Hypes Edgeless Ridge Islet-Complete

[jedimasterben]

Is vodka dosing used to combat algae? I don't know much about it

It's carbon dosing, like vinegar, just using less of it since vodka has more carbon per volume than vinegar.

[tibbsy07]

It's carbon dosing, like vinegar, just using less of it since vodka has more carbon per volume than vinegar.

gotcha. Makes sense.

[Rehype]

I thought so, are you using any gel on the flash to bring back colors at all?

 

No sir...most of the time the white balance is spot on so the colors are very accurate.

 

You had mentioned vodka dosing when you were over taking pictures of my old tank last year. But if algae is returning, would you be adding a herbivore or 2? I would like to be more aggressive with vodka dosing. I've done just the basic 2 weeks each time which doesn't do much since the quantity dosed is very little to start.

 

I'd like to use it to combat bryopsis, unless you think that's a wasted endeavor. Everybody only reports Kent Tech M success, it's a method I am very very reluctant to use given my SPS colonies. Loss of colors has been reported by everybody. Truthfully I'm not sure what to do.

 

Vodka dosing is very effective when done properly the biggest concern on your tank kat is alk. You have to keep it between 7-8 or you risk tissue damage with SPS. The other thing I found is it can be too effective.. leaving your water a bit too clean even when overfeeding. The hardest part is finding that balance. Im pretty sure im going to start limiting my dosing to just 1-2 a week. Right now its only been 6 days with no dosing and some of my coral have better PE. The algae is more of the turf kind so I doubt any herbivores will touch it.

 

Ive never tried Kent M to battle bryopis just vodka.

 

I am going to re-read this whole thread this weekend.. gotta figure out where i went wrong!!

Is vodka dosing used to combat algae? I don't know much about it

 

Well if you need any help just let me know....I screw up alot in hopes that I can help others prevent the same mistakes.

 

Yes like ben said its another form of carbon dosing thats extremely effective at battling nuisance algae. Take a read when you get a chance

[tibbsy07]

Did you take any ORP/pH readings before adding the oxydator to determine a baseline?

[Rehype]

Did you take any ORP/pH readings before adding the oxydator to determine a baseline?

 

I havent put the oxydator online yet I still want to get another day or two of ORP readings to use as a baseline.

[tibbsy07]

 

I havent put the oxydator online yet I still want to get another day or two of ORP readings to use as a baseline.

Perfect!

 

Now for me to go figure out your maintenance routine/media/etc.

[Nano sapiens]

 

Vodka dosing is very effective when done properly the biggest concern on your tank kat is alk. You have to keep it between 7-8 or you risk tissue damage with SPS. The other thing I found is it can be too effective.. leaving your water a bit too clean even when overfeeding. The hardest part is finding that balance. Im pretty sure im going to start limiting my dosing to just 1-2 a week. Right now its only been 6 days with no dosing and some of my coral have better PE. The algae is more of the turf kind so I doubt any herbivores will touch it.

 

 

Isn't it interesting how small changes in carbon dosing (of any kind) can have profound effects on a system. I don't have turf algae issues, but I have had brown algae on the sand bed and glass for over half a year now and due to more frequent SPS feedings recently (increased carbon/nutrients) it's now been virtually eliminated...without any other changes to the system.

[Rehype]

 

Isn't it interesting how small changes in carbon dosing (of any kind) can have profound effects on a system. I don't have turf algae issues, but I have had brown algae on the sand bed and glass for over half a year now and due to more frequent SPS feedings recently (increased carbon/nutrients) it's now been virtually eliminated...without any other changes to the system.

 

Totally agree...I find as your tank matures you may have outbreaks of different algae but the key is not to freak out (at least not at first)and just let them go through their paces. Most of the time they will fade away after a few weeks. I started to see the turf algae almost immediately after reducing my vodka dosing. So I figure once my tank reaches a new equilibrium with the reduced carbon it should be enough to keep the algae in check. Honestly its gives my rock a bit more character and for now my coral arent showing any negative reactions so I figure ill just ride the wave...

Perfect!

 

Now for me to go figure out your maintenance routine/media/etc.

 

I have to be honest my maintenance routine is nothing to admire. I do biweekly waterchanges, I have a filter sock I replace weekly and my only means of nutrient export are a Curve 5 skimmer and vodka dosing.

[metrokat]

 

No sir...most of the time the white balance is spot on so the colors are very accurate.

