later. Approximately 1.1 ml per minute. times 3 hours is well over 180 ml.

PH is still 8.4 right now. Down from 8.48 earlier today. It's been hitting 8.5 since having windows open in the house. Skimmer is running. I have a cannister filter full of Matrix - pourous rock for denitrification. Which should be full of bacteria by now. Do I just wait it out or do I need to do an emergency water change and wait for the bacteria to be skimmed out by the skimmer?

 

[vtecintegra]

Just a wild guess, but I doubt 180ml is going to have a negative impact in 350 gallons. I would just watch for the water to get cloudy from bacteria. Then maybe do a water change.

 

[dakoop]

A hangover?

 

[Dbichler]

I would expect a bacteria bloom to happen as well. Just keep your oxygenation up possibly remover skimmer cup for more and let it settle.

 

[Rmckoy]

Slurred speech , impaired vision
Try to avoid driving

for fish . Bacteria bloom would be the only thing to watch for

 

[Miami Reef]

This is really bad IMO.

I would expect a very large bacterial bloom and possibly a cyano outbreak.

I highly recommend skimming and run LOTS of activated carbon. I would personally invest in a UV sterilizer because this bacteria bloom is NOT going to be pretty.

The biggest risks with bacteria blooms is that they deplete oxygen and produce ammonia as waste. Watch for the fish breathing rapidly if the water gets cloudy.

@Randy Holmes-Farley

 

[Miami Reef]

Look at this chart:

The about max dose for a 1,000 gallon tank is 15.5mL after 16 weeks of dosing.

 

[RipVanWinkle]

What’s the purpose of adding vodka to a tank?

 

[Rmckoy]

Look at this chart:

The about max dose for a 1,000 gallon tank is 15.5mL after 16 weeks of dosing.

By week 16 if you haven’t noticed nitrates decreasing . There is something extremely wrong .

nutrient intake exceeds the export amount

 

[Rmckoy]

What’s the purpose of adding vodka to a tank?

Fish have bad days too

 

[Miami Reef]

What’s the purpose of adding vodka to a tank?

Reducing nitrates is the main benefit.

 

[Rmckoy]

What’s the purpose of adding vodka to a tank?

All jokes aside .
vodka is a carbon source which colonizes bacteria to consume nutrients .

as carbon you can dose vodka ( purest )
Vinegar , sugar , etc

 

[Dbichler]

I’ve overdosed plenty of times the blooms go away let’s not send him into a panic and make drastic changes making things worse.

 

[Miami Reef]

I’ve overdosed plenty of times the blooms go away let’s not send him into a panic and make drastic changes making things worse.

You overdosed vodka in a tank? By how much did you overdose by?

 

[Rmckoy]

I’ve overdosed plenty of times the blooms go away let’s not send him into a panic and make drastic changes making things worse.

The funniest part .
I’ve also over dosed many times years ago but vinegar was a lot cheaper . But being only 5% requires a lot more .
Cutting off dosing had worse effects ( cyano )

years later I tried nopox .
that stuff is powerful and will decrease nutrients to zero In no time .
essentially … it’s vodka , vinegar and something else mixed together ?

 

[Dbichler]

Yeah I do diy nopox now for how cheap I can make it I dose 45ml daily and have zero issues going to actually increase it in two weeks.

 

[Rmckoy]

Yeah I do diy nopox now for how cheap I can make it I dose 45ml daily and have zero issues going to actually increase it in two weeks.

What’s in the diy nopox ?
Equal parts alcohol and vinegar ?

 

[ZoWhat]

@Treefer32

I would run a PH at the DT waterline so it sucks air and churns bubbles in the DT tank.. Run until Saturday morning.

O2 depletion is a serious matter....as newly developed bacteria consumes O2 at a tremendous rate.

I've had two O2 depletion events in the last few years wiping out $500+ worth of tangs both times. Emotionally and financially crushing events....

BOTH TIMES it killed the fish overnight when coral wasn't photosynthesizing, producing o2.

 

[Dbichler]

What’s in the diy nopox ?
Equal parts alcohol and vinegar ?

500ml vinegar 375ml vodka 125 rodi is the standard I just do equal of all 3

 

[LeftyReefer]

I've only dosed vodka to my tank a few times... just kind of experimenting with it. I've never had (high) nitrate issues, so I've never had to rely on vodka dosing.

Sayin that, I would probably do a water change if possible.... not knowing what it can do, would lead me to try to get as much out as possible via a water change.

180ml of vodka seems like a LOT based on what they recommend....

bumping for more eyes.