vodka brand change cause trouble?

[Just Jim]

I'm fighting a problem in my tank that I don't know. All parameters are cool and I'm going over what I did different. I had a temp swing last week that was pretty harsh by my standards, but everyone I talked to said it shouldn't be that big of a deal. I went from 79 down to 74.8 for 48-72 hrs. Most sps is browned out with little to no PE. Most lps and clams look fine and all fish are happy. My blue linkia that I've had for 2 years looks limp. Even my gsp (which I hate) isn't opening throughout 75% of it. There were 3 different things that happened last week.

1. Added carbon to clear water. I do this occasionally with no issues. I read a kent recall that freaked me out, but I used either Bulk reef supply or marineland. There are no issues with those two brands right?

2. Powerhead messed up an area of my 7yr old DSB. PO4 didn't climb that much to be an issue, but with a 7 yr old bed could there be a weird bacteria or something?

3. Changed Vodka. This one might be harmless, but I just thought of it today. I ran out of the cheapo bottle I was using and used some Ciroc (good stuff) Circoc is made with distilled with grapes, but it's still pure. I'm going to pick up some cheap stuff tonight to play it safe. Plus I can drink the Circoc while I cry over my tank....

 

[bertoni]

Unless the vodka has some sort of flavoring added, it'll be fine. I suspect that part of the timing is coincidence. The carbon should be okay, although in some cases, adding a lot of carbon causes corals to react, possibly from more light penetration.

The sandbed and the temperature swing both could have had some effect, but I wouldn't worry much. If the tank doesn't start looking better in a week or so, or goes downhill, that's another issue.

Have you checked for phosphate or ammonia?

 

[Just Jim]

PO4 off my hanna reads .08 which for my bioload is good. I don't have any algae issues either. This posts references ciroc which leads me to think it maybe the brand. Guess a lot of people don't waste the good stuff so this doesn't happen a lot?

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1768967&highlight=ciroc

 

[bertoni]

I'm skeptical that the Ciroc is the problem. Sugar will be removed quite easily by distillation.

 

[Just Jim]

Something def is different about my tank outside of parameters. I'm looking at everything. The vodka has been opened for 1.5 yrs. I know its still drinkable, but maybe a breakdown of something?

 

[bertoni]

Well, you could just get another bottle of vodka. It'd be easy to do.

 

[Just Jim]

I switched back to the cheap grain vodka. I'm losing a lot of sps. Is there any harm in stopping vodka or do I have to taper down to stop?

 

[bertoni]

Well, that depends on how well the corals tolerate the nutrient profile of the tank after you stop the vodka. I'd taper off and watch the parameters carefully.

 

[Swayza]

Any distilled vodka is fine

 

[Salinity01]

What exactly is the vodka for. Never heard of it being used in a tank.

 

[bertoni]

It's used to try to reduce the nitrate and phosphate levels:

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