Vodka
- Thread starter bruce 1
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Troylee
all about the diy!!!!!
works good if you stay on top of it but if you get lazy things can go bad.... i got a full blown dino outbreak when i got lazy that almost took a couple corals with it...
pickupman66
5000 Club Member
Vodka can work for some. I tried it. it is very sensitive and you have to be spot on in all of your tests. in my tank, it caused a cyano bloom. also, you need to watch your ALK too. anything above 9 will cause burnt tips.
you start off and ramp up the dosage. once your nitrates go to zero, you cut that dosage in half to a maintenance dose. there is a really really good article on it in reefkeeping magazine.
yes, you need to deal with it EVERY day. if you are considering it, look into ponying up and go with the pellets. for roughly $100 you can get a BRS pellet reactor and 1000ML of the Ecobak pellets. Depending on your tank size, you can even run them in a Phosban reactor or ive heard them even in a baggie in the sump.
Oh and the last piece of the puzzle is you MUST have a very good skimmer to remove the DOC and bacteria. without it, you will have massive bacteria blooms with any method of carbon dosing.
you start off and ramp up the dosage. once your nitrates go to zero, you cut that dosage in half to a maintenance dose. there is a really really good article on it in reefkeeping magazine.
yes, you need to deal with it EVERY day. if you are considering it, look into ponying up and go with the pellets. for roughly $100 you can get a BRS pellet reactor and 1000ML of the Ecobak pellets. Depending on your tank size, you can even run them in a Phosban reactor or ive heard them even in a baggie in the sump.
Oh and the last piece of the puzzle is you MUST have a very good skimmer to remove the DOC and bacteria. without it, you will have massive bacteria blooms with any method of carbon dosing.
bruce 1
Community Member
What if you are in week 10 of dosing (or any time), and you had to go out of town? (5 days) Would you just stop dosing? Will that hurt the tank? When you come back would you start off where you left off on the dosing?
reefaholic420
New Member
Yeah i agree with everything else posted..I have been dosing the past 3 months, and im at the 6ml dose everyday, and have undetectable nitrates and my corals have been getting some amazing colors..Straight up it works if you dont get lazy like everyone says..Even tho i just signed up ive been reeing for around 5 years..heres the link reference i used, the guy has pictures, charts of water params, and the testing was done over a three or 4 year period so you can see the results and i think he is still dosing currently..
Melevsreef.com - Dosing Vodka to Lower Nitrate & Phosphate
Melevsreef.com - Dosing Vodka to Lower Nitrate & Phosphate
btkrausen
Fish Hoarder
Great to hear Bruce. I'm on day 65 or something like that, and still haven't hit the 0 mark. I'm close I think, but right now I'm dosing 4.1ml, and will be upping to 4.6ml depending on measurements tonight. Good luck, be patient, and keep us updated with the progression. Lots of good information out there.
mizzoumed02
Active Member
Not trying to Hijack this thread, but I have a question for everyone dosing Vodka. Why Vodka over the Pellets? Just an honest question, I would like to hear your thoughts on why it is better or more beneficial.
Michael7979
Active Member
Was thinking the same thing.
Why Vodka over pellets or some bottled item, (like Bio-Fuel)?
Is it just because vodka is cheap?
btkrausen
Fish Hoarder
For me, it was the fact that biopellets were new, yet vodka was proven and has been around for a long time. Plus, I live minutes from about 20 distilleries, so it costs me almost nothing to buy vodka.
Seasonedreefer
Active Member
I think the reasoning behind vodka over pellets and bio fuel is to get a different stran of bacteria going. Ive heard of other using all three NOT simulataniously but alternate them to get different bacterial colonies. I think Micro bacter and bio fuel is a safe more controlled system and easier for beginners to use, Either way give it a try. Just have patience and don't over dose as you can run into some big problems fast.
caribbeanguy
New Member
I have used Vodka for quite some time and I can say it really works, I went with it over pellets because of the cost and I did not want to incorporate more equipment, I guess it is a relative choice for the reefer..........
Vodka over the brand name bottled stuff is just a matter of cost. I switched from vodka to pellets but it took some time. I waited to see more positive results before I did. Like Caribbeanguy said though it means another reactor. Some people look at it and say they have there hands in the tank at least twice a day so no big deal. I wanted it to be hands off so that was why I switched. I was getting great results with vodka for over 2 years.
btkrausen
Fish Hoarder
I've never heard of using different vodka types for different strains of bacteria. Most of the time its using things like MicroBater7 and stuff like that for strains. I wouldn't mix types of vodka, as it would be hard to keep a daily regime going.
LPS tanker
Community Member
can you explain what will happen if u dont have a good skimmer, (I think this is my problem)
thanks!
btkrausen
Fish Hoarder
Before you start, you need to really read the ReefKeeping article and do some research on the subject. Those articles will give you recommended dosages, but honestly, you need to read and know why and how vodka helps your tank.
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