Started vodka dosing.. cloudy water follows?

[CrashNT]

I started vodka dosing about 4 days ago. Yesterday my water started getting cloudy, today my water is super cloudy. I have been reading that carbon dosing can cause the alk and ph to drop from excess CO2 from bacterial blooms(which is what I want right?). I tested my water and my ph dropped to 7.8, down from 8.2-8.4ish range. My alk also dropped to 7. Could this be my issue? Do I need to increase my ph and alk with a buffer to fix it? should I stop vodka dosing?

I also just got some advice that since I have been dosing kents essential elements weekly for iodine and trace minerals that I could have increased my mag too much and caused the cloudy water? Problem is, that I dont own a mag test kit.

Any thoughts or suggestions?

 

[Craigar]

Started vodka dosing.. cloudy water follows?

If you got cloudy water you dosed to much to fast I would hold off dissing for a bit and then very slowly ease into it else your tanks going to crash

 

[ReeferMatt]

If you got cloudy water you dosed to much to fast I would hold off dissing for a bit and then very slowly ease into it else your tanks going to crash

+1, what is your tank size, starting dose, and your planned dosing schedule? Your tank size dictates starting dose, but maybe this will help. http://www.melevsreef.com/vodka_dosing.html

 

[jda123]

Don't chase the PH. ...just cut back on your dosing and it will come back on it's own. The PH of 7.8 is not that bad and you can do more damage trying to move it.

I know that this does not help right now, but in general, don't dose anything that you don't have a test kit for. If you are worried about too much alk or elements, then do a series of small/medium water changes over the next few weeks.

 

[FinsUp]

+1, what is your tank size, starting dose, and your planned dosing schedule? Your tank size dictates starting dose, but maybe this will help. http://www.melevsreef.com/vodka_dosing.html

Don't chase the PH. ...just cut back on your dosing and it will come back on it's own. The PH of 7.8 is not that bad and you can do more damage trying to move it.

I know that this does not help right now, but in general, don't dose anything that you don't have a test kit for. If you are worried about too much alk or elements, then do a series of small/medium water changes over the next few weeks.

If you got cloudy water you dosed to much to fast I would hold off dissing for a bit and then very slowly ease into it else your tanks going to crash

+1 on all of the above.

 

[daverf]

Been there, done that. All the advice is the route I took to resolve. You may also consider a large water change, while the bacteria is suspended in the water column. I did this. Some believe that the bloom die off will or could otherwise have an adverse impact on your tank.

 

[jda123]

^ yes, the bacteria is just "storing" the N and P. If you allow it to die in the tank, it could mini cycle, but it will re-enter the cycle for sure.

Some active carbon will soak up a lot of it.