vodka dosing poll

[burnah]

hey there! im thinking about starting to dose vodka to my system and would like to know a few things so please vote on my poll :)

[SunnyX]

I have been doing for about two weeks now with great result.

Good
-My skimmer is pulling out more gunk then ever
-My water is even clearer now
-Polyp extension in corals has greatly increased
-Coral growth has exploded. Within two weeks of dosing I have counted 36 new, small coral heads coming out of my large mille.
-The sand bed is whiter.
-Glass and overflow box stay cleaner longer.
-Dino's are now gone :D :D
-Coraline algae has begun to show up on pumps and over flow.

Bad
-Some corals have lightened up even more.
-Red slime is appearing in spot it hasn't before.
-Bacteria is making my sand bed clumpy, so I have to gravel vac it twice a month.

I am happy with the dosing thus far. I have discontinued dosing of Reefbooster until my skimmer stops pulling gunk out.

[unbreakable]

Dosed vodka, but like Sunny I noticed that i was growing red slime in a lot of places in my tank until it took over the glass, sand, and rocks.

I jumped over to sugar and that went away

[madadi]

in my experience V/V/S mix gave me the best results. it prevented, with proper use, single type of bacteria taking over which is whats causing the red slime or white slime. VVS = vodka, vinegar, sugar.

[SunnyX]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13934281#post13934281 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by madadi
in my experience V/V/S mix gave me the best results. it prevented, with proper use, single type of bacteria taking over which is whats causing the red slime or white slime. VVS = vodka, vinegar, sugar.

I want to give the VSV a shot but I am afraid that the sugar will bring on Dino algae.

[burnah]

i read through all of the old vodka threads and what i filtered out is that most of the people think that dosing VSV is not necessary as there is no such thing as "monoculture" of bacteria, let alone in a reef tank...

im quite sure ill give it a try but might wait until i get a dosing pump as it would be impossible for me to dose everyday due to seeing my tank only on weekends. i might start in the holidays to find my maintainance dose and then buy the necessary equipment.

[madadi]

i don't believe in them also, but i did see a certain type of bacteria take over. i'm sure it was not the only bacteria in the tank, but it sure had the upper hand! i bet VSV wont prevent blooms either if you misuse it. even with light carbon dosing that is over a long period of time, SOMETIMES you have a bacteria that ends up with taking the upper hand. that's what in my experience VSV is better at preventing. of course every tank is different. one thing is the same though, start slow!

[yeniraki]

I think you should add the following choices to tour poll.

I dosed vodka and/or sugar and crushed my tank.
I dosed vodka and/or sugarand killed some of the fish and the corals.
I dosed vodka and/or sugar and had cyano
When I quite dosing my tank had to cycle all over again
I dosed vodka and/or sugar and my sps bleached out
I have been dosing vodka succesfully over a year.

Such choices would give a better idea for the people who is planning to start dosing vodka. You wouldnt want to encourage people to do something that they will regret later, would you?

[reefnut1]

I can see a good improvement in my SPS after 3 weeks.

But some of my montipora caps dont seem to like it. ANyone else have this happening?

[mpoletti]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13936205#post13936205 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by yeniraki


I dosed vodka and/or sugar and crushed my tank.
I dosed vodka and/or sugarand killed some of the fish and the corals.
I dosed vodka and/or sugar and had cyano
When I quite dosing my tank had to cycle all over again
I dosed vodka and/or sugar and my sps bleached out


Carbon dosing is nothing that new. Its been around for a few years that I have been paying attention. In the above mentioned, I have had none of these happed.

I voted that I could not really tell a difference as my colors looked pretty good before. I am still dosing 4ml a day in about 195 net water volume and I added two probidio products as well. My nutrients are lower than when I started and the corals are still pretty rich in colors. Its only been 6 weeks.

[madadi]

how about vitamin C is a carbon source :p

[Lowredranger]

Is there a specific thread someone with the dosing amounts if you are doing the VSV vs just V?

I would like to try again on my new large tank as i seemed to get good results but it was a 30g tank and with a crappy skimmer and without a good skimmer i did not want to risk it.

[burnah]

well there is the glassboxdesign method, he somehow wrote down his vsv plan: http://glassbox-design.com/2008/achieved-through-observation-and-experimentation/ this is his website, i didnt find it at first sight but im sure youll find it somewhere

[Paul_PSU]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13936457#post13936457 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by reefnut1
I can see a good improvement in my SPS after 3 weeks.

But some of my montipora caps dont seem to like it. ANyone else have this happening?

I dose vodka and my monti caps grow like crazy.

