Does Vodka cause this???

[dreed]

I started dosing .2ml of Vodka for 5 days and upped it just a few days ago to .4 for my 65g setup with a 20g sump that's usually 3/4 full before dissipation. About 3 days after starting, I saw this stuff and it was just a dusting on the sand bed. It's grown and I've churned it up once and did a waterchange sucking uit out once but it's come back both times.

Would the Vodka cause this? I also started the 2 part dosing from BRS but I don't do it daily because of my small load. I use just enough to keep me at 2.4 alk, 420-440 Calc and 1400 Mag. Other than that, my TDS reads zero on my RO/DI water and everything else reads good. Of course zero's on phosphate and Nitrate's as everyone else gets.

What is this stuff and what's the best way to get rid of it?

Thanks
Dave

 

[redfishsc]

Looks a lot like cyano, but dinoflagellates are a possibility also. Treatment for the two are about the same, except that cyano can be nuked with anitbiotics as a last-resort-only.


As for whether vodka did this, I dunno, I've seen it make total slime of a lot of good men.

 

[newguy1983]

Care to share what the treament(s) is/are for that stuff?

 

[redfishsc]

BTW, sorry that I didn't give you any tips on getting rid of cyano.

Cyano doesn't need nitrates, as it can produce it's own from fixing nitrogen gas in your water.

Phosphate is the likely fuel, and it can get phosphate from detritus in your tank.

Keep siphoning it out, let it grow back.... keep dosing carbon. Do what you can to keep phosphate down.


There are lots of strategies and tactics for whipping cyano.... some research on the topic around here will turn up loads of other info that might also help you.

 

[redfishsc]

Lol, you posted in between my posts.


The real trick to beating either cyano or dinoflagellates is to be patient.

Keep nutrients going INTO the tank as low as possible. Keep nutrient EXPORT as high as possible.


Keep your fish hungry (unless they are coral nippers) and don't feed LPS or anemones if you can avoid it.

And be patient. That's the big trick.

You can also read up on dripping kalk to keep pH high and to reduce phosphate.... keeping a high alkalinity and magnesium, and other tricks that probably help.

The "almost" last resort is a total 3-5 day blackout, but you need to have nutrients low to begin with or it will probably come back.


The dead last resort is to bomb cyano with antibiotics, but you run the risk of killing off your nitrifying and denitrifying bacteria (which means you'll have an ammonia bomb overnight). It will kill the heck out of the cyano but it can be very risky, and some worry that we might produce an antibiotic-resistant strain of cyano, which would seriously suck.

 

[rachelcb80]

I have read a few posts here saying that dosing vodka can lead to cyano troubles. Apparently cyano can feed off the bacteria that is being multiplied by the vodka dosing.

I've been having problems with cyano patches for quite awhile now. I've made a bunch of changes that have only seemed to help a little. (getting rid of bio balls and all sponges in my sump, upgrading my skimmer, increasing my flow, feeding less, etc.) I'm thinking that as a last resort I may get rid of my sand bed and increase my flow even more. I'm looking to upgrade my tank so I may just make the sandbed change when I change tanks. Easier than siphoning it all our right now.

 

[dreed]

I've heard of keeping up Mag but not Alk. I'll try and keep them up a bit and lighten the feeding.

I used to have a carbon bag in the sump but it wasn't really effective. I took it out when i did the Vodka thing too. Would continuing the Vodka be a good thing or should I go back to a charcoal type of carbon media?

Thanks for the tips and help. Patience is not one of my virtues and this tank has really helped quell that problem.

Thanks
Dave

 

[jenglish]

A blackout can knock it back but won't solve underlying problems. A bit more flow also helps to discourage cyano Just not sandstorm level flow

 

[Toddrtrex]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14683853#post14683853 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by rachelcb80
I have read a few posts here saying that dosing vodka can lead to cyano troubles. Apparently cyano can feed off the bacteria that is being multiplied by the vodka dosing.

Close, but cyano is actually a bacteria, so it is being fed directly --- but, not a huge difference, the end result is the same.

 

[redfishsc]

jenglish is 100% right about the increased water flow. The cyano can't grow where it can't hold on! Dinoflagellates are a bit different, they can still cling on but they can't make the big jelly-lumps in high flow.

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14684471#post14684471 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Toddrtrex
Close, but cyano is actually a bacteria, so it is being fed directly --- but, not a huge difference, the end result is the same.

That's possible, but not all bacteria will consume the same food. Just b/c cyano are a bacteria doesn't directly suggest that they would be able to directly consume the various forms of carbon we might dose.

If they really are being directly fed, seems to me that you'd expect more massive explosions of the stuff.