Those shelves look great Merv. When I order more magnets we'll have to get together and build some more, if you're up for it that is.
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VODKA dosing regimen- notes.
- Thread starter concept3
- Start date
Those magnetic shelves are a great idea. I was thinking of how I could hide Tunze streams in the rock work but still be able to access them for maintenancein my future tank . I think I just found my answer.
ricwilli said:
No problem, ask away!
The last time I changed Carbon was First week of October right before the dosing. To be honest with you, I totally forgot to change it out. I think I'm gonna leave the current Carbon running in the tank as I still have the 5 cups of "emergency carbon" nicely packed in a Ziplock bag (was my bail out if anything went awry in the beginning of the dosing). Same with the 5 tsps of GFO in the phosban reactor. I actually mixed the two in the same reactor.
As far as water changes, I would have to confess that it's gone down to roughly about a bucket every 2 weeks which is just enough to siphon out the detritus which accumulates just behind the right pillar. Each bucket measures approximately 5 gallons.
Matt- I did tell you I had this crazy idea from an offshoot of the overpriced mag-plugs remember?panmanmatt said:
Anytime we can get together during a meeting or so, we can definitely put some shelves together- if I had more business savvy, I wouldn't mind making them and selling the finished and cured rocks to anyone interested. So teach anyone I shall due to lack of business savvy, lol.
Jeff- I have added more conceptual ideas to the rock shelves making them lighter and even larger! Next time we have a meeting, I wouldn't mind explaining
SO- 2 Weeks!
Lighting- The T5's have been running for about 2 weeks. The Coral color shift was phenomenally & unexpectedly quick. The T5's are on from 4pm to 12 am (midnight) and the metal halides are only on for 4 hours, which is right in the middle of the t5 period (6pm-10pm). I think it had something to do with the violet color (ATI procolor) which brings out redder hues on the corals (if I recall Dana's lighting NJRC fragswap speech correctly). I reduced the photoperiod since the water is now much clearer, and I wanted to simulate the intense noon sun in the middle of the day. I see no reason to increase photoperiod for now, and I have it on in the evening because that's when I'm usually home
Feeding- Revised food mix! In addition to the normal good stuff, I've decided to add Cod liver oil in the mix. I also added a tablespoon of sugar (yes, sugar is also a Carbon source). I think this extra dose of sugar is what is allowing me to overfeed without major effects in the tank. Unless researched, I do not advise adding sugar to your fish food unless you make your own in large batches. I added a tbsp in about 3/4 gallons worth of fish food.
I'm also feeding two to three times heavier now since the Copperband is being a pain in the butt and being picky with what he eats (only picking at the bloodworms in my frozen food mix). I've been doing that for almost 3 weeks now, but still have no trace of nuisance algae which is a good sign. I have kept the Vodka at 1.0 mL, and the water changes have slowed slightly. I'm off tomorrow, so I'll be doing a 30 gallon change to make up the short comings.
Supplementation- Iodide is almost gone, I'm probably gonna leave that off my list as a supplement since I just happened to stumble across the bottle anyways. I still have another Jar of Mrs Wages pickling lime, so that's still gonna be used. I'm thinking of using Amino acids when I get to it, I think the natural food I'm feeding the tank is helping with the aminos. Magnesium and Epsom salts are being used on a regular basis, I still have plenty of that. The occasional Calcium Chloride tbsp is tossed directly in the sump every week for good measure.
So, that's the update. I think I'm gonna quit updating this thread since it served its purpose as a personal log. I hope you guys got a few things good out of it. I'm the kind of person who will try new things within reason, and I wanted to see if this "vodka thing" really did work. Well, lesson learned in the beginning was when you take things too fast, things will go awry. People who did not succeed in the vodka dosing were expecting results too fast to early, and anything experimental should be taken in slower stages. Surfing the web on other sites, I have come to notice that quite a few people actually dose some kind of Carbon source, whether incorporated in the food, alcohol, or vinegar. As a matter of fact, the RC TOTM for Dec08 doses as well, but I also notice that's its a one-liner-sentence at the end, lol.
There are many ways to successfully maintain a reef. Success is up to the reefkeeper's ability to react and/or maintain changes within the tank thereby keeping its stability which is what our microcosms need. Some stick to the tried and true basic ways of reefkeeping. Some like to experiment and find new ways, and some have the ability to get the newest trends in equipment to maintain a reeftank up to date. To all those reading, happy reefkeeping.
actually, let me throw some final pics in!
Lighting- The T5's have been running for about 2 weeks. The Coral color shift was phenomenally & unexpectedly quick. The T5's are on from 4pm to 12 am (midnight) and the metal halides are only on for 4 hours, which is right in the middle of the t5 period (6pm-10pm). I think it had something to do with the violet color (ATI procolor) which brings out redder hues on the corals (if I recall Dana's lighting NJRC fragswap speech correctly). I reduced the photoperiod since the water is now much clearer, and I wanted to simulate the intense noon sun in the middle of the day. I see no reason to increase photoperiod for now, and I have it on in the evening because that's when I'm usually home
Feeding- Revised food mix! In addition to the normal good stuff, I've decided to add Cod liver oil in the mix. I also added a tablespoon of sugar (yes, sugar is also a Carbon source). I think this extra dose of sugar is what is allowing me to overfeed without major effects in the tank. Unless researched, I do not advise adding sugar to your fish food unless you make your own in large batches. I added a tbsp in about 3/4 gallons worth of fish food.
