Carbon source dosing

ALreefer

Member
I have been looking into starting a carbon source dosing routine but have not had much luck find information on the different methods. I am interested in Prodibio, vodka dosing and Brightwell. I have not read much at all for Brightwell, but my LFS carries Brightwell. Prodibio is very attractive because of the twice a month dosing and I have read only good reviews. I guess my first question should be: do I need carbon source dosing? My nitrates have leveled out to about 5-10ppm but I plan to add more fish in the future. My API test has never shown any phosphates but I am unsure if it is accurate. The tank is 4 months old and I am moving towards all stony, mostly SPS coral. Any information would be greatly appreciated.
 

Frankie

Well-Known Member
RS STAFF
Carbon dosing is ok but first you need to get your nitrates down to 0. Start doing more water changes. 20% weekly and if you already are doing this step it up to 2x weekly.
Have you looked into zeovit?
Vodka imo is to unstable and I would promote you going with Prodibio or even Brightwell's neozeo before getting your fish drunk ;)
 

ALreefer

Member
I appreciate the input Frankie. Boozing up the tank did sound a bit skeptical to me. I have looked into zeovit but I am afraid it is too involved for my experience level and the amount of time I can devote to the tank every day. I tested nitrates tonight and according to an API test it is at 0. Are there any secrets to carbon dosing? Once I can verify nitrates stay at constant 0 do I just go ahead and start using the product per manufacturers instructions?
 

BigJay

Well-Known Member
I've heard lots of stories about vodka dosing and they usually go like this.. omg I killed my tank, or everything in my tank is dying and I don't know why, oh but I did dose vodka last week.
 

Frankie

Well-Known Member
RS STAFF

Garage1217

Member
I dosed vodka for almost 3 years / 2 systems. Nothing unstable about it or risky IMO unless you do not measure your dose, you run a crappy skimmer or choose the wrong vodka "one with flavor additives or other". The vodka will create a lot of bacteria growth which in turn will die off and has to be removed by a skimmer. That is why a good skimmer is one of the keys to the method.

I cannot even count the locals that use this method since there are so many of us and I know tons of people online dosing vodka without any horror stories. Nothing taboo or scary about it. And no it will not get your fish drunk *LOL* I can show countless pics of my jaw dropping SPS frags & other corals that were grown while vodka dosing :)

I have also dabbled in vitamin C dosing which worked ok, really supercharged skimmer production but did not feel it gave anything over the vodka dosing regimen so I went back to just vodka.
 

Frankie

Well-Known Member
RS STAFF
Here is some more information on carbon dosing:
Vodka Dosing by 'Genetics' and 'Stony_Corals' - Reefkeeping.com
The most common problem with this method is bacteria blooms from over dosing.
If you are going to attempt this method in your well invested aquarium I highly suggest reading and fully understanding what is said in this link I have provided.
Yes, many people succeed in this method but I have also seen many fail.
Use at your own risk!! ( and don't forget I told you so ;) )
 
Last edited:

BigJay

Well-Known Member
Here is some more information on carbon dosing:
Vodka Dosing by 'Genetics' and 'Stony_Corals' - Reefkeeping.com
The most common problem with this method is bacteria blooms from over dosing.
If you are going to attempt this method in your well invested aquarium I highly suggest reading and fully understanding what is said in this link I have provided.
Yes, many people succeed in this method but I have also seen many fail.
Use at your own risk!! ( and don't forget I told you so ;) )

Frankie you beat me to it. I was in class and couldn't respond. The reason why I usually steer people away from these things in the forum setting is people tend to focus on quick fixes and don't take the time to understand the mechanism of the action. They hear something like I put iodine in my tank and my corals look better then ever. Well then you have a dozen people running out and buying iodine and dosing the tank. This is also the problem with flawed marketing (ie people constantly dosing the tank with buffers).
Almost all of the products available have their place but if people don't understand the true mechanism of the action, then they cannot effectively or safely administer these products.
And do a search it shouldn't take you long to find quite a decent list of failed attempts and major wipeouts from vodka dosing.
I'd love for you to post the scientific reason why it worked for you(the measured results) It tends to be a lot safer then just saying I do it in my tank you can do it in yours or I did it in my tank and my corals look better. Frankie usually comes correct with lots of supporting links.
 
Last edited by a moderator:

map95003

Member
I've dosed vodka for ~1 year with great results. However it does require some time spent with the tank daily. Due to my busy schedule I had to stop it and I went back to a fuge w/DSB which also works for me. Now that I'm no longer dosing vodka, I notice I have to clean my glass more often and my skimate production has reduced. I have tangs and I like keeping them nice and fat so I over feed my tank.

