Volka for SPS systems

[RockyBoy]

Bro any pics of your coral before and after dosing vodka and prodibio?

Wish to convince myself before jump to it Boleh?

Hi Bro,

Some of my tank shots today after about a month of vodka dosing with prodibio.

So far no problem with 2.2ml for 150gal tank with sps and lps. My tank nitrates/phosphates are already quite low.

Let see 2 months later and I'll update again.

[thairun]

Wow Bro, you really have matured colonies of sps ha. It should be years in your tank. Anyway look like you have achieved kind of ULNS system here with mostly light colours.

Thats what I try to get to. But at 6mnth dosing vodka alone my N & P got to where I want near Zero but my sps color turn more to green but with good growth of original colour it suppose to. Am happy with it but my pink remain brown with a pink tip only. Blue and purple no problem though.

Had stop vodka dosing for time being and now dosing Probidio Biodigest 3days ago and then today dosing Biotim. Will see how in 2 week before I start back my vodka dosing. Hopefully my cyno problem cease in this process. Yesterday doing heavy scrapping cyno in my refugium and 15% WC.

Cheers

[stash]

hi, have tried this years ago... i works wonders... just to remember to stop in- between... It helps the corals...

[kueytoc]

WOW...fantastic growth & coloration mate. Must pay U a visit soon.

Hi Bro,

Some of my tank shots today after about a month of vodka dosing with prodibio.

So far no problem with 2.2ml for 150gal tank with sps and lps. My tank nitrates/phosphates are already quite low.

Let see 2 months later and I'll update again.

[cedricang]

Bro,

do you have any BioDigest, Mb7, Microbe Special Blend etc? If you have, add them into the tank and hope the cyano dies away.

How thick is your sandbed in your main tank and how bad is the cyano?

Vodka is fuel for both bad and good bacteria. Bad bacteria are usually refer to as cyanobacteria. So if we do not provide additional good bacterias to outcompete the bad bacteria for vodka as food, we will end up growing more bad bacteria and result will be a cyano bloom.

Having a DSB/refugeim will face such issues because of the age of the DSB as well as the established population of different strains of bacteria inside the sand and rocks. And usually, more often than nought, we have more cyanobacteria than good bacteria.

Anyway I'm looking into possible cultivating different strains of bacteria with vinegar and sugar. My good ole friend, Mervin is doing so and seem to be a better dosing method to just doing vodka alone. Also, I'm looking into dosing the vodka twice a week kind of regime instead of an everyday affair or maybe dose when necessary kind of regime.

Happy Reefing,

Marc J.

Good argument Marc. I have exactly the same experience when i dose voka for a span of 2 months, and gotten the same ill effects of unsightly green cyano, sps stn and out break of ich.

I am pretty sure of the above comes upon only cause by vodka, as i have not done anything else extra during the 2 months of vodka dosing.

After i decided to stop Vodka, it took me another 2 months to restor back to previous healthy condition.

Just like what Marc says, the vodka serve as a fuel for both good and bad bacteria. So i kind of come to a conclusion that rather than to boost the good bacteria using Vodka which results in growing of bad bacteria as well, why not just stick to a regular regime of dosing good bacteria via proven bac products.

IMO, to reduce PO4 and NO3, using Vodka as the only solution will results in more problems, especially for sps.

[thairun]

Definitely agreed with you bro Cedric. After dealing with vodka since last June last year, twick here and there with it I found vodka is powerful substance. Pls do be careful dosing it with awareness of your system. Each every tank system is different.

After had gone thru recommendation by bro Marcovan adding Biodigest and now dosing Vinegar 50ml vodka 200ml & sugar 1 1/2 tablespoon, discovered no film of cyno on my main tank. All coral happy, think my main tank is BB, instead my refuge with DSB still producing red cyno bloom (have to live with it as long as restricted there... haha).

