vodka vs sugar

[boxfishpooalot]

Why do people use vodka instead of sugar? The bacteria get the same things from sugar and vodka dont they? Is there any difference?

After all sugar is cheaper than vodka and more potent...perhaps more pure too!

Thanks Box

 

[DrBDC]

Maybe when standing by the tank it's "One for you and one for me!" :lol:

 

[steve the plumb]

I thought it was supposed to be one for you two for me.Isn't Vodka made with sugar as most booze is.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

The folks that did some of the testing work on vodka (ethanol) claim that it drives (they believe) different strains of bacteria than do other carbon sources. And that it was "better" to drive those. I don't know if it is true or not, but I've never seen an experiment that showed otherwise.

Also, vodka was cheap and easy for them to get and use.

If I were to add a carbon source, I'm not sure what I would pick, but there is a larger experience base with ethanol than other additives, so you are less likely to pioneer off a cliff.

 

[Hobster]

For the last 2 weeks or so, I have tried dosing with 1-2 ml of Vodka in a 75g tank.

What I have noticed:

My skimmer is filling up twice as fast with very clear skimmate.
My Candy Cane corals have shriveled up and look terrible so I stopped dosing.

Don't see that it's doing anything benefical for me.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

Did you have a nutrient issue or just want to play?

 

[DrBDC]

In the past I had tried sugar for a cyano outbreak and what a cloudy mess that was! I forget how much but it wasn't much. You could do a search with my name and sugar and see what I added. It did work for a week or so but half that time I was looking at a white tank.

 

[Hobster]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=6711593#post6711593 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Randy Holmes-Farley
Did you have a nutrient issue or just want to play?

A little of both

I have some hair algae that just doesn't want to go away. Nothing major. I am now trying the GFO in a canister filter. I thought the vodka would help but as I stated it just makes the skimmer go crazy and not pull out much dark skimmate.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

Oh well. Hopefully the GFO will help.