Dosed Vodka - Cyano Algae Bloom

[lbaldrey]

My 60G tank nitrates are at 40ppm and Phosphate at 0.40ppm

Read the write up on vodka from the reefkeeping mag and I began dosing vodka (Smirnoff 40%) at 0.1ml twice daily for the first 4 days. I doubled the dose to 0.2ml twice a day for the past 3 days and have been noticing an algae bloom all over my rock.


I dont want it to start taking over my tank and coral so im wondering what im doing wrong....

Any ideas would be appreciated...

My skimmer is a H&S 150A and does a pretty good job on the tank.

LIghting is a 150W Reeflux 12K bulb and 3x100 VHO actinics

 

[lbaldrey]

*****Bump*****

 

[snorvich]

Can you give us more information about your tank? Water parameters? Pictures? Feeding? Fish load? I doubt that vodka is doing this in and of itself. Lighting type? Age of bulbs?

 

[rkelman]

Its a normal progression. It will stabilize. I had the same thing when I started dosing sugar. (which does the same thing as vodka) I'd rather drink my vodka..

 

[Juruense]

Why would you put vodka in your tank give me a break. Just say no to the ridiculous fads...

 

[46FiatYamaha]

I have a cyano outbreak from another form of carbon dosing with vinegar, I use it to boost the solubility of kalkwasser, from what I read it should taper off and eventually go away with normal treatment of cyano, but over a month and no changes so far

 

[plyle02]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14809800#post14809800 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Juruense
Why would you put vodka in your tank give me a break. Just say no to the ridiculous fads...

Really.......
Have you dosed carbon sources yourself?
Vodka(and other c-sources) are not a ridiculous fad, the fact is that they help your skimmer perform better, make your water crystal clear, and drive nutrients down to virtually zero. It may not be needed for a softy type tank, but for corals that demand pristine water, I think it is a phenomenal way of achieving just that. Don't get me wrong, I think the source of the problem should be addressed 1st, but if it boils down to the live rock being the source, dosing carbon sources will ultimately fix that issue. Slime may occur in the beginning, but here are a few tips, especially if you are trying to maintain sps corals...
1. Try and achieve NSW values for CA/ALK/ and Mag
2. Run active carbon, it helps in chemicals being removed.
3. I personally would not run GFO
4. Start off slow, and ramp up as needed
5. Test NO3 and PO4 daily to see the effects, ramp up accordingly
6. Pay close attention to your corals, look for + or - signs
7. Clean your skimmer cup frequently, this will help it to perform better

BTW,
There are also systems that you can run achieving a ULNS or LNS type system. Zeovit, Prodibio, Neo-Zeo, are a few that are regulary employed by alot of SPS keepers. Like anything else, time, patience, stability are key, the cyano is likely due to elevated nutrients in the tank, not the vodka dosing...
Good Luck

 

[Juruense]

Blah blah blah, I do not care and would never consider such a gimmick.

 

[plyle02]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14810151#post14810151 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Juruense
Blah blah blah, I do not care and would never consider such a gimmick.

To each his own...
Since your husbandry skills are good enough to not have to use such a gimmick, why don't you show us your tank, and tell us a bit about your husbandry skills, your parameters, equipment, etc... Personally I use the full neo-zeo system, use only ro/di, run a bm160 on a 40gallon tank, and still need a little vodka to help keep the nutrients down, otherwise, my corals would be brown, which is why I run the system in the first place. If vodka use is such a gimmick, how do so many take their NO3 and PO4 down to virtually nothing? Is it just a coincidence? Many also report that their skimmers effeciency increases and their skimmate darkens and total volume increases. I seriously doubt it is a gimmick, the OP is looking for help on the use of Vodka, not your personal opinion....

 

[Jeff]

Just ignore members like that before it gets out of hand. Stick to the subject.
Anyway, cyano is a bacteria much like the beneficial bacteria that you are fueling with the vodka so you will get an increase. I did with sugar dosing and it went away in time along with my nitrates and phosphates.

 

[lbaldrey]

The reeflux Halide is a week old. The VHOs probably 6 months...I didnt have an algae issue before dosing so I can safely say that whatever is the reason for it it only began after the vodka started last week..

Im dosing really low as per the reefkeeping mag article...Im on week 2 from today and up to .9 ml per day on my 60G
Im testing weekly for Nitrates and phosphates n they are the same as last week. (Salifert)

Corals showing good polyp expansion since the past week..my blastomussa looks swollen n polyps fully extended...ive never seen it extend that much...

I feed mysis or brine shrimp or spectrum pellets once or twice a day...the Skimmer is rated for a larger tank than mine...

I have a foxface, dwarf angel, pair of clowns, flamefin tang, regal tang all small size

 

[lbaldrey]

Heres a pic

 

[snorvich]

I have been using vodka for many months but at a moderate level. You may have inadequate flow in some areas of your tank (based on the picture); normally increasing flow helps eliminate/reduce red slime. Does the red slime occur primarily where there is low/no flow? Also, using frozen food, it helps to rinse the water off leaving nothing but food; the water can be a high source of phosphate. Are the VHO actinic, daylight, or ?

 

[rkelman]

At the risk of feeding the Troll Vodka and Sugar do work. My cyano was gone within 2 months of dosing sugar.

I love your tank lbaldrey nice job. No wonder you have trouble with nitrates. Look at that bioload!

 

[ATM]

how much vodka would you use on a 32g cube without getting my fish drunk?

 

[lbaldrey]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14810568#post14810568 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by snorvich
I have been using vodka for many months but at a moderate level. You may have inadequate flow in some areas of your tank (based on the picture); normally increasing flow helps eliminate/reduce red slime. Does the red slime occur primarily where there is low/no flow? Also, using frozen food, it helps to rinse the water off leaving nothing but food; the water can be a high source of phosphate. Are the VHO actinic, daylight, or ?

Dude I think youre onto something with the flow thing....I dont have any algae on the opposite side of the tank....

I got another MJ mod which ill hook up on the opposite side of the tank....

Will update this thread shortly...

Rkelman thanks for the kind words. Its still and always will be a work in progress

Yeah Bioload!

 

[rkelman]

I've always heard about flow helping cyano.. It didn't help mine though.

 

[BrooksReef]

I'm SO glad I read this thread. I've got a similar problem, and I've read about Vodka dosing. Unfortunately, I only have access to sugar. So I will attempt to dose that in small amounts to rid myself of Cyano.

 

[lbaldrey]

Brooksreef ensure you do it in a controlled manner using some documented approach on RC etc. Good luck with that..

 

[mat167]

This is the exact same progression that I experienced. I started dosing to help my water quality improve to rid my dinoflagellates. The dinos went away, but cyano started running wild. Now finally, the cyano is dissipating. As mentioned, the cyano is a bacteria, and fed off of the carbon much like the denitrifying bacteria have. Once the denitrifying bacteria have had the chance to reproduce to numbers where they can out compete the cyano, it should fade away. Meanwhile, it's a pain in the neck.