Vodka Dosing

bhdmc · 01/26/2009, 02:17 PM

I been seeing a fews thread where hobbyist are dosing vodka. How does this benefit the tank beside making the fishes and corals a little happy? Are there any ill effect to the tank and its habitants?

digitalis · 01/26/2009, 03:08 PM

only if they try to drive!

Peter Eichler · 01/26/2009, 03:25 PM

You really just need to read through or post in those threads you've been seeing. I believe there's one big one on the first page or two in the SPS forum.

Juruense · 01/26/2009, 04:08 PM

Never in a million years would I consider doing it. If I had short term concerns I would just toss a chunk of polyfilter in there. Long term I would use more conventional methods to manage nitrates. In the 30+ years of being in the hobby I learned not to fall for the fads long ago. In the 30+ years of being in the hobby I learned not to look for the magic answer in a bottle of whatever long ago...

smatter · 01/26/2009, 04:36 PM

Adding an organic carbon source to feed the bacteria that are already in your aquarium is really a simple way to export unwanted substances like nitrate and phosphate. The method requires an efficient skimmer. One must take care not to overdose as a bacterial bloom can occur and consume a lot of O2. Also some corals react adversely to a low nutrient environment. It all depends what type of coral biotope you plan to recreate. I will repeat the advice given above and tell you to read as much as you can. The method works well for me. No need to use carbon, GFO, or any other chemical media for that matter.

01/26/2009, 02:17 PM	#1
bhdmc Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: New York Posts: 956	Vodka Dosing I been seeing a fews thread where hobbyist are dosing vodka. How does this benefit the tank beside making the fishes and corals a little happy? Are there any ill effect to the tank and its habitants?

01/26/2009, 03:08 PM	#2
digitalis Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: South Bend, IN Posts: 45	only if they try to drive! __________________ Eric & Anna Shutting it down... :( 125G Reef with 3 150W HQI ...but the house is sooo quiet!! Current Tank Info: 125 gallon, 3 150W 10,000K HQI with supplemental Actinic

01/26/2009, 03:25 PM	#3
Peter Eichler Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Milwaukee Posts: 6,081	You really just need to read through or post in those threads you've been seeing. I believe there's one big one on the first page or two in the SPS forum. __________________ April 2015 TOTM

01/26/2009, 04:08 PM	#4
Juruense Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Fort Wayne, IN Posts: 1,138	Never in a million years would I consider doing it. If I had short term concerns I would just toss a chunk of polyfilter in there. Long term I would use more conventional methods to manage nitrates. In the 30+ years of being in the hobby I learned not to fall for the fads long ago. In the 30+ years of being in the hobby I learned not to look for the magic answer in a bottle of whatever long ago...

01/26/2009, 04:36 PM	#5
smatter Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Madison, WI Posts: 2,055	Adding an organic carbon source to feed the bacteria that are already in your aquarium is really a simple way to export unwanted substances like nitrate and phosphate. The method requires an efficient skimmer. One must take care not to overdose as a bacterial bloom can occur and consume a lot of O2. Also some corals react adversely to a low nutrient environment. It all depends what type of coral biotope you plan to recreate. I will repeat the advice given above and tell you to read as much as you can. The method works well for me. No need to use carbon, GFO, or any other chemical media for that matter.