 

 

Vodka dosing is very effective when done properly the biggest concern on your tank kat is alk. You have to keep it between 7-8 or you risk tissue damage with SPS. The other thing I found is it can be too effective.. leaving your water a bit too clean even when overfeeding. The hardest part is finding that balance. Im pretty sure im going to start limiting my dosing to just 1-2 a week. Right now its only been 6 days with no dosing and some of my coral have better PE. The algae is more of the turf kind so I doubt any herbivores will touch it.

 

Ive never tried Kent M to battle bryopis just vodka.

 

 

So it DOES work on Bryopsis then?

My alk is in the range, so good thing there.

[skyscraper2290]

This is probably an extremely noob question but what exactly is ORP? Never hurts to ask though, gotta learn somehow haha

[jedimasterben]

This is probably an extremely noob question but what exactly is ORP? Never hurts to ask though, gotta learn somehow haha

Oxidation-reduction potential. http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2003-12/rhf/feature/

[skyscraper2290]

Oxidation-reduction potential. http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2003-12/rhf/feature/

 

Thanks jedi!

[skyscraper2290]

So hype after reading that article do you have a target level for ORP or I guess a target range for your tank?

[Rehype]

So it DOES work on Bryopsis then?

My alk is in the range, so good thing there.

 

Yes it sure does... At least IME. I had some pop up when I had the archipelago but during my initial trial of vodka dosing that stuff slowly turned white and faded away. In fact that was the case with all nuisance algae. The only caveat is I would recommend dosing zeobak or microbacter before and during dosing or you will have issues with cyano.

 

 

So hype after reading that article do you have a target level for ORP or I guess a target range for your tank?

 

Well Im not exactly targeting a Particular ORP level as ORP is affected by alot of different factors. My interest is the effect the oxydator will have on my ORP readings particularly since peroxide is an oxidizing agent and should increase ORP. Ive had ozonizers in the past and I want to see if the increase in ORP is similar or possibly identical to what ive seen when using an ozonizer.

[skyscraper2290]

Alright, makes a lot more sense or your plans with the oxydator then with using H2O2. Do you think using the H2O2 with have the same affect, or close to it, as the ozonizer? According to the article jedi posted it seems that the ozonier is more effective than using H2O2. Seems to me that this is a bit more for advanced aquarists than myself but still very interesting and am looking forward to see how it works in your tank. Always learning and thanks for being open on your thread.

[NirvanaandTool]

 

Well bad news bud the scorp died in quarantine just stopped eating and withered away...really not sure what happened

 

Well Ive noticed the few SPS in my tank werent doing so hot with the low nutrients so I decided to quit vodka dosing for a bit. In turn Ive started to get more algae everywhere but im not too freaked out at the moment.

 

 

Nooo. Damn that sucks man, kinda sounds like my Barberi lion I had. Any signs of disease? Good thing you had it in QT.

 

Ah, what about taking up biopellets instead of vodka and just size the amount of BPs per the amount of nutrients you want? I'm still fighting my outbreak but I found out my PO4 was high even with my fuge & BPs going. Nitrates are low but PO4 is high enough to feed all the HA so I've got some BRS GFO coming in to run in a new Avast reactor.

[jedimasterben]

Alright, makes a lot more sense or your plans with the oxydator then with using H2O2. Do you think using the H2O2 with have the same affect, or close to it, as the ozonizer? According to the article jedi posted it seems that the ozonier is more effective than using H2O2. Seems to me that this is a bit more for advanced aquarists than myself but still very interesting and am looking forward to see how it works in your tank. Always learning and thanks for being open on your thread.

Ozone is significantly more effective IMHO. In my few weeks with an oxydator, the only thing I've noticed is recession of one of my gorgonians and my magnifica anemone is more shriveled up. My water isn't any more clear, my fish don't seem to be 'breathing easier', I have slightly more algal growth than before. I definitely didn't have a positive experience with the oxydator lol.

[Rehype]

Alright, makes a lot more sense or your plans with the oxydator then with using H2O2. Do you think using the H2O2 with have the same affect, or close to it, as the ozonizer? According to the article jedi posted it seems that the ozonier is more effective than using H2O2. Seems to me that this is a bit more for advanced aquarists than myself but still very interesting and am looking forward to see how it works in your tank. Always learning and thanks for being open on your thread.

