Vodka Use?

[MatthewLaw]

Greetings All- I have read about a daily dosing with vodka to help keep nitrates down (near 0). has anyone tried this method?

 

[LadyLail]

I'm a tequila girl myself, but whatever floats your boat...

 

[emmanuelchavez]

I don't see how taking a shot of vodka would keep your nitrates down?

 

[mistercoffee]

lol seriously? I need to let petco know.

 

[skratikans]

lol, I prefer rum

 

[Cichlid-Man]

I've heard of it yes, never done it myself. I've also heard of Vodka and Sugar or straight Sugar. I'd like to know if anyone else has had sucess with it on here. I know on RC there are many that use the method. Mainly used in SPS tanks though.

 

[Lotus]

I read a lot about it, but decided to use a Brightwell product that does something similar instead. Before trying vodka, make sure you've looked at other parts of your setup that could be causing high nitrates or ways to reduce it other than vodka. If your tank is still new (less than 6 months) it will likely balance out on its own for nitrates.

The Reefkeeping magazine on Reef Central has a great article on it: Vodka Dosing by 'Genetics' and 'Stony_Corals' - Reefkeeping.com

 

[MatthewLaw]

Lotus- Thank you for your serious response. that is exactly the article that I am referring to! my nitrates are <20 so I am not super concerned but nitrates near 0 are always a plus. i do weekly water changes but was wondering about this vodka method. my tank is about 4 months old so maybe wait until mid march before considering the vodka method.

 

[Lotus]

I think it would definitely be better to wait a few months, or even until your tank is a year old. At this stage, it's still settling. You may find your nitrates drop naturally in the next few months, assuming you have the tank set up well and not overstocked.

 

[MatthewLaw]

the only thing in the tank are a damsel, 1 false perc, sun coral frag, about 20 lbs of LR. i plan on adding a royal gramma and maybe some other corals in the future but that is about it.

 

[Lorna]

I tried dosing sugar but didn't see a significant response or reduction of nitrates. I did dose some vitamin C but again not a noticeable difference for the short time I tried it. I am in the process of buiding an algae scrubber though as it is a cheap diy mod that may be beneficial. Will let you know when I have some results of that.....

 

[MatthewLaw]

thanks for updates!

 

[Joe Fish]

I've read about it too, but never gave it a shot.

 

[strout]

How big is the tank?

 

[BalaShark]

I've read about it too, but never gave it a shot.

Build my N&P Remover - on Saturday, test run with fresh water on Sunday to check for leaks, commissioned it Sunday night and checked today, algea growth!! Now let's see what happens in the next couple of weeks...............

 

[S.Reef]

great article on the use of vodka

Vodka Dosing by 'Genetics' and 'Stony_Corals' - Reefkeeping.com