So I started vodka dosing...

[Bob 1000]

Okay thanks Ari..

 

[rickytsui]

tobin u got me thinking about dosing also how much do u think i should start dosing for my 180?

 

[Bob 1000]

That depends on you levels and what you are keeping in your tank..

 

[Bob 1000]

Update: I'm starting to split the dose of 4 capfuls because all at once has cause one of my wild colonies to rtn, and not stop even after fragging:dead1:.. I'll be dosing 2 in the morning and 2 at night..

 

[topmav1]

Do you put it right in the tank or in the sump?

 

[Bob 1000]

In the sump.. My sump is 125 gallons and my display is 300..
I also noticed a sliming of certain corals after I dose..

 

[topmav1]

So you're pro dosing or not? Seems like there are some neg side effects you're seeing...

 

[Bob 1000]

Just vodka and amino acids.. Yeah there are some negatives i ended up lossing the wild colony I had.. Colors are lightening up.. When I amino dose they brighten back up but I noticed more hair algae in the sump.. I used to have 3 power heads down there now I have 0.. I'll be putting some in soon.. Vodka has to be dosed daily at the same time or else,,lol..

 

[henrye718]

Seems not possible, the test jumping so much. You sure you trust that test kit?

 

[SevTT]

Update: I'm starting to split the dose of 4 capfuls because all at once has cause one of my wild colonies to rtn, and not stop even after fragging:dead1:.. I'll be dosing 2 in the morning and 2 at night..

You might want to consider switching over to a different carbon dosing regimen -- I prefer using acetate (in the form of vinegar) to alcohol, and if you mix in some kalk before you add it to neutralize the pH it won't cause a problem there.

(Me, I just add it to my kalkwasser, which feeds my ATO.)

 

[Awibrandy]

I know I'm asking for a beating with this one, but I will explode if I don't ask it! LOL

Why do you guys mess with your system when all is going well? I just don't understand why mess with something that is not broken.

 

[MO~IDOL]

I know I'm asking for a beating with this one, but I will explode if I don't ask it! LOL

Why do you guys mess with your system when all is going well? I just don't understand why mess with something that is not broken.

Agree Awi!
again my question is how do they know whats working with all the difference method in a short period time? vodka, amino, changing lights etc. are they expect all good thing happen that fast? I thought stabilize is the KEY!

PS: Tobin peeps pls dont take my common offend I'm just curious...lol

 

[Bob 1000]

Awilda and Steve I understand you 2 perfectly.. Doing this when all is well seems to keep me from haveing a crash,, must be some weird luck think..
From all of my light changes it only took 3 to 4 days for the colors to stabilize, I don't know why.. As for the vodka I knew the affects it would have from using methanol. So I full spectrum test daily and can see how the vodka is working and it works much like the denitrifier, only difference I see is it's like using the whole tank as the reaction chamber. The bad part about that is it requires you to watch the system very closely..
Phosphate swings can be just like Alk swings and cause sps to lose their skin.. so dosing vodka requires timely administration. I have already witnessed this problem. I will be automating dosing with a doser.. I also noticed that spliting the dose and not following the time schedule daily causes phosphate swings.. This week I will find out if spliting the dose works or not..
I say all of this and tested under heavy feeding conditions.. Since I've been dosing I've been feeding a mixture of 2 tablespoons of catfish fillet that I blended up to fine bits and about 4 cubes of mysis daily... As far as the aminos I have always noticed a color boost the next morning after dosing in the night cycle.. I only dose when the phosphate levels are very low and the colors seem a little faded.. I don't really like the aminos because they have cause hair algae in the sump in the past even when the phates and trates were 0 and 0.02 on the phates..
PS Steve stability is the key I still don't do water changes,,lol.. Steve I wouldn't get mad at you and Awilda can say what ever she likes.. I hope to see you at the swap Awilda.

 

[Bob 1000]

Seems not possible, the test jumping so much. You sure you trust that test kit?

I use a photometer and I feed extremly heavy.. Yes I trust the test results and I am the father,, Oh wrong topic,,lol

 

[Bob 1000]

You might want to consider switching over to a different carbon dosing regimen -- I prefer using acetate (in the form of vinegar) to alcohol, and if you mix in some kalk before you add it to neutralize the pH it won't cause a problem there.

