Could someone guide me through vodka dosing?
 

Please don't flame me for my choice :)

I've been gradually increasing the amount since Oct. 26 -- Started with .2 ml - now I'm up to 4.4 ml

No change in nitrates or phosphate yet

I have a 4 in. DSB, 100g tank 30g fuge and about 20g in the sump.

Don't know my water volume - but here's a tank photo --- Please note, the rocks are very loosely stacked into 2 separate "bommies" with very little rock touching the back of the tank. Maybe someone could guestimate my water volume.

[IMG]http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/505/5247125new_full_tank_resized.jpg[/IMG]

Should I keep upping the vodka? I'm now increasing by .2 - .4 ml/day

My favorite way is 1 oz vodka and about 8 oz orange juice. :D

I know, no help. :(

But a bump! :D

whats the vodka supposed to do ?

what are you thinking? This sounds crazy. There are much better ways to solve this issue.

Hi,

Go with about 1ml every 2 days in morning and check no3 after 4 days.
A few points to note:
1: You can also use sugar(normal), 1/2 teaspoon will work as above.

2: After a few days +/- the water may/will get cloudy this is normal once skimmer is working it should clear in a day or two. Please be aware the bloom will reduce free O2 in water so just watch the fish (thats why you dose in morning)

3: This a short/med term solution, you need to find out why the LV/DSB is not working (not enough flow/dirt)

4: When is doubt use less, but it looking good increase to each day.

What is does is supply food for the low O2 bacteria to process the nitrate to a gas form. The eat they sugars and breath the no3.
It does work very well but as with every thing their is a downside, while feeding sugar/vodka the bactria build up, but stop the feed and the die off again, And so the nitrates return.
I've used it for short term crisis issues and worked perfectly fine, please watch your coral some softys really hate it, either the like the nitrate or the hate increase in sugars but you may loose some over extended use.

I know guys with FOWLR who use it as part of topping up tank and have done for years.

Ok, hope this helps, im no expert but i think i got the basics right?:confused:

Randy Holmes-Farley has mentioned that he added a single Tbsp of vodka to his 90 gallon and got a reaction from it. I dont know that anyone has really developed a set protocol for vodka (or sugar) dosing; nor do I think it can really be done since nitrate and phosphate levels differ in every tank. Do us all a favor and document the experiment in your tank, eh? :)

Voltekker and KozmoTKramer; the idea behind dosing with vodka is to provide an extra source of carbon to bacteria in the tank that can fix nitrate and phosphate. There have been variations on this idea that have gone from vodka to sugar to sulfur (a different nutrient source, but kind of the same idea). Always controversial, but its got potential...

[QUOTE][i]<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8651115#post8651115 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by newrossman [/i]
[B]Hi,

Go with about 1ml every 2 days in morning and check no3 after 4 days.
[/B][/QUOTE]
Do you mean inrease the dose by 1 ml every 2 days?

You said you're up to 4.4 mL but didn't say how often you dose?

[QUOTE][i]<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8652298#post8652298 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by ryansholl [/i]
[B]You said you're up to 4.4 mL but didn't say how often you dose? [/B][/QUOTE]

Pretty much daily - occasionally I miss a day

Do Your fish get drunk!!That sounds pretty wild.

i used sugar + cheato, and my skimmer started pulling out even darker and thicker skimmate, and nitrates went from 75+ to under 2ppm.

every other day i dosed 1/3 teaspoon white sugar, then after a week went up to 1/3 table spoon for another week. now that its down, i'm going to dose only about 1/3 table spoon every other week.

NO DAMAGE TO CORALS / FISH and i have a 40gal system.

Currently im testing mako vodka i a glass of diet pepsi... will let you know my progress also take int cosideration the attivan...

I remember this from a few years back and though it came back as a bad idea?

[QUOTE][i]<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8655635#post8655635 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by supernareg [/i]
[B]i used sugar + cheato, and my skimmer started pulling out even darker and thicker skimmate, and nitrates went from 75+ to under 2ppm.

every other day i dosed 1/3 teaspoon white sugar, then after a week went up to 1/3 table spoon for another week. now that its down, i'm going to dose only about 1/3 table spoon every other week.

NO DAMAGE TO CORALS / FISH and i have a 40gal system. [/B][/QUOTE]

Thanks for your kind feedback - One reason I didn't use sugar instead was that I thought there was more experience & info out there with vodka - from my thread results so far there doesn't seem to be much out there to help me :(

I've considered switching to sugar as I am starting to be uncomfortable with the amount of impurities I may be introducing from the vodka -

Maybe I should just give in and do the Prodibio products -- wish i'd spent more time at that booth at MACNA ;)

[QUOTE][i]<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8655661#post8655661 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by saltycreefer [/i]
[B]I remember this from a few years back and though it came back as a bad idea? [/B][/QUOTE]
Who are you asking? :p