Lets talk about Vodka/sugar dosing

[Genetics]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13837181#post13837181 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by stony_corals
Zoas do not usually respond that well to ULN tanks is what I've heard. I do not keep them so I can not say first hand exp. Do not go by the amount of HA in your tank to determine the maintainance dosage, this is very dangerous. You need to test! Hair algae grows on the reefs, and they have lower nutrients that the vast majority of reefers. The reality is that you could cause nutrient limitation in your animals before the HA. (The HA on most reefs are kept in check via herbavores, not nutrients).

Welcome back stony. Been awhile. In ULNS are you talking about zeo rejecting zoas? And yes it is true herbavores keep algae at bay, the recent increase in nutrients within bay areas has produced unhealthy proliferation of algaes essentially killing corals from their now unchecked growth.

 

[stony_corals]

dp

 

[stony_corals]

Yeah... been busy No just in general, I've had people tell me about problems they've had with Zoas when running vodka and reaching ULN status.... I'm not too up on the biology of Zoas though, actually, a complete noob is more like it..... Yeah, I've heard there has been some experiments about re-introducing the Diadema sp urchin back into the Keys to help with all the algae that sprung up after the urchin die-off. I hope they make some progress !!!!

 

[Ralph ATL]

does anyone have any trouble with having any Seriatopora, i.e., ora, aquacultured, frag, any.......while carbon dosing & GFO? I cannot for the life of me keep one. I have mainly acro's & monti's. I've tried about 10 different ones.

 

[Ralph ATL]

anybody?

 

[Genetics]

I have two seriatopora species and haven't had any ill effects from dosing.

 

[Ralph ATL]

thanks!

 

[FrozenSurfer]

Hey guys,
I have now read this thread cover to cover. I really am thinking about pullling the trigger on Vodka dosing..... in the tank..

I have a few questions:

1. What method are you using to determine dosing amount.

2. What (if any) negative impacts have you seen on softies, LPS, etc.

3. Was this worth it for you? Has it honestly made a difference in water quality and coral health?

4. How accurate is the dosing method stated in http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/2008-08/nftt/index.php


Thanks guys,
I've been debating this for quite some time now... I guess it's time to stop lurking and start asking questions on it.

B

 

[Safedad]

Does it work?

Does it work?

Heres what it has done for me: I have tried a variety of methods to control Nitrates over the last four years. I have also upgraded from a 29g to a 55 g to a 90 this past Christmas. The combination of Prodibio, vodka, and zeozym made my water the best it has been. The nitrates came down and stayed down. The vodka got rid of hair algae. The Zeozym got rid of the cyano. The longer I went the more color I saw in my birds nest and acros.
Dosing is about starting at a low amount, consistently increasing, and watching your tank to see when your problem goes away and then backing down until it gets stable. If you add too much too fast your tank will get cloudy and slime on any surface.
So:
What is your objective: hair algae control, want to get to a low nutrient state??

 

[FrozenSurfer]

"What is your objective: hair algae control, want to get to a low nutrient state??"

I would really like to get to a low nutrient state. However, I'm afraid that might have some impact on my LPS and Zoanthid colonies

 

[Safedad]

Before I switched to my 90 gal tank I had started adding Vitamin C for my Zoos. You might want to check out some threads on that. My water is all messed up after the change and I am working to get it squared away: hi Alk, low pH, got a couple of blooms so stopped the Vodka. I have switched to a low Alk salt and just started back with the Vodka at 1ml am & pm.

 

[Genetics]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14229182#post14229182 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Safedad
Before I switched to my 90 gal tank I had started adding Vitamin C for my Zoos. You might want to check out some threads on that. My water is all messed up after the change and I am working to get it squared away: hi Alk, low pH, got a couple of blooms so stopped the Vodka. I have switched to a low Alk salt and just started back with the Vodka at 1ml am & pm.

Were you dosing both VC and vodka concurrently when you were having issues?

 

[FrozenSurfer]

Yeah my levels need a bit of help too. (CA off the chart, dkh 12)

 

[Safedad]

VC and V

VC and V

I was dosing both when my tank was at its best. Parameters were stable (8.3 pH, 8-9 dKH, 400 CA, 1500 Mg) and my zoos were open more. This was for a couple of months before I moved to the new tank.

 

[Genetics]

Re: VC and V

Re: VC and V

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14230467#post14230467 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Safedad
I was dosing both when my tank was at its best. Parameters were stable (8.3 pH, 8-9 dKH, 400 CA, 1500 Mg) and my zoos were open more. This was for a couple of months before I moved to the new tank.

What VC dose were you giving to your tank and how much water do you say the old system had when it was at its best?

 

[Safedad]

I had about 70 gal total volume and was dosing 1 tsp am and pm.

 

[graveyardworm]

I went through much of this but havent found the answer.

When you dose for example 8 ml Vodka to the tank how quickly is it used up?

The reason I'm asking is because I'm at 8 ml now so I decided to split the dose to 4 ml in the morning and 4ml at night. So I'm wondering if 2 4ml doses is less effective than a single 8 ml dose?

By splitting the dose should I increase the dose?

 

[Genetics]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14240921#post14240921 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by graveyardworm
I went through much of this but havent found the answer.

When you dose for example 8 ml Vodka to the tank how quickly is it used up?

The reason I'm asking is because I'm at 8 ml now so I decided to split the dose to 4 ml in the morning and 4ml at night. So I'm wondering if 2 4ml doses is less effective than a single 8 ml dose?

By splitting the dose should I increase the dose?

This could be a very long winding discussion question with no real conclusion... I drip my vodka currently and it did not seem to make a large difference between all at once and dripping. However, it may be healthier on corals by not raising dissolved organic carbon levels all-at-once leading to one very high level compared to two moderate levels by dividing the dose up.

 

[graveyardworm]

Another question.

Has anyone dosing Vodka noticed increased gastropod/snail mortality.

I have some small breeding snails which have been with me for awhile and appear to be doing okay. My larger Astraea snails have almost all died, all pretty much since I started dosing Vodka. Attempts to add new Gastropods have been completely fruitless. I have a HA problem so thought I would add some critters to help eat it.

First I tried a Seahare, never touched the stuff. I caught a couple glimpses of it shortly after adding it, now its gone.

I added 2 Zebra Turbo's, and 4 Chestnuts a couple weeks later. The 2 Zebra's never moved and within days both were dead. 1 Chestnut is still hangin around but doesnt move much, and 3 have disppeared.

Tonight I added 4 Mexican Turbo's, 2 havent moved, 1 is very lethargic, and the fourth is moving but seems dilerious.

In all cases the SG from the LFS and mine were practically identical, even so I drip acclimated them, a quick drip, maybe 10 - 15 minutes then in the tank.

I've never had trouble adding Gastropods to my tanks. My corals look okay with good polyp extension and growth. Fish are all okay and disease free. In the same time period I've added some peppermint shrimp, and emerald crabs, and all are still there.

 

[melev]

For me, I'm dosing 13.5 ml per day, but it takes about 12 minutes to add it to the system with my drip method I fabricated.

I've not seen any change in parameters nor from the livestock.