sugar / vodka doing explination?

[Shawnbeaulieu]

can some one in Easy terms explain dosing vodka or sugar how and why? ive been reading the threads but in them they are all by people who already know whats going on. can some one help me understand this?

 

[HighlandReefer]

This article explains the basics of vodka dosing:

Vodka Dosing...Distilled!
http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/2008-08/nftt/index.php

I would suggest if you have additional questions regarding vodka and sugar dosing, that you post your questions in the Chemistry Forum where Genetics keeps a close watch.

 

[Aqua Keepers]

http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/2008-08/nftt/index.php

 

[tatuvaaj]

It is very simple: bacteria need carbon, nitrogen and phosphorous to grow. If any of those gets too low, they can't grow. It seems that in reef aquariums it is the carbon that limits bacteria growth so to enhance bacterial mass some of us dose dissolved organic carbon in form of sugar or vodka. The nice thing about these is that they don't contain any other nutrients.

As the bacteria grow (due to addition of organic carbon) they utilize the nitrogen and phosphorous thus binding those nutrients and reducing their concentrations in an aquarium.

Although nutrients like nitrate and phosphate are not available to nuisance algae after they have been incorporated into the bacteria you still have to remove the increased bacterial biomass from the water to achieve true net export of nutrients. The best device for this is a protein skimmer.

I think that is the essence of the method, it gets much more complicated when you start to go in details... But IMHO that's not necessary to be successful. Just make all changes in small steps and be sure to have an efficient skimmer.

 

[moonlightxpress]

good explanation thank you...

 

[augustasalty]

thanks for all the information.

 

[wooden_reefer]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15071568#post15071568 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by tatuvaaj
It is very simple: bacteria need carbon, nitrogen and phosphorous to grow.

They are called heterotrophic, I believe.

Most denitrification bacteria are.

There is at least one denitrification bacteria the does not required organics.

May be the predominance of the various types of denitrification bacteria may explain why different organics or even the absence may work better for each tank. May be not, just different observation.

 

[Reefgo]

how common is the vodka dosing now?

 

[tatuvaaj]

Reefgo,

Much more common than it was just a few years ago. Almost but not quite mainstream

I've used organic carbon dosing 10 years (on and off) and have never had any problems.

 

[chrisstie]

It isn't mainstream enough that there is a manual written on how to do this, and according to people who have done it mileage may vary. Some continue to do it longterm with success, others get strange bacterial blooms (or at least something strange) going on in their tank.. others see no change at all.

It is difficult to measure on the whole other than judging your tanks well being.

If you want to bulk up your bioload it can definitely be beneficial, but if you're looking to solve small problems where there should be no problem, usually looking for a culprit (high phosphates, cloudy water, algae blooms) and course correcting can help.

 

[Acrophiliac]

I tried it but got lots of red slime algae.

 

[redbaron]

nicks387 - the red slime algae are from detritus, you should consider blowing detritus off rocks and substracts.

 

[ludiNano]

Having more flow all around will help red slime and detritus build up.

 

[tmz]

I use it and measure phosphates and nitrate regularly. Managing the dose to insure enough to keep NO3 and PO4 low and not too much causing bacterial blooms is a key as is very good skimmer to remove th organics and carbon.