What's vodka dosing and can I do it?

ohio reefer · May 29, 2013

I have a 55 gallon reef that I've been battling nitrates with for a while. Everything is doing fine, it's just I want to attempt sps and need to get my levels down. I don't have a skimmer. Does this affect the dosing? And how much should I do? The cause of the nitrates was the amount of fish and 10 pounds of rock. I'm down to 6 small fish and 70 pounds of rock. I don't have time to do a large water changed for two
weeks. So will the vodka help nitrates and how do I do it? Thanks!

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redfishbluefish · May 29, 2013

I don’t believe vodka dosing is for you.

The alcohol is a carbon source (food) for the bacteria to proliferate. You really now need a skimmer to skim all this excess bacteria to “export” the nitrates out of your tank.

I’d suggest you look into adding a skimmer and doing frequent water changes to get you nitrates down. Vodka dosing also requires careful testing of nitrate levels while building up to the final dosing volumes.

KoleTang · May 29, 2013

Just get a skimmer.

Reefing Madness · May 29, 2013

A very good skimmer is a must when Vodka Dosing. If you don't have one, you shouldn't attempt it.
Here are a couple of reads on the subject. And I also currently dose my tank.
Melevsreef.com - Dosing Vodka to Lower Nitrate & Phosphate
Vodka Dosing by 'Genetics' and 'Stony_Corals' - Reefkeeping.com

ohio reefer · May 29, 2013

KoleTang said:
Just get a skimmer.

Money$$$ haha if I save up enough money I will

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returnofsid · May 29, 2013

I wouldn't ever advise someone to use Vodka Dosing unless they had a very good skimmer. Vodka dosing lowers the oxygen levels of the water. A good skimmer is needed, to counteract that.

Also, Vodka dosing can be catastrophic, if not done properly, crashing your entire tank. It's something you want to really research, understanding exactly what it does and why you would use it, before ever attempting it.

mike007 · May 29, 2013

Carbon dosing is not a miracle cure for nitrate problems. As stated above protein skimming,water changes and also not overfeeding will help in reducing these levels. Carbon dosing does work but you need to full understand it before using it. Redseafish makes a product called nopox(for short) that i have been using with great success. I recommend getting on there site and they can explain carbon dosing in a manner thats easy to understand.

www.redseafish.com

Rob&Gab · May 29, 2013

does 1ml every week for the first 4 weeks then start uping the doseing 2ml's. very good to remove phosphates and nitrates. and other stuff too. make sure too dose in your sump.

Rob&Gab · May 29, 2013

also you can have a skimmer and do this its nothing bad too do. my girl has been doing it for months now its been pretty good.

ohio reefer · May 29, 2013

mike007 said:
Carbon dosing is not a miracle cure for nitrate problems. As stated above protein skimming,water changes and also not overfeeding will help in reducing these levels. Carbon dosing does work but you need to full understand it before using it. Redseafish makes a product called nopox(for short) that i have been using with great success. I recommend getting on there site and they can explain carbon dosing in a manner thats easy to understand.

www.redseafish.com

My nitrates read 8 ppm on my digital reader. My corals are all doing fine. It's just in case I want sps. Do you think my nitrates are low enough for sps?

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Reefing Madness · May 30, 2013

Holy crap!! Pretty darn close. 0-5 is where you'd be ok.

Mrfresh · May 30, 2013

That great I wish I was there right now I'm over 100ppm and I vodka dose the tank
(Just started dosing lol )

I read reef keeping vodka dosing page atleast 10 times to make sure I understood it. It's not just something u can throw in the tank and forget it.
It takes time to build up to the right level and then u have to check all the time to make sure ur not over dosing the tank... One over dose can kill the fish or turn ur whole tank milky white...

Invest in a skimmer once u can and go from there...
Good luck

Mrfresh · May 30, 2013

That great I wish I was there right now I'm over 100ppm and I vodka dose the tank
(Just started dosing lol )

I read reef keeping vodka dosing page atleast 10 times to make sure I understood it. It's not just something u can throw in the tank and forget it.
It takes time to build up to the right level and then u have to check all the time to make sure ur not over dosing the tank... One over dose can kill the fish or turn ur whole tank milky white...

Invest in a skimmer once u can and go from there...
Good luck

ohio reefer · May 30, 2013

Someone's selling a new skimmer for 90$ on Craigslist, going to get it tommorow. It's never been opened!! Does anyone have experience with this brand?http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B003TQ9ST6/ref=mp_s_a_1_2?qid=1369911719&sr=8-2&pi=SL75

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ohio reefer · May 30, 2013

Mrfresh said:
That great I wish I was there right now I'm over 100ppm and I vodka dose the tank
(Just started dosing lol )

I read reef keeping vodka dosing page atleast 10 times to make sure I understood it. It's not just something u can throw in the tank and forget it.
It takes time to build up to the right level and then u have to check all the time to make sure ur not over dosing the tank... One over dose can kill the fish or turn ur whole tank milky white...

Invest in a skimmer once u can and go from there...
Good luck

Post your results on this thread when you're done dosing

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Reefing Madness · May 30, 2013

ohio reefer said:
Someone's selling a new skimmer for 90$ on Craigslist, going to get it tommorow. It's never been opened!! Does anyone have experience with this brand?Coral Vue Technology AC20287 Octopus Needle Wheel Skimmer for Aquarium Filter, 6-Inch, 150-Gallon:Amazonet Supplies

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Two Thumbs Up!! Great skimmer. And for $90!!! WOW

Reefing Madness · May 30, 2013

Mrfresh said:
That great I wish I was there right now I'm over 100ppm and I vodka dose the tank
(Just started dosing lol )

I read reef keeping vodka dosing page atleast 10 times to make sure I understood it. It's not just something u can throw in the tank and forget it.
It takes time to build up to the right level and then u have to check all the time to make sure ur not over dosing the tank... One over dose can kill the fish or turn ur whole tank milky white...

Invest in a skimmer once u can and go from there...
Good luck

Incorrect, in all areas. One overdose isn't going to kill anything, unless you overdose a 10g tank. I read the inscructions, then started out at 10mls, and jumped 5mls a week until they came down. I was at 50mls before I saw them move. Now do the math on that one, and tell me how long it would have been before they came down going by those unstructions. ??
If you go by Melevs set up, using a 180g tank, and he's dosing 12mls a day for routine maintenance, you can get an idea of where your going to start out and finish at. Oh, and my Trates were over 200. Also, my tank was milky white for 10 days while the Trates came down. No coral or fish deaths. Its not that big of a deal. Not dificult at all to do.
But Ohio Reefer being at only 8 on his Nitrates really isn't going to need but 1-2mls a day for a maintenance dose, if he were to to it.

bucksfan1976 · May 30, 2013

First off get a skimmer it helps with the filtration so much. Also save yourself some hassle , get ya a Two Lil Fishies 150 Reactor and run some bio pellets in it, that is what killed my nitrate problem