euphylin me Posted March 16, 2019 Share Posted March 16, 2019 I am really considering vodka dosing as i for the life of me am unable to bring my nitrates to an acceptable level through chaeto use and regular water changes. i have been doing a ton of research on it and i think im ready to give it a shot Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Muttley000 Posted March 16, 2019 Share Posted March 16, 2019 Always was interested in this method, keep us posted! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
euphylin me Posted March 16, 2019 Author Share Posted March 16, 2019 1 minute ago, Muttley000 said: Always was interested in this method, keep us posted! will do....in melev's article you can see he using the cheap kamchatka vodka. i have read to take things really slow and test frequently. i want to get nitrates down to about 5ppm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
euphylin me Posted March 16, 2019 Author Share Posted March 16, 2019 http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2008-08/nftt/index.php Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KMHREEFER Posted March 16, 2019 Share Posted March 16, 2019 I’ve done this a few years ago and it did work for me for a while but I began to get a really bad cyano outbreak. I did the lights out and a massive water change and tank cleaning and all seemed well till I started my dosing again and it came back. People do this with success but every tank is different. My nitrate levels were in the 20-30 range and I wanted to start adding sps and knew I had to do something so I started reading up on algae reactors. I made one out of a plastic storage tote, Pvc, plastic knitting screen, and cheap led grow lights from eBay and within weeks my nitrates went to 0. Corals started looking bad so I added more fish and fed more and they have been steady under 5 for the last year it’s been up and running. Some pictures to give you an idea. They make compact ones that work really well also but I like to go diy first if I can. If the vodka dosing doesn’t work out or you decide another route this could be an option for you. crimsonvice 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KMHREEFER Posted March 16, 2019 Share Posted March 16, 2019 Sorry, this is more of a turf scrubber than reactor. Made one of those too but that was a failed diy project. Lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
euphylin me Posted March 16, 2019 Author Share Posted March 16, 2019 47 minutes ago, KMHREEFER said: I’ve done this a few years ago and it did work for me for a while but I began to get a really bad cyano outbreak. I did the lights out and a massive water change and tank cleaning and all seemed well till I started my dosing again and it came back. People do this with success but every tank is different. My nitrate levels were in the 20-30 range and I wanted to start adding sps and knew I had to do something so I started reading up on algae reactors. I made one out of a plastic storage tote, Pvc, plastic knitting screen, and cheap led grow lights from eBay and within weeks my nitrates went to 0. Corals started looking bad so I added more fish and fed more and they have been steady under 5 for the last year it’s been up and running. Some pictures to give you an idea. They make compact ones that work really well also but I like to go diy first if I can. If the vodka dosing doesn’t work out or you decide another route this could be an option for you. Nice! Yea of my cyano gets out of control I will probably go this route next! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KMHREEFER Posted March 16, 2019 Share Posted March 16, 2019 I’ve also heard of people dosing sugar and vinegar too as a carbon source. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jesse Posted March 18, 2019 Share Posted March 18, 2019 This is one thing I’ve never tried. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JMM Posted March 18, 2019 Share Posted March 18, 2019 Tried it for a while . Cyno with a capital C. Towards the end I was mixing vodka and vinegar to try getting away from the cyno. I think one of my biggest problems was my tank was just loaded with detritus and junk. I started blowing the rocks off every day and the dust just kept coming out of the rocks and from under them. I ran a screen with filter material in the sump and changed it often till the tank was pretty clean. Coralin algae returned and my corals started growing much better. I actually was dosing stump remover again to get my nitrates back up. My Chaeto probably helped some too as it started growing quite well . I increased my flow from my gyre to about 70 % and that has helped keep the tank cleaner. I still blow stuff off now and again. My new system will have two mp 10’s and two of the new gyres and the flow will be pretty good. I also tried to leave places where flow could get between rocks . Good luck in your endeavor. jim euphylin me 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crimsonvice Posted March 19, 2019 Share Posted March 19, 2019 Interested to see your results! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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