v o d k a

[jda]

I started with .5 a day on 300G of total water. Went up .5ML a week until I hit 5ML. I have been steady at 5ML for a while and the level have fallen roughly by 2-3 PPM of NO3 a week. I cannot tell a definate level of drop-per-week on the P, but it is below .01 and it was over .03 when I started. This is on a FO, but I have some softies and frags from ORA colonies in there for a litmus. The SPS frags have encrusted and gotten better color as the level have dropped - they are under P14Ks on electronic MH ballasts.

I could probably still be adding more vodka than 5ML in my tank, but slow is OK with me. From what I have seen/heard/read, only bad things happen fast with this stuff.

You run the risk of starving you coral to DEATH if you don't leave some amount of N and P in the tank for them to eat. Dialing the dosage back to find a "sweet spot" of acceptable low levels will be more important to your success than getting the nutrient down.

 

[Dawn II]

Does this sound like a plan- keep it at 3 ml for a week, then go up to 4 ml?? Thanks for all the good info!

 

[Dawn II]

Redfish- what is the filter bag, where do I put it, and how do I use it?

 

[Redfish]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7136013#post7136013 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Dawn II
Redfish- what is the filter bag, where do I put it, and how do I use it?

I use a filter bag on my outfall from my skimmer into the sump. I direct feed my skimmer from the overflow boxes. All of the water from the tank must go through this bag.

You could use a filter bag on any outfall from the tank overflow if you have some way to hang it.

A filter bag is used to catch solids and for microbubble elimination. Some folks say you shouldn't use them because they feel they are nitrate factories like bioballs. I haven't had a problem. There are a couple of current threads on them if you look around.

I did not run a filter bag all of the time until I started dosing vodka. Now I run one continuously and change it every few days. I keep five or six around and just throw them in the washer with some bleach (no soap and a couple extra rinse cycles) when they are all dirty. I rinse them in ro/di and a little Prime to eliminate the last of the chlorine and hang to dry.

 

[Dawn II]

ok- mine isn't set up that way- I couldn't attach it.

 

[Redfish]

If you have sump, you could put some filter floss in a corner and dose the vodka in that area.

 

[Dawn II]

I've just been slowly pouring the vodka into the sump ( I add it in a glass with water to dilute). What would be the purpose of the floss? Thanks, Dawn.

 

[Redfish]

You would just be trying to concentrate the bacterial growth in something you could easily remove. It just would help export the bacteria out of the system.

It is not absolutely necessary.

 

[Dawn II]

Let me explain-My water comes down into the sump via 2 PVC pipes- some is pumped into the skimmer, back out, then goes into the partition that holds the sponge, bags of Chemi Pure, carbon, (and whatever else I happen to have in this partition) then pumped back into the tank. Won't the bacteria accumulate on these? Or do I need the floss in there as well?

 

[Redfish]

If you are pouring the vodka in the sump, I would guess that, yes, your sponge will see a fairly high concentration of bacterial growth. It probably will get nice and slimy. You probably want to rinse it out fairly often.

You don't need to use the floss.

 

[Billybeau1]

Sunday morning update week 4

Po4 - still 1.5
Nitrates - still 40

Water change today and will start 5 ml tommorrow morning.

Cyno still looks like its disappearing.

Nitrites a little elevated (for the first time in a long time.) .10 ppm
Wonder if the vodka is causing this.

See you next week

 

[Dawn II]

Thanks for the update!

 

[Inferno]

Has anybody used this method as a temporary fix to get rid of nusisance alage then stopped once it has gone? I know the sources of the nutrients would have to be eliminated to keep it gone. I have been trying to get rid of some hair lagae in my tank for months, My nitrates and phosphates are undetectable but I am still getting nuissance algae.
What starting dose would be good for a 50g?

 

[Redfish]

You might be able to temporaily use vodka to relieve the cause of the hair algae, but I would encourage you to try and find out why you are having the hair algae problem. You typically don't see large outbreaks in well established marine tanks with undetectable N & P.

I would also encourage you to read the other longer threads on vodka before proceding and to start out slow.

I would hazard to guess that using vodka, or any other biology changing supplement, in a tank with a large algae problem, could potentially be a problem. Converting a large bilogical mass to another form creates instability.

 

[Redfish]

As a post script to my previous post, I must apologize. I thought you mentioned hair algae, when you just said nuisance algae. I made a bad assumption.

If your nuisance algae is a clean water type algae, vodka may not help you at all. Up until the last week, I would have sworn that vodak helped Dictyota to flourish. For some reason over the past week, my Dictyota has all but disappeared. I wish I knew why, but I am at a loss.

 

[NaClH20NMYVEIN]

I have read so much about this but I have never seen anybody ask if this can be done as an addative like once a month. I dont want to add vodka everyday, I was just thinking of using a small dose once a month to help out on a big fish load, so i dont have to change quite so much water each week.

 

[Dawn II]

From what I've read, this needs to be done on a reg. basis- like daily, a small amt daily, and then increasing. I stopped after 4 days, as I started using Kick Ick, and I don't know if there would be complications. I will resume my 3 ml. daily after I am done treating.

 

[AnnArborBuck]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7162972#post7162972 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by evolust
I have read so much about this but I have never seen anybody ask if this can be done as an addative like once a month. I dont want to add vodka everyday, I was just thinking of using a small dose once a month to help out on a big fish load, so i dont have to change quite so much water each week.

If you have a good skimmer you could dose enough to create a small bloom in the tank. The bloom will quickly use up excess N and P in the tank and then the skimmer can pull the bacteria out of the water. So I would think that you could indeed do something like this if you have a good skimmer and don't dose too much to bring O2 levels down to dangerous levels.

I find that I miss days here or there with my dosing, and I actually don't measure it out (i just use the cap of the vodka bottle to estimate the amount). I think many on here are making this too complicated, it is just a surgar souce.

 

[NaClH20NMYVEIN]

I have a 300g shark tank and boy are they pigs! I have to change about 40g per week to keep nitrate at about 20-40ppm. I have a 10g fuge a G3 and 2 30g sumps. So its not a lack of filter power. I just want to throw in some vodka every now and then to bring the nitrate down to 10-20ppm. I will give it a try in a day or so and throw on an air pump to help with the oxygen in the tank. Would lke to hear updates from anyone using it on and off like I'm going to try. Thanks

 

[Redfish]

I know that there is at least one person adding vodka periodically that has posted his technique in a thread. I think it is in the big long thread commonly linked. I think he is doing it more like once a week on a system that is already maintained at low nutrient levels.

I would be hesitant to use it only once a month. I think we should be striving for stability in our systems instead of rapid changes every once in a while. I know you are talking about a FO system, but I still think using it that way could be more dangerous.

The blooms that have occured in my tank did not seem to bother my fish, but I sure do not want to do it again if I can help it.