Early observations: Vodka Dosing. Cyano?

Logzor

Logzor

New member
Today is my 5th day dosing vodka. I have been adding .8mL of 40 proof vodka on a daily basis into my 90g BB reef.

A week before dosing I increased feedings to 1/8 tsp. of spectrum new life 1mm pellets twice a day. Skimmate has increased, forming a dark sludge. I am skimming with an Octo. Extreme 200.

So far I have noticed a major improvement in coral coloration and growth since increasing the amount of food going into the system. I am also noticing a significant increase in algae growth. I am not sure to attribute this to the vodka or the increase in food.

I am finding patches of stringy red algae growing on the starboard. The algae is not fuzzy but appears as tiny red threads overlapping to form quarter size patches. I am guessing this is a form of cyano.

Will vodka dosing cause a temporary increase in algae growth? What are your early observations?
 
Cyanobacteria like bacteria can derive their needed nutrient directly from the food sources in many cases. Many hobbyists report issues when dosing vodka or other carbon sources.

Increased growth of algae pests can be directly related to overfeeding and increased dissolved organic material in your water column. There is a fine line when you reach the point of overfeeding. Watching for trouble signs in your aquarium is one of the best ways to detect this.

The Nutrient Police may have more information about this. :D
 
My corals look better than ever - nothing but good signs in the department.

Perhaps I am overfeeding. I am not sure, though, the increase compared to before is not very great. Perhaps the line is very thin!

The thing is, I have never had cyano growth until dosing vodka. In the past, with increased nutrients, my chaeto and dictyota would grow some, but never cyano.

This leads me to believe that the vodka is allowing the cyano to thrive and become more competitive.

The question is: What action do I take? I will definitely cut feedings in half...

Will vodka eventually help or just feed cyano?
 
Many of the cyanobacteria operate the same way as the bacteria you are purposely increasing the population of, when dosing carbon sources. So if you are increasing the population of bacteria then you can also increase the population of cyano IMHO. Cyano have the added advantage over bacteria where then can derive nutrients through photosynthesis also. Reducing phosphates will decrease the growth of bacteria and cyano but not as much as algae. Many cyano can derive their N from N2 also.
 
It sounds like the cyano is a side effective of vodka dosing. I want bacteria populations to grow but it just so happens I am feeding cyano, too.

Will I break through this cyano cycle and eventually see a reduction in all algae as I reduce feedings to normal levels and increase vodka dosing?
 
Most hobbyists through keeping on top of the cyano growth by physical siphoning, gain control of the cyano. Other hobbyists report that it will return periodically, but they are able to control it. Still other hobbyists end up using something like Chemi-Clean by Boyd to control it.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

This is Boomer's battle plan for cyano:

"Some added thoughts from over the years from many

The only known fish to eat Cyano is Amblygobius stethophthalmus and it needs to be the real one not its close relative that is often Mis-ID with it.

A 2- 3 month scheme

1. Water changes. 25% weekly.

2. Bare bottom refugium only for cheato nutrient export and not for critters.

3. Siphon, sump, refugium, etc. every week during water change and clean all filter you have.

4. Blow off all the Cyano and settled stuff you can so it can be siphoned off.

5. Clean out skimmer and cup every week.

6. Carbon, 1 cup per 50 gallons / 2 wks. Try to use ROX

7. GFO -HC , change every month.

8. Purigen, every month

9. Soak frozen food in RO/DI and discard water before use. This is especially true for brine shrimp. Matter of fact I use to pour off the water, and then fill it back up, to repeat it until there was only whole brine shrimp in the container.

10. Read what is in the food and look for things low in phosphates.

11. Keep the pH in the very low 8's or very high 7's, as Cyano will out compete other algae's in higher pH water.

12. The # 1 limiting nutrient for Cyano is N, not P based on studies in various microbiology texts.

13. During these water changes and blowing stuff off and siphoning it up run a Diatom filter with a second cake of PAC (Powdered activated carbon)."

14. Increase water flow where Cyano are growing, as they do not like high currents.

15. Shutting of all lights, almost total darkness for 48 hr. every few days.

Last resort is Chemi-Clean by Boyd.

99.9 % of the time if nothing eats it and it looks like yours it is Cyano."
 
That is one heck of a list!

You mention that the cyano can out compete other algae. This could be a good thing considering I still have some dictyota that I need to be rid of.

What is interesting is that my nitrates are always unmeasurable. I have starved my tank of N and P without much of a budge from the dictyota.

