Jbrougher Posted April 13, 2009 Share Posted April 13, 2009 how much would i dose daily for a 55gal tank? Ive read up on it abunch, i just cant find those instructions. and is it neccesary to turn off filters? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fishypets Posted April 13, 2009 Share Posted April 13, 2009 Do a google search on Reefkeeping dosing vodka and it should pull up the article in Reefkeeping magazine online. I don't recall what the starting does is but it's not very much. Make sure you reed that entire artice to understand the negative impact it could have on your reef. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
reefman Posted April 13, 2009 Share Posted April 13, 2009 Clint, Are you saying your corals have lost color after about 2 months of Vodka dosing, or did I mis-read your post? Stephen Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fishypets Posted April 13, 2009 Share Posted April 13, 2009 Stephen, My corals have gone from brown in color to a lighter version of what they should be. I'm going to start dosing some other Zeo additives to gain some good color. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beretta Posted April 14, 2009 Share Posted April 14, 2009 I'm vodka dosing right now, and am about 2 weeks into it. I've noticed that the skimmate has gotten darker and stinkier, and haven't experienced any of the clouding that some have had happened to their tank. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+dapettit Posted April 14, 2009 Share Posted April 14, 2009 Is the dosing something you will always do as part of your regiement or just ot fight off certain problems? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fishypets Posted April 14, 2009 Share Posted April 14, 2009 The dosing removes nitrates and phosphates so one would use as a routine each day. I split my dose up into two equal parts and dose around 6 a.m. and 7 p.m. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brooks Posted April 14, 2009 Share Posted April 14, 2009 I would look at the article dapettit linked on page one. Helps a lot. I just started dosing yesterday. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chark Posted April 14, 2009 Share Posted April 14, 2009 Tell me its not so Clint. You are going down the Zeo road? Have you calculated how much it will cost? When I have read posts about Zeo it always sounds expensive, especially for a 200gal aquarium. After having said all that, it has crossed my mind on something to try. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brooks Posted April 14, 2009 Share Posted April 14, 2009 (edited) Oops! Double post. Edited April 14, 2009 by Little_Reef Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chark Posted April 14, 2009 Share Posted April 14, 2009 Be careful Brooks. Under age drinking can get you in trouble, lol. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brooks Posted April 14, 2009 Share Posted April 14, 2009 Haha Hmm since when could fish spin? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brooks Posted April 14, 2009 Share Posted April 14, 2009 (edited) Double post again :/ Edited April 14, 2009 by Little_Reef Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+dapettit Posted April 14, 2009 Share Posted April 14, 2009 The vodka goes into the tank not into Brooks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chark Posted April 14, 2009 Share Posted April 14, 2009 Ohhhhhhhh! ! ! I have been doing it all wrong. Does anyone see improved coral color from dosing? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jbrougher Posted April 15, 2009 Share Posted April 15, 2009 I find this whole thing very confusing, because while i do have a bad algae problem, and need to get rid of it, im not sure how to dose my 55 gal correctly. i dont want everything to die Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+dapettit Posted April 15, 2009 Share Posted April 15, 2009 Check the 11th post on page 1 of this discussion. There is a link to how to use Vodka. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brooks Posted April 15, 2009 Share Posted April 15, 2009 (edited) I'll post this for anyone who has basic questions. Chemical compounds you must know before reading: NO3 - Nitrate PO4 - Phosphates What is Vodka? (In your tank) Vodka acts as another source of carbon in your tank. The other source occurs naturally through inorganic bicarbonate (hydrogen carbonate). When these carbon molecules are made into more complex chemical structures, they are deemed organic. Why does Vodka? Dosing Vodka reduces the amount of Nitrates and Phosphates in your tank. These two chemicals are necessary for different forms of algae to grow in your tank. By removing these phosphates, it allows your corals to enhance their calcification as well as growth. The water clarity in your tank tends to be more clear due to the carbon carrying these organic compounds floating in your tank into your skimmer. Long story short, it reduces the amount of excess nutrients. How to dose Vodka? Being that the instruction is given clearly on the website Dapettit linked, I'll repost what I've read there. 