planning a new reef tank, vodka dosing?

[homegrowncichlid]

I'm moving soon, selling my current 65gallon setup in the next couple of months, have all my fish in hypo salinity getting ready to sell next month, and am planning on setting up a new 75 gallon at the new place.
Basic plan is to have a standard 75 on top and a 40 breeder on the bottom, within the 4 foot by 18 inch foot print. I would drill the 75 on the bottom to connect the overflow into the 40, which I will be using as a refugium/frag tank. Both tanks would be sandless, barebottom.

OK, I plan on vodka dosing, and going very light with fish, 1 or 2 tangs, 6-line wrasse for invasive species control. For those who vodka dose, is that enough to control water quality, or does your refugium algae still grow? Can I cut the macro algae refugium out?
I read many good things about dosing, but I also know how good a refugium is, but I wonder for my purposes of nutrient export, would it be redundant, since I do want to max my 40 gallon frag tank out. Otherwise, I'd have to partition it to have a macro algae section.

Second point, if vodka dosing is enough, why even connect the 2 tanks, just have 2 skimmers and run them independently? save some money on the plumbing (and headaches of possible leaks, salt creeps and splashes to the floor and wall, which I hate) The money saved on the plumbing and mag 7 would just go to the second skimmer.

I've set up many bare bottom, filterless temporary tanks in the past just to hold fish or coral in quarantine for months at a time and it dawn on me that most of us have been over engineering for quite some time. Simpler is better.

 

[reefiness]

You're better off doing a refugium if you are going to have a light bioload. The problem you may run into with vodka dosing is it feeds bacteria. That will include cyanobacteria, so if you introduce a little cyano into your tank, it will take off pretty quickly. With the refugium you dont have much to worry about except making sure you keep things trimmed so it continues having room to grow.

Not so sure about what you mean about saving money by not connecting the 2 tanks, but the little bit of money you save on plumbing will be greatly out paced by the additional protein skimmer as well as the ongoing electric costs of running an additional skimmer.

The issue i do see here is the way you say you want to have the 40b on the bottom be a fuge/frag tank, and no mention of a sump.... I assume the skimmer will be running hang on? But you will also need to make sure you run the water level in the bottom tank low enough to accept water that would flow back from top tank during power outage.

Would you have room on the side of the tank to put a fuge/frag tank? then I would recommend having the 75 and 40b drain into a common sump tank located under the 75.

 

[homegrowncichlid]

Yes, I will be using a hang on back skimmer, or I can run a skimmer in the square foot of space I have next to the 40 gallon breeder (the breeder is 3 feet wide). In regards to cyano, I don't think it feeds off vodka, but photosynthesis. Also both vodka dosing or macro algae will compete with it. cyano is a problem, no matter what method I plan on using.
The 40 gallon tank would be the sump, and it will have a high water line, I can adjust the overflow level easily. What I'm trying to is to cut the refugium out and go 100% vodka dosing. If I can cut the refugium, then I don't even need to plumb the tanks together at all. I could section off a foot of space in the breeder for a refugium/algae scrubber though, but it complicates things again.

The only limitations I have right now, is the foot print of the 75gallon tank, and the 40 gallon breeder, which is the largest tank I can place underneath it, without blocking the legs of the stand. What I envision is what I see at any pet shop, where they have a wall and 3 or 4 tanks stacked on top of each other. Why can't I do the same? Every single residential tank I've ever seen were single, with a sump under it. Why not max out the space and stack them up? two high seems reasonable.

 

[theMeat]

Vodka dosing is more a way to get out of trouble than a plan. A large refugium, ats, or bio pellets is a plan.

If You feel leaks from hooking up a sump are inevitable you?re doing something wrong. Drilling the bottom instead of the side of the tank for an overflow touches on that.

 

[homegrowncichlid]

hmm, so the thought here is that vodka dosing/skimming as a primary method of filtration is not feasible?

 

[theMeat]

I mean it is, but...

For a means of carbon dosing bio pellets would work better because you wouldn?t have dose every day, and worry about missing days. More effective and better for tank because the bio pellet reactor could/should feed right into skimmer.

