Anyone Dose Vodka?

[MarkoD]

I read somewhere that dosing vodka everyday can completely eliminate nitrates and phosphates.

has anyone here done it with any success?

[globaldesigns]

I am dosing Vodka with NP BioPellets.

Things are still in the ramp up stages, so I haven't reached my maintenance dose (final stage). But I can say that the vodka in combination with the Pellets are taking me to where I want to be.

I have had major problems over the last summer. SPS die off in the extreme and major brown out. The pellets helped in the fight of algae and destroyed that, but I was thinking that my bioload (being heavy) was more than what the pellets could supply for. So recently I started the vodka dosing in addition to the pellets.

Well, now I am seeing great growth on all coral, even ones I thought were done for. Still have alot of brown for color, but can see it leaching out and the new growth is much more colorful than the rest.

I never tested Phosphates before, and am thinking that was my demise, as I bought a kit and voila phosphate. Well, the phosphates are now almost NULL, same goes for others like Ammonia, Nitrates and Nitrites.

I like the change, and can say it seems to be working for me. Hopefully I haven't just cursed myself.

If you want to do it, here is the reciepe:
1.) Dose .1ml per 25 gallons everyday for days 1-3. So if you have 100Gallons of water volume (not tank size), then you would dose .4ml everyday.
2.) Double the dosage to .2ml per 25 gallons of water for days 4-7
3.) Now you disregard the gallons/water volume and add .5ml to the daily dosage every week. So after the first week, on 100G, you then make the dosage 1.3ml, then next week add another .5ml. Remember these dosages are done daily and if you miss one, DON't double dose to make up.

Keep testing, and once you find your Phosphates, Ammonia, etc down to nothing, then you take the final daily dosage and cut it by 50%, this will become your daily maintenance dosage to keep the bacteria going.

That is it, very simple. Just don't rush things

[Midway]

I was looking into this as well. Awesome advices Rick!!!

Thanks very much for the information. See if I can follow your instructions too!!

Manny

[ponokareefer]

I had looked into vodka dosing to deal with excess nutrients, but instead did vinegar dosing. It's something to consider.

[Midway]

Rick something I would like to ask to, ok I have a 90 gallon tank and 40 gallons sump. combined I have something like 120 gallons. how much do you think I would dose on a daily basis?

[Bill]

I used to dose vodka but it skewed Ph to the high side, also it was a pain to dose every day.

I now use a recirculating sulfur reactor. No phos or nitrates detectable - and more vodka for me.

[Jackie]

Rick something I would like to ask to, ok I have a 90 gallon tank and 40 gallons sump. combined I have something like 120 gallons. how much do you think I would dose on a daily basis?

All systems are different but you must start very very slowly.
I started at 0.1ml and now I am dosing 3.5ml daily on my 65G + 30G sump.

[DiverDude]

I started dosing Vodka a few weeks back (following the same regime as Rick) in an attempt to combat a persistent HA problem.

So far, I haven't seen any detectable difference. Still early though.

[Lance]

I used to dose vodka until the bio-pellets came out and I switched over. I find the pellets must more user friendly.

[PoonTang]

I used to dose vodka until the bio-pellets came out and I switched over. I find the pellets must more user friendly.
Me too but used to use vinegar. Pellets are exactly the same thing, if you are finding they are not enough just use more pellets.

[globaldesigns]

I had looked into vodka dosing to deal with excess nutrients, but instead did vinegar dosing. It's something to consider.

Vinegar is just another form of carbon... You can do vodka, vinegar, sugar or a combination of them all.

I chose Vodka as that is what has the most abundant of info on.

[globaldesigns]

Rick something I would like to ask to, ok I have a 90 gallon tank and 40 gallons sump. combined I have something like 120 gallons. how much do you think I would dose on a daily basis?

You need to calculate the actual water volume. If necessary estimate on the low site to be safe. It doesn't matter what the size of the tanks are, if there are sumps, etc... It is the actual amount of water.

Then use the .1ml per 25 gallons to start and follow the recipe.