Comparison with dosing vodka alone stripping N & P is drastic but with VSV lowering NO3 is a bit slower but safer. In my case PO4 manageably under control because am still running Rowaphos and ATS.

One month result after restart;

NO3 dropped around 8ppm to now 4ppm (API)

PO4 still maintain below 0.03 (Salifert)

Maintain 30g WC biweekly for my 210g water volume.

Good growth, PE & color of corals but not the pink BN yet.

Will follow others recommendation after the regimen dosing according to the formula then when NO3 drop to zero. Vodka will be dosing sparingly say once/twice a week instead of daily.

Will update further

[matthewpoh]

I just tried the Voka.

I thought it crash my tank.

Luckily after 2 days, the cloudy water was skimmed off.

Now I have a very clear tank with SPS growing!!

[shandy_say]

I'd just like to ask if vodka dosing will work to bring down nitrates if phosphates are already undetectable?

My problem is po4 in my tank has been undetectable for a long time but nitrates remain at 20ppm. It has already been a couple of months dosing my 100gal total water volume tank and im already at 6ml per day. But nitrates still have not gone down. Hope you guys can give me some advise.

[thairun]

Had been sometime I had not updated the out come dosing vodka in this thread. Firstly to address our bro;

I just tried the Voka.

I thought it crash my tank.

Luckily after 2 days, the cloudy water was skimmed off.

Now I have a very clear tank with SPS growing!!

This happen b/c of overdosing vodka (not following the recommended dosage) and the tank sufferred bacteria bloom. Smart move as it may cause your tank to crash. So far had no such experience b/c I never play guessing game in dosing vodka, follow strictly the schedule.

I'd just like to ask if vodka dosing will work to bring down nitrates if phosphates are already undetectable?

My problem is po4 in my tank has been undetectable for a long time but nitrates remain at 20ppm. It has already been a couple of months dosing my 100gal total water volume tank and im already at 6ml per day. But nitrates still have not gone down. Hope you guys can give me some advise.

Same here, my nitrate still never go zero (till then still around 2ppm by API) and my vodka dosing now at 8ml per day, thinks b/c of hi bio load, Lol. But my PO4 undetectable. In your case at 20ppm NO3 is quite high for sps, recommendation around 10ppm and below. I had seized dosing VSV as this giving me a little effect.

Thanks to 'lau chiow' (if I spell correctly) reefers here dosing vodka with compliment of some good bacteria dosing do help so much in your tank. It is culturing them to really look after your system outbeat the bad bacteria. I dosed MB7 as recommended as instructed by manufacturer but alternate week with one ampule of biodigest. One follow another weekly. Bare in mind my tank total volume 210gal. My WC 10% forthnighly.

Just would like to show some progress in my tanks, some pics here.

Bubble gummer millie pickup on late April 2010, bump with Cedric & Joe P one day at PinnicleA . Cut story short recommended by them to get it.

Here u are the shots, sorry for hp pic about 3in colony

A month later adapted to water, growing good

Last month, more 2X the size

Macro shot of the polyps extension and color

[thairun]

Would like to share how vodka dosing really help me, if you do correctly.

How polyps extention and color really improved. Enjoy!

Radioactive BN Red Digi Lime green Digi

Super blue stag Nuclear vibre pocci Purple tip Soamensis

Even my zoa look good LPS purple lumi favia

[hijackng]

wow, the growth of Bubble gummer millie is....

Thanks for sharing

...and nice pictures

[thairun]

Thanks Jack for nice word.

Other SPS that works with vodka

New growth of tenuis sky blue tip/ dark blue tip and purple valida

Hairry sunset millie (if id correctly) bonsai and garf bonsai

Not forgetting the tri color acan lord LPS

[Harlequinmania]

Great information shared !! Up your rep point for you

Let me know when your fraging season start

[RockyBoy]

Great information shared !! Up your rep point for you

Let me know when your fraging season start

Fragging? Did I hear fragging?

[thairun]

Fragging? haha doubt so bros, they are just started to grow.