1. Test your system’s NO3 and PO4 levels. Do not dose if you do not know this! We recommend good test kits that have some low level of sensitivity. This will be important later on to determining a maintenance dose regimen. During the initial dosing test often and adjust dosing parameters as needed as each tank’s requirement will be different. Dosing accuracy is of the utmost importance. A graduated measurement tool such as a syringe will come in handy. A journal of additions and test kit measurements is recommended. 2. Estimate your Net Water Volume (NWV) of your system. (Aquarium volume + sump + refugium + reactor volumes) – (live rock displacement). It can be difficult to accurately measure the amount of water being displaced by the live rock. If unsure of the volume of live rock we suggest taking 30% off your display tank’s Gross Water Volume. For vodka dosing there is absolutely no harm in underestimating the Net Water Volume and is recommended. As an example, let us assume that your setup contains 100 Net Gallons. 3. The starting dosage is 0.1ml of vodka per 25 gallons (~100 liters) NWV daily continued for three days. For 100 Net Gallons, your dosage would be 0.4ml daily during this period. It has been suggested to cut the daily dosage in half and dose twice daily for more consistency. 4. Days 4-7, double the daily dosage to 0.2ml of vodka per 25 gallons NWV. Your example dosage would be 0.8ml daily during this period. 5. Each subsequent week add an additional 0.5ml of vodka regardless of aquaria volume. At this point your example dosage during week two would be 1.3ml daily. If you do not see nutrient levels decrease during this week, the following week add an additional 0.5ml for a daily dosage of 1.8ml daily. 6. When your NO3 and PO4 levels start to drop maintain the current dose. For example, if you were on week two when NO3 start to fall on 100 Net Water Volume you would add 1.3mL daily at this time for the continuing weeks until the NO3 becomes undetectable. 7. When your NO3 and PO4 levels drop near undetectable with your test kits cut your current dose in half. This will be your starting maintenance dose (if the levels drop during week 2 then the dose after reaching undetectable levels would be 0.65ml daily [1.3ml divide by 2]). 8. Continue to test for NO3 and PO4. If levels become detectable in the future increase your daily dose by 0.1ml increments per week until the levels start to decrease. If you maintain that dose the levels will eventually drop back to undetectable. This would become your new maintenance dose. You start with .1ML of Vodka for every 25 US gallons. Dose once per day. On the 5th day, double the dosage to .2ML of Vodka per. 25 US gallon. Each subsequent week add an ADDITIONAL .5ML of Vodka regardless of water volume. Look for any signs of stress in your aquarium while dosing. If you see any corals bleaching, STOP dosing Vodka. I highly recommend reading THIS ARTICLE gfor a more in depth view on the use of Vodka in your aquarium. Edited April 15, 2009 by Little_Reef Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fishypets Posted April 15, 2009 Share Posted April 15, 2009 Tell me its not so Clint. You are going down the Zeo road? Have you calculated how much it will cost? When I have read posts about Zeo it always sounds expensive, especially for a 200gal aquarium.After having said all that, it has crossed my mind on something to try. Cecil- I don't think it's all that expensive. I know my initial investment will cost more up front but after that I think it won't be too bad. Besides that it's the cheapest thing I'll ever put in my tank and will have the biggest impact on growth and color (which is worth a lot to me.) I will say this about vodka, when I first started ALL of the corals I added to my tank would brown out after a few weeks. Most of the corals came from a tank that would be R.C. TOTM quality and looked stunning when I first added them. I hadn't tested for P04 but I knew it was high due to the amount of frozen food I feed my Anthias (sometime seven cubes a day) During the first two or three weeks I really didn't notice much but after the fourth week I really started to noticed the colors turn from dark brown to a lighter brown. Around this time my skimmer really started to Bubble King skimmer really started to "kick" in and produce a very smelly, thicker richer skimmate. Week five I started dosing amino acids and Phols xtra and the following week my colors really started to make a turn for the right direction. I also started noticing what I like to call RTG- Rapid Tissue Growth! I have decided to go full blown Zeovit and plan on starting this weekend. I've been reading up on the Zeovit manual and hanging out on the Zeovit.com forum and I'm excited about my the future of my tank. WARNING: DOSING VODKA WAS RIGHT FOR ME BUT MAY NOT BE RIGHT FOR YOU. IT IS VERY IMPORTANT THAT YOU HAVE A STRONG SKIMMER. PLEASE READ UP FOR YOURSELF, I DON'T WANT TO INFLUENCE ANYONE TO DOSE VODKA UNLESS YOU FULLY UNDERSTAND HOW IT WORKS. Clint Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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