Vodka?

[Otakuthugster]

I know it's pretty good to drink. But dosing in aquariums? From reading previous posts, looks like it's used in nutrient removal and skimmer support. However, won't alcohol kill beneficial bacteria that help remove nutrients? Anyone got more info?

 

[GreshamH]

Just the opposite. Vodka is just a carbon source (food source) for the bacteria.

Take a look at this and if you have any questions after it then we'll talk

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

 

[Otakuthugster]

Great, thanks for the link.

 

[GreshamH]

No problem I have things like that in my bookmarks just for this purpose

 

[under_water_ninja]

Holy crap! And to think I've just been drinking this stuff the whole time!

 

[Otakuthugster]

Hmm...I just read the article and it's an interesting concept, adding a carbon source to "feed" the bacteria. I just my try it although I do have a pretty deep sand bed. Looks like all I need is the vodka and some more activated carbon. Also, the article mentioned amino acid additions to increase coral color. I didn't see any links or articles about this on the website. Would you know anything about this, GreshamM?

 

[tuberider]

The whole Amino acid thing is still up in the air. I dosed Salifert (I have a very low nutrient tank), it seemed to be really good at growing hair algae. Since then I've tried the newer SeaChem stuff, and I swear I noticed a difference, not necessarily with the color, but the flesh on my coral seemed to thicken up. Purely personal observation on one tank so take it with a grain of salt

 

[Otakuthugster]

Fleshier corals is A.o.k. with me. I'll look into amino acids a little more. But with your low nutrient tank, would it even be advisable to dose with vodka. My nitrates and phosphates are pretty much held in check with a whole bunch of macro algae, so I'm wondering if vodka is even worth it. Heck, I'm just gonna get a bottle of vodka anyways. All this talk of alcohol is getting me thirsty...lol.

 

[tuberider]

Drink the vodka, if you need it for your tank it's indicative of bigger problems (advil for a brain tumor).

AFA aminos, in my case I use it as a building block in a bottom up feeding scheme, you don't really need them IMO.

 

[Otakuthugster]

Cool, thanks for the insight. More vodka for me!!!