Hope soon, just keep your eye watching....

[toravisu]

dosing vodka , Issit those vodka that sell at coldstorge / 7 eleven ???

[Eniram]

yes, vodka that can be bought over the counter.

[toravisu]

all right thanks got a bottle of vodka 40% one in my cabinet, ill try thanks alot .

[FuEl]

There are 2 groups of bacteria in your biofilter. One is autotrophic bacteria while the other group are heterophs. Carbon dosing promotes the growth of heterophic bacteria which grows 5x faster than your usual autrophic nitrifiers (nitrosomonas, nitrobacter, nitrospira, etc). Heterophs are capable of removing ammonium in the presence of carbon source but they tend to produce 40x more microbial biomass in the form of total suspended solids and 75% more CO2 in the process, as compared to autotrophic nitrifiers. As such, it is only advisable to attempt vodka dosing if your system has very low biological load.

When your nitrates have dropped to near zero, slowly wean your system off vodka. Dosing excess carbon source when nitrates are limiting will produce toxic sulfides in anaerobic conditions (in your liverock, DSB, etc).

[TayHongSiang]

There are 2 groups of bacteria in your biofilter. One is autotrophic bacteria while the other group are heterophs. Carbon dosing promotes the growth of heterophic bacteria which grows 5x faster than your usual autrophic nitrifiers (nitrosomonas, nitrobacter, nitrospira, etc). Heterophs are capable of removing ammonium in the presence of carbon source but they tend to produce 40x more microbial biomass in the form of total suspended solids and 75% more CO2 in the process, as compared to autotrophic nitrifiers. As such, it is only advisable to attempt vodka dosing if your system has very low biological load.

When your nitrates have dropped to near zero, slowly wean your system off vodka. Dosing excess carbon source when nitrates are limiting will produce toxic sulfides in anaerobic conditions (in your liverock, DSB, etc).

does overdosing cause cyno outbreak?

[Soul]

does overdosing cause cyno outbreak?

Yup .. general rule start with little and increase as needed, if u read the thread from start theres a few posts on when to and when not to dose

[MarcoVan]

does overdosing cause cyno outbreak?

yes

[TayHongSiang]

yes

like that huh?....hmm....

[Gouldian]

like that huh?....hmm....

Hi Ah Siang,

Yes, too much carbon source can wreck havoc to our tank, in the early days some even randomly dose packets of sugar into their tank as carbon source to their dismay several months down the road.

Carbon source dosing needs to be untaken with care as we are not able to see imbalance until its too late.

[FuEl]

Solid carbon dosing is said to be safer. However, it must be used correctly.

Polyhydroxyalkanotes (PHAs), like NP-biopellets, are bioplastic polymers produced from sugar fermentation. Biodegradation of PHAs in the presence of nutrients (limiting factor) releases organic carbon. As such, this self regulating process is safer compared to manual dosing of carbon sources like ethanol. PHAs provide the organic carbon for denitrification to occur and also acts as a substrate for denitrification bacteria to attach to.

However, major issue with this is biofloc formation due to heterophic bacterial activity. As such, PHAs need to be kept in constant suspension to avoid clogging from biofloc and to promote a healthy thin biofilm. If PHAs are not fluidizing and get clogged up from bacterial biomass due to insufficient flow, the resulting anaerobic conditions promote phosphorus to be released by the bacterial biomass into the system. This is when you will see increased algae issues if you are using PHAs incorrectly.

It is only under aerobic conditions & anoxic (totally no oxygen) conditions that phosphate gets assimilated by polyphosphate accumulating organisms (PAOs) as polyphosphates. This process involves either oxygen or nitrate, depending on the PAO involved. These PAOs are present in the biofloc that is produced when PHAs biodegrade. You need enough flow through PHAs to drive out the bioflocs to be removed via mechanical filtration (eg. filter socks) or via protein skimming.

Referenced from: Recirculating Aquaculture 2nd Edition.