[quote=“Cdangel0, post:139, topic:1095”]
[quote=“kaptken, post:136, topic:1095”]
and you might do some vodka dosing(under supervision) to grow bacteria that will consume large amounts of Nitrates and Phosphates over time. [/quote]
I still say SCREW THAT!! My vodka costs me like $40 for a 750. The only thing I am dosing with that stuff is me!! :BEER[/quote]
The bacteria dont care what brand. Orloft or McCormicks works just as well as Grey Goose.
well, the point of vodka is it is a pure ethanol/water mix. no extra flavorings and wood barrel aging extracts to mess with the corals. wood contains terpines. so its a pure form of carbs for the bacteria to eat. I was reading an RC post by Randy Farley on his try at using sugar. his experience was it cleaned the tank but his corals turned brown. not sure why. he suggested perhaps it was a burst of brown zooxanthalae in the coral fed by the sugar. sugar is a larger molecule with more carbon atoms than ethanol. I dont know. two teaspoon of vodka is 40% ethanol or only 4 ml for a 90 gallon system. if you use sugar, it would only take a pinch between your finger for a dose. you could give that a try too. start at every other day. whatch and see.
i changed the gfo today. so im thinkng 1ml every other day? im getting water tonight so ill be doing a water change tommrow.
what kind of bloom should i expect? what can go wrong? is there anything else i should know about befor i begin dosing?
I have used sugar and vodka. I started slow and after a few days the tank seem slightly cloudy. I stopped the dossing and the skimmer went nuts. I figure I had a bacteria bloom which fed on the nutrients (cloudy) then died (skimmer nuts) Tank looked good and clean. Unfortunately I was not into testing so I do not have exact numbers to compare a before and after.
i hear u talking about a skimmer. i dont have one. would this be a problem? how much would it inprove nitrates. say 20 to 10?
could get macro algae and then start dosing, then trim the algae. i just dont want anything to crash
[quote=“icy1155, post:141, topic:1095”]
[quote=“Cdangel0, post:139, topic:1095”]
[quote=“kaptken, post:136, topic:1095”]
and you might do some vodka dosing(under supervision) to grow bacteria that will consume large amounts of Nitrates and Phosphates over time. [/quote]
I still say SCREW THAT!! My vodka costs me like $40 for a 750. The only thing I am dosing with that stuff is me!! :BEER[/quote]
The bacteria dont care what brand. Orloft or McCormicks works just as well as Grey Goose.[/quote]
I am 100% certain there is no possible way I would ever be able to convince Lynn that we need ot get vodka for me to drink and vodka for me to dose the fish tank. My butt would be in an AA meeting so fast I’d have road rash on my arse.
Most article I have read state a skimmer is a must
[quote=“reefkeeping.com Notes from the trenches Vodka Dosing…Distilled!”]
Equipment - Skimmer, An Absolute Must!
Well if it sounds so great, why can’t I just start dumping vodka/organic carbon into my system? Before running to the liquor cabinet, the simple answer is overdosing can cause serious and detrimental effects to the reef system. To help circumvent this potential issue a dosing regimen along with some basic equipment is needed. The absolute must is the requirement for a powerful skimmer. People that have reported beneficial results using this method all have had strong skimmer and report a change in skimmate from a light brown to a strong odiferous black sludge. This makes a good skimmer a key requirement and important for two reasons:
A good article on Natural Filtration