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Unread 07/16/2018, 07:44 AM   #3
mcgyvr
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Join Date: Sep 2003
Location: North Carolina
Posts: 20,050
If nopox isn't working I doubt you will see a difference with Vodka.. Nopox is basically vinegar + vodka so switching to just vodka is unlikely to help at all..

What are your current nitrate levels?
How much rock is in the tank?
Sand bottom? or something else?
Pictures of tank?
Are you getting nuisance algae problems?
I agree that 1/2 cube seems excessive..

A 20G tank can quite easily be managed with water changes alone and I would suggest removing that "filter" and just having a powerhead alone for water circulation/oxygenation..
Mechanical filtration in a tank is basically useless unless you are changing those filters every couple days.. Most of our issues are chemical in nature and not mechanical.. And "filter floss" doesn't do anything chemically.. The carbon in there will help some with dissolved organics but that has a limited use too..

A 50% water change should drop nitrates by 50%.. A few large ones may be needed at the start then once you get levels down something like 20% every 2 weeks should be sufficient to maintain low nitrate levels..

For a fish only tank you can easily have nitrates in the 50-100ppm range though without any problems assuming you aren't having nuisance algae issues which can be helped by limiting light..

With a proper water change schedule such a small tank shouldn't need carbon dosing (nopox/vinegar/vodka) either unless you are just overfeeding still..


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