..Vodka Dosing..
- Thread starter USMCVET
- Start date
Theres a lot of info on vodka dosing out there but all in all it's just carbon dosing. I use Red Sea no3 po4 reducer, its cheap and simple to use. If you do plan on carbon dosing make sure you are dosing amino acids or some type of nutrients for your corals or you will kill them. There's also biopellets and the zeovit system. Each one has its own perks. Do some research and see which one fits you best. As soon as I can afford all the zeovit reactor and everything else I will be going that route. For your size of tank I'd go biopellet or zeovit but start off very small and gradually add more media.
What are you trying to achieve or eliminate with carbon dosing?
I've been dosing Vodka for years. It was actually pretty convenient when I worked at a distillery one summer, free vodka! If I were just starting I would consider the VSV (vodka sugar vinegar) as you have multiple bacteria sources rather than just the vodka strain of carbon. Here is the Article that started me out on it, and has clear instructions on how to go about starting it if you decide it is for you.
http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2008-08/nftt/
I've been dosing Vodka for years. It was actually pretty convenient when I worked at a distillery one summer, free vodka! If I were just starting I would consider the VSV (vodka sugar vinegar) as you have multiple bacteria sources rather than just the vodka strain of carbon. Here is the Article that started me out on it, and has clear instructions on how to go about starting it if you decide it is for you.
http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2008-08/nftt/
Great thing to do in FOWLR since you don't have to worry about stripping the water too clean of nutrients. It is no substitute for water changes. You will need a good skimmer - this is super important. Just use sugar - it is pure and cheap... you can mix it in water and dose MLs, or just use a measuring spoon to dose. You don't have to be all dead-on-balls-accurate scientific about it.
Go slow, watch your skimmer output and test your N and P. You should see the skimmer output get exponentially better and the N and P go down. The skimmate will likely stink a lot worse than before.
The only downside to this is if you add too much at once - the growing bacteria bloom with starve the fish of oxygen. Oxygen starvation is real - did I mention to go slow?
Go slow, watch your skimmer output and test your N and P. You should see the skimmer output get exponentially better and the N and P go down. The skimmate will likely stink a lot worse than before.
The only downside to this is if you add too much at once - the growing bacteria bloom with starve the fish of oxygen. Oxygen starvation is real - did I mention to go slow?