I'm also feeding two to three times heavier now since the Copperband is being a pain in the butt and being picky with what he eats (only picking at the bloodworms in my frozen food mix). I've been doing that for almost 3 weeks now, but still have no trace of nuisance algae which is a good sign. I have kept the Vodka at 1.0 mL, and the water changes have slowed slightly. I'm off tomorrow, so I'll be doing a 30 gallon change to make up the short comings.
Supplementation- Iodide is almost gone, I'm probably gonna leave that off my list as a supplement since I just happened to stumble across the bottle anyways. I still have another Jar of Mrs Wages pickling lime, so that's still gonna be used. I'm thinking of using Amino acids when I get to it, I think the natural food I'm feeding the tank is helping with the aminos. Magnesium and Epsom salts are being used on a regular basis, I still have plenty of that. The occasional Calcium Chloride tbsp is tossed directly in the sump every week for good measure.
So, that's the update. I think I'm gonna quit updating this thread since it served its purpose as a personal log. I hope you guys got a few things good out of it. I'm the kind of person who will try new things within reason, and I wanted to see if this "vodka thing" really did work. Well, lesson learned in the beginning was when you take things too fast, things will go awry. People who did not succeed in the vodka dosing were expecting results too fast to early, and anything experimental should be taken in slower stages. Surfing the web on other sites, I have come to notice that quite a few people actually dose some kind of Carbon source, whether incorporated in the food, alcohol, or vinegar. As a matter of fact, the RC TOTM for Dec08 doses as well, but I also notice that's its a one-liner-sentence at the end, lol.
There are many ways to successfully maintain a reef. Success is up to the reefkeeper's ability to react and/or maintain changes within the tank thereby keeping its stability which is what our microcosms need. Some stick to the tried and true basic ways of reefkeeping. Some like to experiment and find new ways, and some have the ability to get the newest trends in equipment to maintain a reeftank up to date. To all those reading, happy reefkeeping.
actually, let me throw some final pics in!
I actually miss my old topdown box that RichT built. The only thing with boxes is that they are big and clunky. I was bored, so I decided to make a lens box
I don't have a router, so I had to rough cut a piece of acrylic and looked around my place for something to hold the acrylic as a window.
A little silicone and using a cheapo food container, Voila! (word of caution to those who may dunk their cams in the tank!)
I don't have a router, so I had to rough cut a piece of acrylic and looked around my place for something to hold the acrylic as a window.
A little silicone and using a cheapo food container, Voila! (word of caution to those who may dunk their cams in the tank!)
concept3 said:
Well said Merv. Thanks for sharing your journey with us on Vodka dosing. You are correct, "SLOW IS BEST". I'm on my third day with dosing Vodka and I'm pretty nervous about it. The growth on your corals are incredable. I must say, that I was a little surprised to read that you only keep the MH on for only four hours. I was always told that it should be on for 6+ hours. Do you have anything on in the morning, like moonlights (LED's)?
Nothing at all in the morning. There is subdued lighting in the morning because the glass balcony door faces West, and it's shaded until dusk.
I was thinking of adding some LED's, but only to prevent my fish from bumping into each other or the corals j/k In reality, I ran out of electrical plugs to add a set of LED lights. I was mainly gonna use it for night viewing.
I was thinking of adding some LED's, but only to prevent my fish from bumping into each other or the corals j/k
In reality, I ran out of electrical plugs to add a set of LED lights. I was mainly gonna use it for night viewing.
THAT was the prototype.
Here is the new and improved $2.19 lens "box"
(or cup rather, lol)
*sigh* the 3 nylon screws set me back about 35 cents each. They are needed to hold the cup in place so the front lens stays perfectly perpendicular to the acrylic window. Any slight deviation causes slight refraction killing the focus and clarity
and I'm sure you can figure out the rest. I have to try and borrow my friend's router to cut a perfect piece of round acrylic so it fits very niiice!
Round acrylic discs are available online too, but I'm not waiting 4 days for that
Here is the new and improved $2.19 lens "box"
(or cup rather, lol)
*sigh* the 3 nylon screws set me back about 35 cents each. They are needed to hold the cup in place so the front lens stays perfectly perpendicular to the acrylic window. Any slight deviation causes slight refraction killing the focus and clarity
and I'm sure you can figure out the rest. I have to try and borrow my friend's router to cut a perfect piece of round acrylic so it fits very niiice!
Round acrylic discs are available online too, but I'm not waiting 4 days for that
jceli728 said:
Vodka is supposedly used to lower the nitrate and phosphate content in any environment, not just tanks that are BB. The Vodka supposedly feeds certain bacteria which supposedly feeds on the excess nitrates and phosphates. There are actually a few tanks that have Sandbeds (like the RC December 2008 TOTM).
I do not have any zoos at all in the tank, so I am not the best person to ask about the effects of Vodka on color for zooanthids. There are a few people here who use Vodka as well, and I hope they chime in to answer your querie. I may be able to acquire a zoo or two and give you results in a few weeks...
The addition of the carbon source definitely made my water clearer, and the resulting clarity made me or allowed me, rather, to lower my photoperiod drastically... I also have to clean the glass a whole lot less these days~
Hope this helps a little.
Best,
Merv R
Thanks Merv! I have been searching around and want to experiment on a smaller scale (22G zoa tank)
before I try this on my big tank. I was also looking at the NeoZeo system from Brightwell but it seems that a lot of people are using a combination of the NeoZeo and Zeovit on their tanks.
I wonder if anyone here is trying the NeoZeo system ???
before I try this on my big tank. I was also looking at the NeoZeo system from Brightwell but it seems that a lot of people are using a combination of the NeoZeo and Zeovit on their tanks.
I wonder if anyone here is trying the NeoZeo system ???