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BnK
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Topic: vodka dosing Posted: April 15 2011 at 2:35am |
Does anyone do it here? what are the pros and cons of it? And what kind, also how much? Just saw some articles on it and interested in it. I know dosing vodka and cranberry juice helps me some times lol
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Ryan Thompson
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Posted: April 15 2011 at 8:58am |
I dosed for over 8 months and loved it! Be ready though, it is not for the faint of heart. It takes a lot of time and patience at the beginning as you get everything dialed in. For the first month or so you need to test almost 3x/week. When you start dosing vodka your tank has to acclimate to the changes and corals stop using the Alk and Calcium. It is recommended that you 2 part dose or have a calcium reactor as well when using this system. Once the corals start taking in the Cal and Alk, they take in A LOT and grow pretty quick. I also recommend dosing a bacteria product of some kind. I used MicoBacter7 from Brightwell Aquatics. I would use ZeoBak from Zeovit if I were to start dosing again. Aquatic Dreams is your best bet if you want to talk to someone who knows a lot about dosing. Ryan doses his main tank and I talk to him about every time I go up there. There is SO SO SO much to learn before you start dosing. It can be overwhelming at first but once you get dialed in, it is amazing. http://utahreefs.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=38114&PN=1 That is a link to my build thread where I dosed. I think there are some other links in there that will help you out as well. Here is another thread I started that is all about dosing Vodka. http://utahreefs.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=44375 Hope that helps!
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CapnMorgan
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Posted: April 15 2011 at 9:03am |
I agree with pretty much everything Ryan said there. Just read read read and read some more. The when you do it make sure you don't cut corners, use a good skimmer and test often. I also use MB7 along with Reef Biofuel in place of vodka (it's pretty much the same thing just more concentrated).
Edited by CapnMorgan - April 15 2011 at 9:03am
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Steve My Old 180G Mixed ReefCurrently: 120G Wavefront Mixed 29G Seahorse & Softies Running ReefAngel Plus x2 435-8
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Shane H
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Posted: April 15 2011 at 9:31am |
You could also dose some vodka into some orange juice once in a while! Drip this mixture orally into your system at about about 0.5 liters per hour for a couple of hours every Saturday. Your tank will look great!
Good luck. Please keep us posted on your progress. Oh - and listen to Ryan. I'm confident he knows what he's talking about - most of the time.
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CapnMorgan
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Posted: April 15 2011 at 10:01am |
Now that's a great idea!
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Steve My Old 180G Mixed ReefCurrently: 120G Wavefront Mixed 29G Seahorse & Softies Running ReefAngel Plus x2 435-8
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BnK
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Posted: April 15 2011 at 10:19am |
Well I will for sure read those and look more into it. and was headed down to aquatic dreams today also, so will pick ryans brain on it also. Nothing I will jump into now. I use fuel right now and that is it. Im gettin started to read up on dosing methods for my tank now. I won a bottle of sodium bicarbonate and calcium chloride at fragstock so figured i should learn how to use them. thanx for all the help and info guys
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Mark Peterson
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Posted: April 15 2011 at 3:32pm |
I've been watching this for years. A few weeks ago when seti007 and I were looking at jcom's vodka dosed tank and I saw the kind of bacterial growth that I had in my coral farming system in 2004-2007 before I sold it all and got married, I finally realized that the reason my coral farm did so well was because I was doing almost the same thing. My form of carbon was different but it had the same result. Instead of a concentrated form of carbon, carbohydrate or sugar as in Vodka dosing, I was dosing Phyto and micro foods continuously. Everything grew fast and had good color. So, the conclusion I have arrived at is that it doesn't have to be Vodka. Any form of carbon will do. Here is a good article about carbon dosing. http://www.coralmagazine-us.com/content/probiotics-demystified
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saltlaketank
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Posted: April 16 2011 at 2:37pm |
wow good to know. we read about this and we read a lot, we started dosing our corals early on and they are very happy. we use a syringe. makes it easy
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JayDee 8016042780 90 Gallon 30 Gallon sump G3 Skimmer
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Dion Richins
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Posted: April 16 2011 at 3:34pm |
Also be aware that if you screw up it can and will result in total destruction!
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CapnMorgan
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Posted: April 16 2011 at 3:35pm |
Dion Richins wrote:
Also be aware that if you screw up it can and will result in total destruction!
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This is also true. It's definitely not for someone who can't watch their tank and test often.
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Steve My Old 180G Mixed ReefCurrently: 120G Wavefront Mixed 29G Seahorse & Softies Running ReefAngel Plus x2 435-8
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badfinger
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Posted: April 16 2011 at 4:36pm |
I have been dosing vodka/mb7 for like 5 months... no ill effects, only praise from me so for
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CapnMorgan
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Posted: April 16 2011 at 4:38pm |
It definitely does work. I use Reef Biofuel (a liquid carbon source) and MB7 and love it. I tried the biopellets first, and they did work it was just too much work to keep them from clumping together.
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Steve My Old 180G Mixed ReefCurrently: 120G Wavefront Mixed 29G Seahorse & Softies Running ReefAngel Plus x2 435-8
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Ryan Thompson
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Posted: April 16 2011 at 5:30pm |
Dion Richins wrote:
Also be aware that if you screw up it can and will result in total destruction!Â
| Welcome to reefing! Overdosing alkalinity, calcium, magnesium, potassium, strontium, iodine/iodide, freshwater, saltwater, and/or a food source will all result in the same thing. Like anything in this hobby, go SLOW and take your time making changes. Nothing good happens overnight in this hobby. It is all about patience and stability.
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Mark Peterson
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Posted: April 16 2011 at 7:18pm |
Adding carbon in the form of phyto paste and micro foods is much, much safer. I've always worked at doing the best for my tanks with the least amount of effort and risk.
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wickedsnowman
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Posted: April 16 2011 at 7:47pm |
Vitamin C acts as a carbon source as well. It's relatively safe as long as you buy the right kind.
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Mark Peterson
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Posted: April 17 2011 at 3:45pm |
I wasn't aware of that. What is the right kind?
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Ryan Thompson
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Posted: April 17 2011 at 3:55pm |
I'm pretty sure that vitamin c isn't a carbon source. I've been researching this for over 3 years and ran it for over 8 months. I've never once heard of vitamin c as a carbon source. My thought is that certain brands might have sugar in their pills and that will act as the carbon source.
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wickedsnowman
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Posted: April 17 2011 at 4:05pm |
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wickedsnowman
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Posted: April 17 2011 at 4:09pm |
No offense to any one on this board but I trust what randy says. He is after all a reef chemist.
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TriggerHappy
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Posted: April 17 2011 at 4:46pm |
I use the iherb brand (Buffered Sodium Ascorbate) and have always looked at it as a carbon source.
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