 

It wont have the same exact effect since with an ozonizer you can directly control how much ozone is added to the tank (not to mention ozone is much more potent) The results ive had using an ozonizer are almost immediate (IME within 24 hours) Theres a noticeable increase in ORP and visual improvement in water clarity. Im just curious if the oxydator will produce similar results and now I would at least have some data to back up my observations.

 

My other question is if it has any effect on PH. Ive read that some reefers said their PH was more stable. I doubt the oxydator will have any effect on PH but at least ill have some data to confirm my hypothesis.

 

 

Ozone is significantly more effective IMHO. In my few weeks with an oxydator, the only thing I've noticed is recession of one of my gorgonians and my magnifica anemone is more shriveled up. My water isn't any more clear, my fish don't seem to be 'breathing easier', I have slightly more algal growth than before. I definitely didn't have a positive experience with the oxydator lol.

 

I agree. Thanks for posting your experiences ben. It seems with this product there was so much anecdotal research it was hard to separate fact from fiction. Especially since your results (as well as kat and tibsy)are the exact opposite of what albert and atoll are proclaiming. When it comes to reefing though im willing to try almost anything once just to satisfy my curiosity and to offer my experiences when asked.

 

 

Nooo. Damn that sucks man, kinda sounds like my Barberi lion I had. Any signs of disease? Good thing you had it in QT.

 

Ah, what about taking up biopellets instead of vodka and just size the amount of BPs per the amount of nutrients you want? I'm still fighting my outbreak but I found out my PO4 was high even with my fuge & BPs going. Nitrates are low but PO4 is high enough to feed all the HA so I've got some BRS GFO coming in to run in a new Avast reactor.

 

I know man...bummer. It looked like it could have been some type of skin disease. I know im so glad i decided to keep him in QT for an extra week as that would have been a disaster.

 

Yea the issue with BP's and any form of vodka dosing is you usually still have to have some form of additional P04 control. Bps work well but I can be so much more precise with Vodka dosing. IME its much easier to adjust the amount of vodka being dosing than adjusting the amount of BPs in a reactor.

[metrokat]

 

Yes it sure does... At least IME. I had some pop up when I had the archipelago but during my initial trial of vodka dosing that stuff slowly turned white and faded away. In fact that was the case with all nuisance algae. The only caveat is I would recommend dosing zeobak or microbacter before and during dosing or you will have issues with cyano.

 

Getting more intrigued here. I have cyano now; a small bit here and there mostly where flow is compromised. My understanding is that it is a bacterial imbalance which causes this (plus nutrients). So it's possible that because I have cyano right now, vodka could cause a significant bloom, right? And that can possibly help understand what I could do now to push it back - add more bacteria. I thought I had crazy amounts already since I dose so often.

[NirvanaandTool]

I know man...bummer. It looked like it could have been some type of skin disease. I know im so glad i decided to keep him in QT for an extra week as that would have been a disaster.

 

Yea the issue with BP's and any form of vodka dosing is you usually still have to have some form of additional P04 control. Bps work well but I can be so much more precise with Vodka dosing. IME its much easier to adjust the amount of vodka being dosing than adjusting the amount of BPs in a reactor.

 

Skin disease? Wow. Well even more reason to be thankful for QT. I figured it was something internal parasite related if it stopped eating and just died on you.

 

Yea, realize that now. I figured I had enough with fuge in addition to it. WRONG! My BRS order comes in today so I can start GFO & reduce those PO4s down and hopefully get my tank back into picture-worthy status.

That's true, vodka is more precise. But I'm lazy and BPs require like 0 effort day-to-day

[Rehype]

Getting more intrigued here. I have cyano now; a small bit here and there mostly where flow is compromised. My understanding is that it is a bacterial imbalance which causes this (plus nutrients). So it's possible that because I have cyano right now, vodka could cause a significant bloom, right? And that can possibly help understand what I could do now to push it back - add more bacteria. I thought I had crazy amounts already since I dose so often.

 

Thats correct adding vodka could definitely exacerbate your cyano issue however Ive personally always had success using zeobak.If you can purchase some coral snow as well that makes it even more efficient. Basically fill a container with the coral snow and add a few ml of zeobak to it. Then let it sit for a few days. Finally begin dosing 2-3ml a day and just repeat this method for a 4-6 weeks. Continue to manually siphon any cyano you see during this period. Granted it will take a while but I can totally vouch for its effectiveness.

 

Alternatively you could use some Boyd chemiclean which ive found to be extremely effective. I can also vouch that there were no discernible negative effects to any of my tanks inhabitants.

