I found a really interesting thing by Eric Bornman about vodka:
http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2006-04/snn/index.php
This interests me here:
Quote
From the above abstract the following part is, in my opinion, the most interesting for aquarists:
"In San Francisco Bay, AP production, indicated by ELF, was associated primarily with bacteria attached to suspended particles, potentially used to hydrolyze organic compounds for carbon, rather than to satisfy P requirements. Our results highlight the importance of organic P as a bioavailable nutrient source in marine ecosystems…"
Phosphate, if chemically bound to organics, usually can't be taken up by bacteria. Bacteria excrete an enzyme called alkaline phosphatase for that purpose, which splits the phosphate from the rest of the organic molecule. This allows the phosphate to be taken up by bacteria as a source of phosphor. Bacteria usually do this (excrete the enzyme) if the free inorganic phosphate concentration is very low. The most striking part of the study is that bacteria used the enzyme not to make the phosphate part, but to make the organic part bioavailable. The bacteria (in that particular environment) were apparently not phosphor-limited but organic carbon-limited. That is, it appears as if enough inorganic phosphate (the type of phosphate measurable by hobby test kits) was present in the water, but simple organic carbon compounds were not.
If something like that occurred in an aquarium not limited in inorganic phosphate but limited in simple bioavailable organics, then it would have implications. The organic phosphate compounds would be split by bacteria to obtain the carbon part before most of them could be skimmed out. This would result in an increase in phosphate's concentration because the bacteria would not care about the extra phosphate released. That is, the bacteria would not take the phosphate up and would leave it in the water.
This could be prevented if sufficient simple, non-phosphate containing, organic carbon compounds were present so that bacteria would not be limited by them, reducing their need to split the phosphate-containing organic compounds just to use the organic part and not the released phosphate part. I would speculate that this might be one of the mechanisms for reducing, at least partly, the phosphate concentration by the addition of certain simple organic carbon compounds, e.g., ethanol.
A different mechanism proposed elsewhere is that organic carbon fuels bacteria's growth and multiplication. This growth and multiplication requires phosphor and nitrogen, thus reducing the phosphate and nitrate/nitrite/ammonia concentration.
The mechanism which I proposed (based on the above abstract) is, therefore, different. If organic carbon (but not phosphate), is limited, and if it is dosed, it may reduce the bacteria-driven breakdown of organic phosphate compounds. This would keep them intact for longer periods and might increase the likelihood of their removal by skimming.
Results for phosphate and nitrate concentrations over time during an ethanol (Vodka) dosing experiment, published by Michael Mrutzek and Jörg Kokott in 2004, if measured accurately, support the mechanism I suggested by the initial decrease in phosphate concentration only, and not by the nitrate concentration. This mechanism is probably followed (after a few weeks of dosing) by the bacteria growth/multiplication fueling mechanism. This "fueling mechanism" results in a decrease in both phosphate and nitrate concentrations as opposed to a reduction of only phosphate in the initial part. Note the initial drop in phosphate only, followed by a "steady-state" period and then a drop in both nitrate and phosphate, from a graph of their results:
http://www.korallenriff.de/wodka_diagramm_jk.jpg
Correct me if I'm wrong, but doesn't table sugar have some impurities, like bleach, to make it more attractive
Yes it has impurities, but its more pure than most vodkas. Also Dr.Randy recommends sugar rather than vodka as a C source because its purer. So dont take my word for it, take his!
Basically in short term Erics saying that if bacteria are limited for carbon, they will eat organics for carbon, and release the phoshate into the water. Because all they are after is the carbon.
He thinks that if you add carbon to the water, the bacteria will not decompose things to get carbon as much.
That suggests to me, that the carbon in detirtus is lacking or somthing. For a perfect cycle.
It's also much darker then what I was collecting
