Vodka Dosing??

[fishcop]

Has anybody tried Vodka dosing, and if so what was the results? Does it work to lower Nitrate and Phosphate and promote growth? Please share your thoughts.

Thanks

Mark

[Asmodeus]

yes i have done it and it worked great til i went wit hthe fauna marin. its very strong so read into slow and take your time.....

you need to have you alk at 7-8 DKH very important.
they aslo say if not it will burn the tips on your SPS. Now that could be from the tank water being so clear and the light is penatrating through the water too....


HTH.. there is lots on the net about it......

[fishcop]

Yes there is and I am still reading about it but wanted to know if anybody close by has tried it.

[Level9]

I have been dosing for almost a year now. Have noticed major difference in my sps corals - brighter colours & faster growth rate. You need a good skimmer though. It will pull out the strongest smelling darkest green skimmate you've ever seen. My LPS & zoanthids have suffered a bit from having less nitrates though.

[fishcop]

So would you say that it "works" or would it be better to have a little Nitrate but keep it as low as you can with just water chages?

[Level9]

I would definitely say it works & I still do regular water changes as well.

[fishcop]

Do you add the vodka to your tank or to your sump, or does it matter?

[Adam NS.]

an area with a high flow rate would probably be best.

[Level9]

I add it in the tank in a high flow area just like Adam said. I use it instead of carbon and it works way better IMO.

[fishcop]

How does a UV sterilizer effect Vodka dosing? I also have active carbon in my sump, will this also effect the results? Do we want some Nitrate in our system, or is it better to have none?

[Level9]

I don't use a UV sterilizer, but I'm sure their shouldn't be any problems. I would remove the carbon. If you go to reefcentral.com & do a search for vodka dosing, they explain the process quite well. It should answer most if not all of your questions.

[fishcop]

Ok any more thoughts on Vodka dosing, I have been reading lots of "stuff" and I am very close to a verdict for my self, any last ideas, thoughts, or coments.

[fishcop]

I have been Vodka dosing for about 2 weeks now, Nitrate levels are now at zero as well as phosphate levels. I noticed that the water is much clearer now and the fish are more active. Everything is going great and I have done what I set out to do, lower N and P levels.