Whilst browsing through the local forums, I have come across regular references to the vodka method here and there. Just the latest example which has caused me to become very concerned and quite frankly, annoyed : Quote:
Ive done a 75l water change jsut now, what else is there i can do to get rid of these bubbles and to reduce nitrate? (Add vodka???)
(Not from masa, but irrelevant IMO)
The way in which vodka seems to be percieved as fix to nutrient issues, magic cure all or shortcut by newbies is alarming to say the least. If you are new to the hobby, and have heard about vodka,vinegar or sugar being used in tanks, take this post to heart.
There is no quick fix for algae, or nutrient issues. There is no subtitute for patience, hard work, dilligence, sound husbandry techniques and.............. research. And in your research you have come across dosing of vodka, sugar etc.... Thats where the problem lies! The dosing of any carbon source is a very controversial aspect of the hobby to say the least...... Do you really know what it does, how it does it and why it does it??? I am sure most of us can say yes to most of these questions if asked about our skimmers???? And how many to these w.r.t. vodka?
Don't get me wrong, dosing of a carbon source has its place in the hobby, there are some systems with great results which uses it as an integral part of their husbandry (think Prodibio, Zeovit, Fauna Marin). The difference between these systems and the newbies is years of testing, experience, R&D and ...............many dead corals..... There are many reefers using carbon dosing without the abovementioned systems (me included), but once again, patience, research, experience and then some more research is the key.
Furthermore:The scientific literature is out there, but trust me when I tell you, the jury is still out on this one...
Before you even start contemplating using vodka to get rid of nuisance algae/cyano bacteria, first understand what the algae is, why it is there, what you did to allow it to be there..... As you learn, you will learn how to effectively control, reduce and iliminate unwanted species from your tank.....You will learn about the tried, tested and trusted methologies employed by sucessfull reefers. Surely a better place to start........?
Guess what I am trying to say is that if you have algae or nutrient issues, you have husbandry issues! a problem which vodka is NOT going to solve! (I know there is a belief that the deeper you look into the bottle, the easier you forget your problems........and who enjoys hangovers?) Re evaluate your husbandry techniques, stocking levels, feeding regime, flow and filtration method. Do some water changes, blow clean some rock, do whatever it takes....
Like I said, there is a place for systems which employ a carbon source, but only start dabbling in the real dark side once you have a thorough understanding of nutrient fluxes, nutrient and bacterial fluxes, once you have come to grips with parameters, you have managed to maintain relatively low nutrient values, and most importantly, you have achieved STABILITY in you tank. Then and only then, use carbon dosing, trace element and amino acids to tweak colours for example.
Ive done a 75l water change jsut now, what else is there i can do to get rid of these bubbles and to reduce nitrate? (Add vodka???)
(Not from masa, but irrelevant IMO)
The way in which vodka seems to be percieved as fix to nutrient issues, magic cure all or shortcut by newbies is alarming to say the least. If you are new to the hobby, and have heard about vodka,vinegar or sugar being used in tanks, take this post to heart.
There is no quick fix for algae, or nutrient issues. There is no subtitute for patience, hard work, dilligence, sound husbandry techniques and.............. research. And in your research you have come across dosing of vodka, sugar etc.... Thats where the problem lies! The dosing of any carbon source is a very controversial aspect of the hobby to say the least...... Do you really know what it does, how it does it and why it does it??? I am sure most of us can say yes to most of these questions if asked about our skimmers???? And how many to these w.r.t. vodka?
Don't get me wrong, dosing of a carbon source has its place in the hobby, there are some systems with great results which uses it as an integral part of their husbandry (think Prodibio, Zeovit, Fauna Marin). The difference between these systems and the newbies is years of testing, experience, R&D and ...............many dead corals..... There are many reefers using carbon dosing without the abovementioned systems (me included), but once again, patience, research, experience and then some more research is the key.
Furthermore:The scientific literature is out there, but trust me when I tell you, the jury is still out on this one...
Before you even start contemplating using vodka to get rid of nuisance algae/cyano bacteria, first understand what the algae is, why it is there, what you did to allow it to be there..... As you learn, you will learn how to effectively control, reduce and iliminate unwanted species from your tank.....You will learn about the tried, tested and trusted methologies employed by sucessfull reefers. Surely a better place to start........?
Guess what I am trying to say is that if you have algae or nutrient issues, you have husbandry issues! a problem which vodka is NOT going to solve! (I know there is a belief that the deeper you look into the bottle, the easier you forget your problems........and who enjoys hangovers?) Re evaluate your husbandry techniques, stocking levels, feeding regime, flow and filtration method. Do some water changes, blow clean some rock, do whatever it takes....
Like I said, there is a place for systems which employ a carbon source, but only start dabbling in the real dark side once you have a thorough understanding of nutrient fluxes, nutrient and bacterial fluxes, once you have come to grips with parameters, you have managed to maintain relatively low nutrient values, and most importantly, you have achieved STABILITY in you tank. Then and only then, use carbon dosing, trace element and amino acids to tweak colours for example.
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Been saying this for years... Also do the Carbon dosing however just a different combination. I use 250ml Vodka + 50ml white Vinegar + 3 tsp white sugar + 1000mlg Vitamin C all mixed together dosing it at a constant interval via a doser 1ml every 8hours.
Awesome looking tank well done 