[spawn]

Yep. Here is the chart that I used. Although I backed off for a bit to get my doser set up, my No3 stayed at 2 on an elos kit. Here is the page that I used it provides charts for all kinds of proof vodka , as well as amount charts. Now the doser is up... the tank is back on the booze! Just click on the chart that says 80 proof on the top, it's for 40% just like we drink. yey
http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2008-08/nftt/index.php

I read somewhere that dosing vodka everyday can completely eliminate nitrates and phosphates.

has anyone here done it with any success?

[globaldesigns]

Me too but used to use vinegar. Pellets are exactly the same thing, if you are finding they are not enough just use more pellets.

You are correct, pellets are a carbon source, and basically almost impossible to overdose compared to vodka. But I found that I still wasn't getting the Pizazz I wanted and with the coral deaths. So the combo way I went running both. Probably don't need the pellets now, but oh well they are in.

There are differences. The pellets create a bacteria that reside within the pellet reactor. no were else... Vodka creates the same type of bacteria but within the whole tank area. So in my opinion if you have a huge bioload as I do, then maybe the pellets will help but not work fully, but the vodka can.

Just my 2 cents.

[PoonTang]

what volume of pellets are you running?

[globaldesigns]

what volume of pellets are you running?

I have about 2.5 litres running, but was about 1.5 till about a week or so ago.

[Mr.X]

I've been dosing vodka for about a year. I have a 200 Gallon tank with a 60G sump. My nitrates were higher than 50 when I started, then dipped to an all-time low at 20, then back up to 50. I didn't think the vodka was doing anything, so I trickeled it down to zero over 2 weeks. Then after 6 weeks or so, everything turned brown so I restarted the dosing ramping up to 8Ml. This was around september or so. Finally by New years the brown was gone. I'm still dosing at 7Ml/day and nitrates are still hovering at about 50.

somewhere in January all of my culerpa died off, then all of my chato died (-- About a cubic foot) about 3 weeks after.

I also have 12 Mangrove plants, 4 inches of sugar sand, 200 pounds of live rock, and a coil denitrator.

I'm looking for alternatives to Vodka.

[spawn]

Just use mooore vodka! I've been dosing vodka for about a year. I have a 200 Gallon tank with a 60G sump. My nitrates were higher than 50 when I started, then dipped to an all-time low at 20, then back up to 50. I didn't think the vodka was doing anything, so I trickeled it down to zero over 2 weeks. Then after 6 weeks or so, everything turned brown so I restarted the dosing ramping up to 8Ml. This was around september or so. Finally by New years the brown was gone. I'm still dosing at 7Ml/day and nitrates are still hovering at about 50.

somewhere in January all of my culerpa died off, then all of my chato died (-- About a cubic foot) about 3 weeks after.

I also have 12 Mangrove plants, 4 inches of sugar sand, 200 pounds of live rock, and a coil denitrator.

I'm looking for alternatives to Vodka.

[Mr.X]

How much more? Nobody seems to post what they actually end up putting in after a year for a ~260G volume... I'm a little worried to just keep increasing. I also don't know why my chato died, but I'm afraid that everything will turn brown again if I stop the vodka. I think my tank is addicted.

[Lance]

........ I'm afraid that everything will turn brown again if I stop the vodka. I think my tank is addicted.


Fishtank or ****tank? :mrgreen:

[spawn]

If you read this & scroll down the page it will likely tell you how much more. Just click on the the one that says 80 proof. I'm pretty sure my fish & shrimp appreciate the daily dosing! One in the morning & one at night. It was always the one's in between those to that got me into trouble.:)

[globaldesigns]

How much more? Nobody seems to post what they actually end up putting in after a year for a ~260G volume... I'm a little worried to just keep increasing. I also don't know why my chato died, but I'm afraid that everything will turn brown again if I stop the vodka. I think my tank is addicted.

It sounds like you didn't follow the recipe that most follow. I explained it at the beginning of this thread. If you didn't increase the vodka dosage on a weekly basis until your parameters were basically zero, then you didn't finish and figure out the final maintenance dose.

Can you tell us how you got to 7ml per day? Just wondering.