For over a year, I've considered vodka dosing but for various reasons (mostly to busy), I never got the chance to act on it. I did start manual dosing but the issue is, if you break the cycle, you have to start all over and I broke it several times due to travel.
Fast forward a year and the purchase of a dual compartment dosing container (thanks Brett!). I already had the doser so it really wasn't a big deal to program it and press start. It was just a matter of doing it and there was no better time than the present as I wasn't seeing the growth that I wanted and I had issues with a matting algae, both red and green, covering my coraline up on the glass and on rocks plus I couldn't get Nitrates below 20ppm. A purchase of 3 L of the cheapest vodka I could find and I'm in business!!
The dosing has been in place now for a few days shy of 3 weeks. I'm dosing 2.5 ml twice a day into a 180g DT with about 50g in sump but I'm figuring with displacement from my rock that I'm just under 200g TWV. Now according to articles I've read, I'm overdosing for the water volume but again, it's all about proof. I should only be dosing a total of 2 ml/day (according to the articles) and I'm more than twice that.
Now for the proof. Within the first 10 days, my Nitrates reduced to 10ppm (I've yet to test for this week) and the matting algae has diminished in several areas on the back glass and on the rocks to where I can see the coraline behind it. To me, those alone were amazing results but then when I looked at my montis (purple and red) and saw that they have about 1/8" of new rim growth in just 7 - 10 days....now that's proof!
The more I look, the more I can see proof that vodka dosing was my answer. My yellow polyp cabbage leather coral has EXPLODED with growth. It's now 30% bigger than it was. My RBTA babies (I have 2 from splits) have doubled in size to where they are almost as big as the parent which is about 8" when fully extended. My zoa extension is far better than it was. My Orange Super Ricordia are opening back to a normal size (they hadn't been normal in almost a year) and my Japanese Favia has filled in a rock that it hadn't crusted over in almost a year. My Green Acropora (I don't know the exact name) has so many new tips that I can't count them all.
If you are like I was and either doubted that it worked or that there would be any real benefit to vodka dosing, well put those away thoughts and get yourself on the vodka train!!
Fast forward a year and the purchase of a dual compartment dosing container (thanks Brett!). I already had the doser so it really wasn't a big deal to program it and press start. It was just a matter of doing it and there was no better time than the present as I wasn't seeing the growth that I wanted and I had issues with a matting algae, both red and green, covering my coraline up on the glass and on rocks plus I couldn't get Nitrates below 20ppm. A purchase of 3 L of the cheapest vodka I could find and I'm in business!!
The dosing has been in place now for a few days shy of 3 weeks. I'm dosing 2.5 ml twice a day into a 180g DT with about 50g in sump but I'm figuring with displacement from my rock that I'm just under 200g TWV. Now according to articles I've read, I'm overdosing for the water volume but again, it's all about proof. I should only be dosing a total of 2 ml/day (according to the articles) and I'm more than twice that.
Now for the proof. Within the first 10 days, my Nitrates reduced to 10ppm (I've yet to test for this week) and the matting algae has diminished in several areas on the back glass and on the rocks to where I can see the coraline behind it. To me, those alone were amazing results but then when I looked at my montis (purple and red) and saw that they have about 1/8" of new rim growth in just 7 - 10 days....now that's proof!
The more I look, the more I can see proof that vodka dosing was my answer. My yellow polyp cabbage leather coral has EXPLODED with growth. It's now 30% bigger than it was. My RBTA babies (I have 2 from splits) have doubled in size to where they are almost as big as the parent which is about 8" when fully extended. My zoa extension is far better than it was. My Orange Super Ricordia are opening back to a normal size (they hadn't been normal in almost a year) and my Japanese Favia has filled in a rock that it hadn't crusted over in almost a year. My Green Acropora (I don't know the exact name) has so many new tips that I can't count them all.
If you are like I was and either doubted that it worked or that there would be any real benefit to vodka dosing, well put those away thoughts and get yourself on the vodka train!!
. I am going to start dosing as well after I pick up another bottle of Vodka. It seems someone (me) drank the one that was for the tank. Lol.