 

 

Skin disease? Wow. Well even more reason to be thankful for QT. I figured it was something internal parasite related if it stopped eating and just died on you.

 

Yea, realize that now. I figured I had enough with fuge in addition to it. WRONG! My BRS order comes in today so I can start GFO & reduce those PO4s down and hopefully get my tank back into picture-worthy status.

That's true, vodka is more precise. But I'm lazy and BPs require like 0 effort day-to-day

 

Yea it was really strange since he continued to eat the entire time but his skin started to change color in patches and fade and it started to slime excessively.

 

Yea once your tank becomes nitrate limited the bacteria/algae wont put a dent in your phosphates.

 

lol i hear ya its not too bad though once you have it hooked to a dosing pump.

[SnakPak]

It's been a long time since I've logged in here. But I had to comment on your tank Hype. Stunning. Literally stunning. Always loved your tanks, glad to see you back on here and what an amazing tank.

[Rehype]

It's been a long time since I've logged in here. But I had to comment on your tank Hype. Stunning. Literally stunning. Always loved your tanks, glad to see you back on here and what an amazing tank.

 

Wow long time no hear Pak?! Hows it going man?Thanks alot for checking in man and sincerely appreciate the complement.

[NirvanaandTool]

 

Thats correct adding vodka could definitely exacerbate your cyano issue however Ive personally always had success using zeobak.If you can purchase some coral snow as well that makes it even more efficient. Basically fill a container with the coral snow and add a few ml of zeobak to it. Then let it sit for a few days. Finally begin dosing 2-3ml a day and just repeat this method for a 4-6 weeks. Continue to manually siphon any cyano you see during this period. Granted it will take a while but I can totally vouch for its effectiveness.

 

Alternatively you could use some Boyd chemiclean which ive found to be extremely effective. I can also vouch that there were no discernible negative effects to any of my tanks inhabitants.

 

 

Yea it was really strange since he continued to eat the entire time but his skin started to change color in patches and fade and it started to slime excessively.

 

Yea once your tank becomes nitrate limited the bacteria/algae wont put a dent in your phosphates.

 

lol i hear ya its not too bad though once you have it hooked to a dosing pump.

 

Only problem with the chemical options like chemiclean & ultralife red slime remover is they cause your skimmer to go f'ing crazy. Once you are through the treatment you have to essentially do a water change through the skimmer (drain it out into a bucket until it stops foaming up like crazy and replace the water with new SW). That's what I failed to do after my treatment of the ultralife stuff, worked great but not having a skimmer for multiple weeks meant that nutrients built back up and HA took over.

 

Wow, never encountered anything like that. Bleach that QT tank out before adding any new fish to prevent that from spreading.

 

Yea, figured that one out the hard way. Need GFO to take care of the excess Phos. Though I have heard there are certain brands of BPs that remove more phos than traditional pellets.

 

Oh right, forgot you have the doser. Makes life easier I suppose. When I was dosing vodka I was doing it manually- what a PITA. What kind of vodka do you feed that tank? Goose?

[Rehype]

 

Only problem with the chemical options like chemiclean & ultralife red slime remover is they cause your skimmer to go f'ing crazy. Once you are through the treatment you have to essentially do a water change through the skimmer (drain it out into a bucket until it stops foaming up like crazy and replace the water with new SW). That's what I failed to do after my treatment of the ultralife stuff, worked great but not having a skimmer for multiple weeks meant that nutrients built back up and HA took over.

 

Wow, never encountered anything like that. Bleach that QT tank out before adding any new fish to prevent that from spreading.

 

Yea, figured that one out the hard way. Need GFO to take care of the excess Phos. Though I have heard there are certain brands of BPs that remove more phos than traditional pellets.

 

Oh right, forgot you have the doser. Makes life easier I suppose. When I was dosing vodka I was doing it manually- what a PITA. What kind of vodka do you feed that tank? Goose?

 

True... I did a large water change before I put the skimmer back online and didnt have any issues

 

Yep just finished cleaning it out last night.

 

Ive heard about those bps as well but the reviews were pretty mixed at their effectiveness. If i remember correctly it seemed their ability to remove phosphate is some type of GFO bound within the pellet so you still have to worry about the media becoming exhausted and needing replacement.

 

Yep definitely makes life easier but Its still needs to be monitored because of how efficient the vodka is. Its pretty easy to make the water too clean. I think its still some Lairds in there lol