vinegar/ vodka dosing which do people like better

[lisa foster]

I am looking to start doing one of these methods I am just not sure which one. I have been reading up on it and it seems more people like the vodka method. I am a heavy feeder so I have a constant battle with nitrates. I do 50 - 60 gallons monthly water changes on my 125. I do not have any algae issues I am only concerned with adding another tool to my water changes to reduce my nitrates even more.

 

[niftyjosh]

Ive been vodka dosing for the better part of a year now and Ive had great results. While I didnt have a nitrate problem I always had lingering phosphates. About 4 weeks into the process, they were gone. Corals either like it or they dont. While 90% of my sps reacted positivly, I had one small colony of tricolor acro bleach with in hours of my first dose. LPS and softies really color up and growth is amazing. Your best bet would be to read this: http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2008-08/nftt/index.php and if you do decide to start, follow the directions and go slow.

 

[Turbosnail]

I vodka dose and I feed heavy and have 0 nitrates I find with the vodka the dosage is smaller it takes more vinegar to do the same job.

 

[lisa foster]

I have read the article and it seems like you have to dose so much less with vodka than vinegar so it seems easier. I was just curious which people liked better.

 

[frank180reef]

I think you ideally want to do a bunch of each, and start slllloooooowwwww

 

[lisa foster]

Frank your pm box is full. I read the article and you start with just a drop of vodka and slooowly work your way up.

 

[frank180reef]

has anyone gone on and off the vodka dosing, I have heard there are problems with this

I did stop for a while and my sps faded in color

 

[JohnK]

Frank, when you say your SPS faded in color, do you mean they were moving toward brown or moving toward pale/bleached?

Personally I've been dosing vinegar for a while now, but I never tried vodka (except that one time in high school, I got sooo sick). I did try the NP pellets, but they seemed to be encouraging cyano somehow. I haven't seen any cyano at all since I switched to vinegar.

I use a peristaltic dosing pump, and add the entire daily dose in one shot.

 

[frank180reef]

sps turned brown

LOL I am back to vinegar now, about 40 mil ramped up over 3 weeks, for 300 gallons, getting skimmate out of that big skimmer now .....

how did u get rid of the cyno? I have some residual cyno

 

[lisa foster]

I was also concerned if you had to suddenly stop dosing for some reason. What kind of effect would tthat have on your tank. Frank I am wodering if the corals are browning out because of lack of sufficient lighting?

 

[JohnK]

how did u get rid of the cyno? I have some residual cyno

I had the pellets running for months and the cyano just kept getting worse. I started a modest vinegar dose in addition to running the pellets, The cyano seemed to crash out in just days. I increased the vinegar dose about 50% and took the pellets offline. I haven't seen ANY cyano since, not a speck. Maybe my vinegar dose wasn't as modest as I thought (I don't recall the exact dose I'm using, I just go by minutes the dosing pump is ON.)

 

[niftyjosh]

Corals most likely browned because of an increase in either nitrate or phosphate. Ill try to find the site but it describes the changes in sps from lowering and rising levels. It more or less said that sps do well with a drop in levels but react badly when even a slight increase happens. Not dosing would just remove a food source for bacteria and cause a reduction in their numbers which could lead to an increase in nitrate or phosphate.

 

[JohnK]

Or a decrease in bacteria as a food source?

 

[frank180reef]

I was also concerned if you had to suddenly stop dosing for some reason. What kind of effect would tthat have on your tank. Frank I am wodering if the corals are browning out because of lack of sufficient lighting?

they are getting tons of light, they are 4 inches from the top of the water right under the MH

great thread btw

 

[frank180reef]

how much does every one dose ( and what tank size) and for how long????

I am guessing 40 ml for 300 gallons isnt that much?

Thanks Frank

 

[lisa foster]

Maybe the bulbs are old. I know you said are not having a nutrient problem so that why I was thinking the lights.

 

[lisa foster]

If someone had any input on the dangers of suddenly stopping dosing . I was advised to try bio pellets but reading this seems they have led to problems with people using them. Last thing I want is to add problems.

 

[frank180reef]

fwiw Biopellets didnt do anything for me, maybe I didnt use enough or the flow was wrong

I do know when I was vinegar dosing before I got TONS of skum out of skimmer..........................

 

[niftyjosh]

Or a decrease in bacteria as a food source?

Yea forgot to add that in there. Good pick up.

 

[jamesdong009]

I do both and both are added into my kalk topoff. IIRC vinegar will increase calcium slightly if mixed with kalkwasser.