FWIW, IMO, a hang on back skimmer is a flood waiting to happen

 

[vio]

I mean it is, but...

For a means of carbon dosing bio pellets would work better because you wouldn?t have dose every day, and worry about missing days. More effective and better for tank because the bio pellet reactor could/should feed right into skimmer.

FWIW, IMO, a hang on back skimmer is a flood waiting to happen

+1, just to add , i have ....big experience of Bio- Pellets , the HUGE dif. is this :


Using Vodka, Vinegar etc. the all tank will deal w/density of Bacteria (i have few way to measure), NOT all corals "Love" density of Bacteria + or -, the Bio-Pellets works dif.
If you run the Bio-Pellets the right way , using the right reactor and right water flow , most of Bacteria form and stay inside reactor ( if you using the right way) , NOT all over the tank.
Very easy to prof. shut of the pump , then in few hours PO4 and NO3 go up , then you have to wait 2 to 4 weeks for Bio-mass to form and Bacteria to multiply , i will chose B.P against vodka and Vinegar, just watch more video ( You tub) how move, or works , or some of my treads , about B.P.

 

[homegrowncichlid]

Ah, thanks, I understand now bio pellets are preferred to liquid dosing, it controls where the bacterial grow, in the reactor instead of all over the tank. Thanks for the clarification.

 

[theMeat]

Vio brings up a good point. My point was that the end product/waste/converted nutrients/whatever you want to call it get fed into skimmer and removed from tank. Instead of as with other forms of carbon dosing distributed throughout the tank and the skimmer only gets a part of it.

 

[theMeat]

Some risk in any form of carbon dosing. This guy explains bio pellets pretty well. Think it's a three part video
https://youtu.be/9UtgjkEg8EY

 

[Alfredo De La Fe]

I started dosing vinegar with all of my top off water along with small amounts of kalk and I have been also dosing ESV transition elements and the results have been super surprising. My nitrates and nitrites have been undetectable. What is amazing is that my tank is only two months old with a heavier bioload recently because I added three more fish.

I started small, I literally only add one cap full of vinegar and 1/3rd teaspoon of kalk to each gallon of topoff.

Sent from my SM-N900P using Tapatalk

 

[vio]

Some risk in any form of carbon dosing. This guy explains bio pellets pretty well. Think it's a three part video
https://youtu.be/9UtgjkEg8EY

Sorry, Meat. Nothing to do w/ your post, i see that video, those guys , they got Zero idea how Bio-Pellets works, totally WRONG, no wonder , why so many reefers got confuse, discourage, crash etc. I appreciate you try to help, but the 2 guys are 199 % WRONG.
Most of B.P. reactors are WRONG design , i will post the link of one i use to have, so muck from my experience , except may need larger return ( or dual) but great reactor.
# 1 B.P is NOT in the market for 2 years ( at the time they post the video) is more then 25 years, i use to have one (made in Germany , $ 250 at the time) use Bio-Balls + Danny Balls ( some similar to B.P. same PHA some bio- plastic , witch melt , like corn sugar) , they provide even the bacteria , to seed.
#2 Bacteria needs the Bio-mass first form from B.P. (white , cloudy film) to create the cells for Bacteria , then the exist Bacteria on the tank , w/ help from Bio-mass and food ( NO3 and PO4 ) start to multiply, more Bacteria grow more nutrition will remove.
#3 They reactor run 199% WRONG, you have to manage to move the B.P gentle NOT one side grounding and anther , wont move. By moving the B.P. to aggressive , you just make MORE mess , melt the B.P. , never create the Bio-Mass, never multiply Bacteria.
#4 If you use the right move ( most of Bacteria multiply inside the reactor, NOT all over , just like Vinegar , Vodka etc.) B.P reactor become , very effective.
# 5 one of the BEST B.P. i consider the NP ( made in Holland) they move easy and very efficient , the reason i like LARGER output ( dual) will use less energy ( flow) for move, not to mention the bottom have to be concave form to reduce the friction and easy move , NOT sharp corners.
#6 more then this.........
Great B.P. reactor....www.saltwateraquarium.com/br110-bio..._source=bc&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIpJrk3oGh1wIViAJp