If you decide to dose vodks, you definitely need a good skimmer and depending on your bio-load it will start pulling out some serious gunk. Start off with 1/2 the recommended dosage for your tank and see how things react, then bump it up slowly to the recommended ml/volume....people usually run into problems because they overdose or they run crappy skimmers. if you don't overdose you don't have to worry about your fish SUI (swimming under the influence)

I just read BigJay's post and had to laugh. I do agree with him in not just reading something like "I put iodine in my tank and my corals look great" and dumping iodine in your tank too, however we have to take educated risks to progress in this hobby, if someone didn't we all would still be running under gravel filters and not be able to keep 1/2 the corals we keep today.

I've experimented a lot with my tank, it's all part of learning and from experience I don't believe vodka dosing will wipe out your tank if done correctly and for the right reasons.
 

GlassMunky

Active Member
Yes, many people succeed in this method but I have also seen many fail.
Use at your own risk!! ( and don't forget I told you so ;) )

This can be said about MANY things in this hobby though, even the basics. someone can overdose an ALK supplement and spike the KH causeing major problems if they dont know what they are doing.

If you are going to attempt this method in your well invested aquarium I highly suggest reading and fully understanding what is said in this link I have provided.
This should ALWAYS be done before anyone does ANYTHING to their tank IMO.
"Read before you do the deed"
 

ALreefer

Member
Vodka dosing definitely sounds too iffy for me to try. I have too much time and money in my tank for disasters. I have decided to try Prodibio or Brightwell. Most likely Prodibio. Are there any members here with success using either of these products?
 

Garage1217

Member
Don't let anyone scare you, if you follow the basic methods & dosages that are recommended / have a decent skimmer. You should not be afraid to try it at all. In fact what most recommend is a micro amount compared to what many of us that have worked with it for a long time dose currently.

And to note, you have to be quite a tard to dose so much that you cause a large bac bloom. It is not so detailed that 1ml makes a big difference. Anyways do what you like, just do not buy into any scare tactics. It is an excellent, affordable & easy to work with system that works well and over long periods of time if you keep it up and stopping it will not cause any issues or crash a tank.
 

Frankie

Well-Known Member
RS STAFF
Don't let anyone scare you, if you follow the basic methods & dosages that are recommended / have a decent skimmer. You should not be afraid to try it at all. In fact what most recommend is a micro amount compared to what many of us that have worked with it for a long time dose currently.

And to note, you have to be quite a tard to dose so much that you cause a large bac bloom. It is not so detailed that 1ml makes a big difference. Anyways do what you like, just do not buy into any scare tactics. It is an excellent, affordable & easy to work with system that works well and over long periods of time if you keep it up and stopping it will not cause any issues or crash a tank.

I agree with you Garage1217, I am not out to scare anyone from trying this method, just wanting people to be more responsible. Like BigJay said:
The reason why I usually steer people away from these things in the forum setting is people tend to focus on quick fixes and don't take the time to understand the mechanism of the action. They hear something like I put iodine in my tank and my corals look better then ever. Well then you have a dozen people running out and buying iodine and dosing the tank. This is also the problem with flawed marketing (ie people constantly dosing the tank with buffers).
this is a problem I see more and more here on the internet as time go's by. People are looking for the Mark Weiss fix without understanding what it accually is they are doing.
 

ALreefer

Member
OK after some mind debate I am feeling a bit less cautious toward trying vodka dosing. If I start a vodka dosing routine and decide in the future to completely stop carbon dosing or change to Prodibio would there be any problem associated with the change? The big thing about vodka dosing is the daily commitment which can sometimes be difficult with my schedule as I am out of town at least once a month and would have to leave pre-measured doses for somebody to dose daily. I appreciate all the input from everyone.
 

BigJay

Well-Known Member
I've ready over heinz's blog on the dosing of vodka and I am a bit confused or at least see some holes in his methodology. Perhaps he just didn't explain them well enough or I am misunderstanding. Is he recomending a loading dose or not? If he is recomending a loading dose is he recomending a ramp up dosage? Or is he saying that the loading phase was completely not nescessary and 3ml per 100 gallons is the correct dosage daily from day one? Or is he saying to use a loading phase up until you have an observed point of bacterial overload and stepping back the dosage from there?
 

hma

Well-Known Member
hi buddies ;) hi BigJay and thanks for your eMail ..... vodca dosing is EASY going and def. NOT Dangerous.

Exactly as you describe last Big Jay you have to act (use a loading phase up until you have an observed point of bacterial overload and stepping back the dosage from there) .... Start dosing with a first dosing amount of 1ml/100 Liter (Example: 500Liter Aquarium = 5 ml Vodka). Then increases slowly as described, the daily amount by 1 ml, increase in NO CASE in larger steps.

If you can see a white bacterial film on glass and pumps of the aquarium etc. you must reduce the dosage to 50%. This is from now on the maximum daily quantity of Vodka for your aquarium. OK ?
 
Top