(Me, I just add it to my kalkwasser, which feeds my ATO.)

I'll have to give this a try when I'm back.. Do you keep sps?

 

[SevTT]

I'll have to give this a try when I'm back.. Do you keep sps?

Yeah, I've got a bit of everything. Acros, montis, birds-nest, pollicipora, porites, a BTA, and far too ******* much Xenia and GSP.

On my 29g, I hook up a 5g bucket w/ about 7 tsp kalk, 2 tbsp white vinegar (I'll be honest, I've stopped using the spoon for the vinegar and just splashed 'about that' in,) and that runs for about 5 days to a week before I've gotta refill it. You could easily add more vinegar without depressing the pH, and the more vinegar you add, the higher the solubility of the kalk in the solution, so it's a great method all around.

Edit: I figure I should add in some details about my ATO system. It's run through my Apex controller, using a simple float switch and an aqualifter with a pre-filter on it. I just drop one tube from the aqualifter through a hole in the cover of the bucket, and the other drops the kalk into the outflow from my skimmer. The controller's set to shut off the top-off if the pH gets to 8.55, and in the summer or if I agitate the kalk bucket it regularly keeps the pH right about there. (I like keeping my pH high; it seems to help control cyano.) Since it's pH limited, I can even leave it off for a day (generally because I've got no RO made up,) and then just attach it back to the tank and it'll refill without spiking the pH beyond that (though if your Ca and Alk are already about as high as they can go doing this might make your tank a bit milky as CaCO3 precipitates out; if this bothers you, boost your mag, or lower the pH breakpoint, or just don't let the top-off run dry. )

 

[Bob 1000]

What are your levels like?? Phates, Trates. Very interesting I wish I'd tried your method before vodka.. Do you use more vinegar than vodka in general??

 

[SevTT]

What are your levels like?? Phates, Trates. Very interesting I wish I'd tried your method before vodka.. Do you use more vinegar than vodka in general??

...Well, TBH, it's been about three months since I tested either. And right now they're prolly out of whack 'cause I've got roughly twice the fish load I used to (I added a copperband butterfly 'cause it was a wonderful specimen, eating at the store, and I couldn't wait until my 65 was fully cycled. But now I'm putting a lot more food in the tank, and the Butterfly's culled a lot of the worm population, so I dunno.) However, the main reason I didn't test for months is because, for a couple of months, my nitrates were stable at 0 and my phosphates were trace on an Elos PO4 kit.

...I may get off my butt and run some levels tonight, if I don't wind up moving most of the inhabitants from one tank to the other anyway. (It's about time to do so, but I keep putting it off because it involves scrubbing GSP off of rocks.)

It should probably be noted that I run chaeto in my fuge -- and a whole lot of cyano in that -- and have lots of actively-growing Xenia, and my overflow is essentially a turf scrubber since GHA got established in it. So I've got a whole lot of export going on. Even when nutrient levels do spike in the tank, they're rapidly absorbed by all the crap in it; my fuge gets uglier, and I have to trim the GHA from the overflow, but everything stays pretty happy.

 

[SevTT]

Oh, and regarding the vodka -- I started off vodka-dosing, but then realized that the acetic acid way did the same thing through the same method of action (feeding carbon to bacteria and whatever else needs it,) accommodated my general laziness (Oh, god, I have to add stuff twice a day on top of feeding and all the other stuff I keep procrastinating on? Wait, this way I just fill up a bucket once a week, score,) and boosted my kalkwasser efficiency, so I switched over entirely and don't bother with vodka.

As far as the amount of vinegar -- honestly, I can't really do a comparison in the amount. I started off with one tablespoon per bucket, and went up to two. When that brought my phates down to trace, I just left it at that level. You -can- put a lot of vinegar into a tank, however, without adverse effects other than depressing the pH or possibly causing an algal/bacterial bloom from the extra carbon. Some recipes for vinegared kalkwasser use significantly more than I do, up to nearly a tablespoon (12-14ml) of vinegar per liter of water. So it seems like you can use as much as you need, and tanks don't usually have a significant problem with it.

 

[Bob 1000]

Thanks, will try in the near future..