Auto Top Off (ATO) Vodka Dosing

[acropora1981]

So I'm trying to figure out whether I can add my vodka to my ATO water. Currently the ATO has KH buffer, liquid magnesium, and lugols (1 drop per 5 gallons) added too it. Will it be ok if I put my vodka into the 5 gallon ATO resevoir with my other supplements? Will it stay in solution? It would mean that I wouldn't have to worry about vodka anymore... I guess I'm saying; will the vodka react with the other stuff, or come out of solution in any way?

 

I hope someone has some insight here...

[sfork]

I would be more worried about it settling.

[Tinytank]

So I'm trying to figure out whether I can add my vodka to my ATO water. Currently the ATO has KH buffer, liquid magnesium, and lugols (1 drop per 5 gallons) added too it. Will it be ok if I put my vodka into the 5 gallon ATO resevoir with my other supplements? Will it stay in solution? It would mean that I wouldn't have to worry about vodka anymore... I guess I'm saying; will the vodka react with the other stuff, or come out of solution in any way?

 

I hope someone has some insight here...

 

Vodka evaporates at a lower temp than water so that might be another concern worth looking into.

[Perm]

It would only settle if it reacted to form a precipitate, these are times when you need an organic chemist...

[DoubleD]

I would be trying to figure out how to auto-top off the vodka bottle first.

[Perm]

This would probably be your best bet.

http://www.bulkreefsupply.com/store/produc...per-minute.html

[timdanger]

<begin baseless speculation of things that could go wrong> this seems problematic to me. would you end up with a bacterial bloom in the top-off reservoir? if not, would it evaporate before getting to the display? if not, is there a potential for the top-off pump to pick up too much vodka at once in a single top off? <end baseless speculation of things that could go wrong>

 

i could definitely be off-base on any of this. i'm more just throwing things out there/thinking out loud/wanting to hear other opinions.

[RyanR1212]

dude dont waist vodka on your tank... drink that ####!!!

[Urchinhead]

This is a very very bad idea. There is a reason why the dosing levels that go into the tanks are in the microliter range and not the milliliter one.

[acropora1981]

This is a very very bad idea. There is a reason why the dosing levels that go into the tanks are in the microliter range and not the milliliter one.

 

I think you're confused. I'm diluting about 30 drops of Vodka in 5 gallons of water and its being dosed over a 5 day period.

 

Decent input so far...

 

I'm going to do some precipitation experiments with my additives vs. vodka, then...frig it... I'm gonna give it a try. The evaporation problem might be solved very simply; airtight resevoir with a small valve to equalize the pressure. The idea that more vodka would be at the top or bottom is not valid; alcohol is polar, like water molecules, so it spreads out evenly in the water by forming hydrogen bonds.

 

I actually think this is going to work perfectly. It will also add the vodka more slowly and gradually, resulting in mini-bacterial blooms all day long instead of one big one each night! Perfect!

 

Definately one valid argument is that there could be a bacerial bloom in the bucket; HOWEVER, the bucket contains lugols, an anti-bacterial. If I increased the concentration of lugols to maybe 3 drops in the 5 gallon pail that might further retard bacterial growth in that confined volume. That and there is very little organic matter (besides the alcohol) in RO water.

[acropora1981]

Also, in looking at some of the alcohol chemistry (I have a decent chemical history, 3-4 university level courses), it looks like most of the alcohol reactions require either high heat or a catalyst to happen in any great abundance... im actually a bit excited about this now! I love automating even further lol.

[Marius2]

Also, in looking at some of the alcohol chemistry (I have a decent chemical history, 3-4 university level courses),

 

The only thing I learned to do with vodka in college was to drink it (4-5 university level courses)!

[nano427]

One possible problem I see is that your tank doesn't evaporate the same amount every day, therefor adding more or less top off per day, causing possible over/under dose

[cptbjorn]

I say yes.

 

Ethanol needs enzyme catalysts to really do anything chemically at normal temps+pressures. I suppose a yeast or bacteria could possibly find its way in and start eating the alcohol but at such low concentrations I don't see that happening.

[sfork]

Ah yes see I was just thinking of when alcohol with ice in the drink.

[acropora1981]

One possible problem I see is that your tank doesn't evaporate the same amount every day, therefor adding more or less top off per day, causing possible over/under dose

 

My tank does basically evaporate at a very similar rate everyday though... and even if its off by a bit, its not going to be a drastic amount. Valid point though; monitoring the rate at which the evaporation happens is important, especially as we move into summer where it will evaporate more quickly as the cooling fan (I use a temperature controller) will be on more often.

 

I say yes.

 

Ethanol needs enzyme catalysts to really do anything chemically at normal temps+pressures. I suppose a yeast or bacteria could possibly find its way in and start eating the alcohol but at such low concentrations I don't see that happening.

 

Yeah thats what I figured; there is very little for the bacteria to feed on in the RO water...other than the alcohol. I doubt diluted vodka would grow much bacteria though?

[acropora1981]

so far so good... No precipitation reactions noted

 

Skimmer is performing admirably considering its a POS 10 yr old modded out BakPak... god I wan't my stinkin' MCE300 to get here already...

 

I'm going to rig up an airtight ATO resevoir ('salt bucket') using a bulkhead for water exit and a check valve as a pressure release but not until next week...

[bird]

don't think the lugols will work with calcium/buffers.

Think that is why there are no true all-in-ones with iodine but it has to be added separately.

Might look into that.

[acropora1981]

don't think the lugols will work with calcium/buffers.

Think that is why there are no true all-in-ones with iodine but it has to be added separately.

Might look into that.

 

been doing lugols with KH buffers for years...no problem whatsoever. Calcium is added separately obviously, not b/c of the lugols, but b/c of the buffer solution.

[Perm]

I'm curious to see how this works out for you. Once I moved past kalk in my topoff and got a calcium reactor I don't like adding stuff to my top off. My next big tank build in a year or so my involve biopellets.