I will keep up the vodka and see how things go.
 
At moderate dosing, I had patchy cyano after a few weeks.Visable cyano went a way after about a month. Once in awhile I get a little patch here and there. I'm not sure anything can out compete cyano since it is one of the most ubiquitous life forms on the planet often credited with enabling photosynthesis , nitrogen fixation and life as we know it.
 
A little off topic but to do list list looks like solid advice.

I run a low nutrient system and have a fuzzy short red hairs on backs of snails. Anyone ever seen this before?
 
I'm not ultra low(.04ppm PO4 and 2ppm NO3) but I've seen that red turf like stuff on them and in one tank that is particularly birght they get a lime green cyano like grass abut an inch long on them. Some appears on the rock as well but I think the turbos are eating it. It does not appear on them in te other tanks.
 
I certainly have high light. 5-6 watts/gallon, I cut back to 3.5 watts per gallon mid day during summer.

I always attributed to the N:P:K ratio of a low nutrient system favoring cyano. I did experiment with KNO3 and killed a monti cap and dulled a few corals after adding it. It certainly did eliminate cyano within a week. I would not recommend or repeat that however unless you are growing large amounts of macro algae plants.

Tangs pick at backs of snails but they always have a red mossy film.

Little algae in tank over all as an observation.

I will be doing a vodka dosing experiment at end of september using the drew's doser for exact carbon dosing, and prodibio bioclean pack.
 
Not sure the C:N:P ratio has much to do with it beyond the fact that extra carbon is available for various types of bacteria. Removing at least as much as you put in is important via skimming and GAC etc.
 
I have been dosing Vodka for over a year and wanted to help you guys out with cyano problems.

Great advice on keeping everything as clean as possible. BB tanks take a lot of work. Don't slack and siphon siphon siphon. I like to run a powerhead in my sump so nothing settles in it too (thank you Sonnyx).

**As for your vodka dosing** My tank did not have the proper bacteria in it and once I dosed BioDigest and microbacter7 my cyano faded instantly but it did not go away completely until after 2weeks of adding Bacteria I left my lights off for just one day and I could not believe my eyes!! ALL of it was GONE! I was shocked at how fast it happen. Keep your tanks clean, dont over feed, and dose bacteria with vodka. I still dose vodka/bacteria and have not seen any cyano return.

At all costs I did not want to dose Chemi Clean even tho I know it works, I did not want the chance of turning my sps brown and having to nurse them all back to health.
 
Let us know what level of vodka dosing you did.

I am just using prodibio clean and reef booster, in a low nutrient system without vodka, and have some cyano. I hane put powerhead in sump and increasing water changes while using. I will dose Vodka after summer vacation.
 
I dose 1 to 2ml of vodka per day. I really feel that my skimmer size is the reason I did not have to dose large amounts of vodka on my tank. I am around 250 to 280g total. I think this skimmer could do 600 to 700g. Just to see how fast the skimmer works I poured a cup of nog into my tank and in 5mins or less the tank was clean again. I did this before I put SPS into the tank (I wouldn't try it now). I feel the larger skimmer reduces the amount of time I spend siphoning and the tremendous amount of wave action from the tunzes don't let much settle.
 
Logzor, it seems when cyano becomes an issue people turn to adding MB7 in addition to vodka.
 
Has anyone in the hobby done any sort of test finding the viability of storing bacteria?

I use Prodibio currently. It was 75% off display case at local fish store.

Thanks

I was able to reduce cyano by adding KNO3 but certainly don't recommend it as Montis got washed out, and other colors got duller. Cyano did fade in about 10 days.
 
Prodibio packs the bacteria Ampules with Nitrogen. They IMO are they only ones with a quality bacteria supplement. MB7 does not list what is in the product and does not need refrigeration yet the bottle says the bacteria will last for a year some how. I used MB7 first on my tank but I did not notice any change in Cyanobacteria production until I dosed Prodibio. Since I was dosing both I can not say for sure it was the Prodibio or MB7. I do know that once they both were in the tank you can see a change happen in production. If you have a large amount of cyano it will take about 3 weeks or more of dosing bacteria before you can turn your lights out and kill all of the cyano. If you are going to only buy one Bacteria supplement buy Prodibio's BioDigest.
 
Bioptim is a carbon source like vodka and reef booster is a trace element supplement. You will still need or want to add Bio Digest. Bio Digest is the bacteria strains
 
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