vodka dosing: increase in nitrates?

[djcarlosf]

ive noticed an increase in my nitrates. should i stop dosing until it drops back to the 10-15ppm range i originally had it at or should i continue to dose?

[pisces4u]

ive noticed an increase in my nitrates. should i stop dosing until it drops back to the 10-15ppm range i originally had it at or should i continue to dose?

 

Are you dosing beneficial bacteria along with the vodka such as MB7?

 

Did you increase your feedings or decrease water changes or make any other changes to your routine? Are you using tap water or RO/DI or distilled?

 

What test kit are you using and how old is it?

 

How big is your system? How many fish have you stocked? How often do you feed? Do you have a refugium with macro algae or any other means of nutrient export?

 

A lot of the time, Vodka dosing is portrayed as a "fix-all" for your nitrogen management. In reality, there are so many ways to screw things up with vodka dosing by not researching or going about it the right way.

 

In this environment "Nano-reefing", keeping your feedings in line and doing a weekly water change should keep just about any tank clean so long as you didn't overstock fish.