[toothman]

I would make a extreme statement and say it is not easy to keep a acro tank with out some type of carbon dosing, it might just be my tank. I wonder why there is so much controversy regarding the use of vodka, is it the disbelief that over the counter vodka should be added to a reef tank. I do not know. I have been adding vodka, vinegar, or zeo food for 2 yrs now and all are very similar, it grows bacteria especially denitrifying bacteria living in anoxic zones, (rock, dsb) and turns nitrogen in to gas that leaves the system.

A few statements I feel have been proven over time in my system:

Yes c source will absolutely grow Cyano even in a nutrient poor system and high flow area, general buzz is Cyano in low flow areas, I had some on a tunze before.

I also feel zeo bac may have Cyano in it.

Red slime remover is absolutely safe to use in a reef tank.

Red slime remover may be a prerequisite for continued use of c source. Once it is used there is little risk of growing Cyano with the use of carbon.

With the presence of Cyano it is hard to keep a healthy reef tank.

THERE IS NO WAY THE USE OF CARBON SOURCE CAN NOT REDUCE NITRATE. IT JUST WILL.


This is a picture of a Tenius that is a beautiful light yellow color as a result of low nitrate and phos. It quickly gets darker if nutrient levels increace.


http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/500/76771fish-2-tenius-med.jpg

Just my time proven 2 cents.

[Ian]

So far, after 3 months, Ive had no ill effects, cyano, etc... Vodka brought me from .14 down to .02

[graveyardworm]

I've been dosing Vodka for just over a month now. My only method of testing PO4 is an Elos test kit which always indicated that it was undetectable but based on algae growth and poor sps color I suspect there's a bit too much in there, also my Nitrates have been stubborn at 5ppm for quite some time. I've been dosing Vodka following the guidlines in the RK mag article. I'm up to 4.5 ml in 200g system volume and so far havent seen any reduction in my Nitrates but the algae has been receding so something seems to be working. Before dosing I had some small areas of Cyano which have been slowly diminishing.

[OnlyCrimson]

I dosed VSV for a few months with good results, but stopped. The dosing ate up ALMOST ALL the extra nutrients I had. I was feeding 2 frozen cubes + flakes a few times a day in my 60 cube just to keep the color in the coral. All the caulerpa and other algae vanished. The bacteria population would gather as a white film on the glass though. I stopped because I felt it was too hard to feed the corals, even with AA dosing. I will most likely do it again though.

[wycombes]

I use it in the denitrator that I have from aquaripure.

[sailfintang]

I dose v/s/v mix daily and add small amounts of sugar to my tank along with prodibio biodigest. I like the results, no3 near 0 and po4 is managable. I like to feed alot too, carbon and bacteria dosing helps balance that. Fish and coral look great. If you're just starting I would research this first and go slow. I tried to go to quick and had a bad crash do, not wish that on anyone. here is a good article:

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

[Mykel Obvious]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13942416#post13942416 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by OnlyCrimson
I dosed VSV for a few months with good results, but stopped. The dosing ate up ALMOST ALL the extra nutrients I had. I was feeding 2 frozen cubes + flakes a few times a day in my 60 cube just to keep the color in the coral. All the caulerpa and other algae vanished. The bacteria population would gather as a white film on the glass though. I stopped because I felt it was too hard to feed the corals, even with AA dosing. I will most likely do it again though.

Has any of your algae come back after you stopped dosing? What are you feeding now?

[nauticac4]

I need to solve the cyano problem. It has always been a problem with my tank and I beleive it is partially to blame on the rock. I have been dosing for quite some time now and had very ood results as far as color, growth and water clarity but for some reason the cyano wont go away...Might be getting some chemipure/red slime remover.

[SunnyX]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13939439#post13939439 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by toothman
I would make a extreme statement and say it is not easy to keep a acro tank with out some type of carbon dosing, it might just be my tank. I wonder why there is so much controversy regarding the use of vodka, is it the disbelief that over the counter vodka should be added to a reef tank. I do not know. I have been adding vodka, vinegar, or zeo food for 2 yrs now and all are very similar, it grows bacteria especially denitrifying bacteria living in anoxic zones, (rock, dsb) and turns nitrogen in to gas that leaves the system.

A few statements I feel have been proven over time in my system:

Yes c source will absolutely grow Cyano even in a nutrient poor system and high flow area, general buzz is Cyano in low flow areas, I had some on a tunze before.

I also feel zeo bac may have Cyano in it.

Red slime remover is absolutely safe to use in a reef tank.

Red slime remover may be a prerequisite for continued use of c source. Once it is used there is little risk of growing Cyano with the use of carbon.

With the presence of Cyano it is hard to keep a healthy reef tank.

THERE IS NO WAY THE USE OF CARBON SOURCE CAN NOT REDUCE NITRATE. IT JUST WILL.


This is a picture of a Tenius that is a beautiful light yellow color as a result of low nitrate and phos. It quickly gets darker if nutrient levels increace.


http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/500/76771fish-2-tenius-med.jpg

Just my time proven 2 cents.

Thanks for the info.
What is your procedure when using red slime remover?

[toothman]

I used ultralife red slime remover as directed.

You need to take the skimmer cup off. I decided to use this product after testing my tank with <.03 phos and nitrates barely detectable <3. It was very anoying as it got worse and worse, the tank had a constant slight milky look to it. With the addition of the ultralife red slime remover with in one week it was all gone even where it was growing on a tunze power head,

Yes my tank has 50X flow, low nutrients and still had cyano. Really no side effects, two browned out none died.

Activated carbon at one week and ease the skimmer cup back down or on.

Three months past and tank has never looked better.

[SunnyX]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13946129#post13946129 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by toothman
I used ultralife red slime remover as directed.

You need to take the skimmer cup off. I decided to use this product after testing my tank with <.03 phos and nitrates barely detectable <3. It was very anoying as it got worse and worse, the tank had a constant slight milky look to it. With the addition of the ultralife red slime remover with in one week it was all gone even where it was growing on a tunze power head,

Yes my tank has 50X flow, low nutrients and still had cyano. Really no side effects, two browned out none died.

Activated carbon at one week and ease the skimmer cup back down or on.

Three months past and tank has never looked better.

Sounds good, thanks. I am in the same boat. I have tons of water flow and my tank is ultra clean other then a couple small spots or Red slime. I want to take them out before it gets worse. I will give this a shot.

Thanks again. :D

[Dyraxe]

Thank you Toothman for your experience and info of this matter. This is exactly what I have encountered and I plan to remedy this situation.

I have been holding off on using a product to remove red slime. My tank is super clean and my nutrients are undetectable. I was hoping that over a course of time that the red slime would die off but it seems that the Vodka is an excellent food source for Cyanobacteria. I think it is time to get rid of it. Hopefully not too many corals brown up but it will be worth it in the long run. I can color them back up in about a month anyhow.

[miwoodar]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13936205#post13936205 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by yeniraki
I think you should add the following choices to tour poll.

I dosed vodka and/or sugar and crushed my tank.
I dosed vodka and/or sugarand killed some of the fish and the corals.
I dosed vodka and/or sugar and had cyano
When I quite dosing my tank had to cycle all over again
I dosed vodka and/or sugar and my sps bleached out
I have been dosing vodka succesfully over a year.

Such choices would give a better idea for the people who is planning to start dosing vodka. You wouldnt want to encourage people to do something that they will regret later, would you?

yeniraki, There are some good, thoughtful options in your recommenations. However, I don't think your experience counts since you were dosing yard fertilizers at the same time. Too many variables makes for poor experimentation. The fertilizers were likely driving some (most) of your problems....not to mention the possibility of toxins coming in with them.

[Mykel Obvious]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13949494#post13949494 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by miwoodar
yeniraki, There are some good, thoughtful options in your recommenations. However, I don't think your experience counts since you were dosing yard fertilizers at the same time. Too many variables makes for poor experimentation. The fertilizers were likely driving some (most) of your problems....not to mention the possibility of toxins coming in with them.

:eek: :confused:

[miwoodar]

That was my reaction too.

[burnah]

well the results of the poll really help me with my decision, i will definately start dosing vodka in the near future with a dosing pump, only thing keeping me from doing NOW is the price of such a pump...

[yeniraki]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13949494#post13949494 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by miwoodar
yeniraki, There are some good, thoughtful options in your recommenations. However, I don't think your experience counts since you were dosing yard fertilizers at the same time. Too many variables makes for poor experimentation. The fertilizers were likely driving some (most) of your problems....not to mention the possibility of toxins coming in with them.

Midovar,
You have long been advocating that dosing carbon, cleared cyano and algea from your thank made your SPSs more colorful and increased your growth rate.

You have witnessed, almost all of the reefers who tried carbon dosing LONGER THAN 6 MONTHS, except your self, gave up with severe consequences.
Dont you feel responsible and guilty for those people whom you misled and caused them to have crashed systems, starved, dead corals and fishes.

I dont believe that you are dosing carbon to your system or you did not dose it for longer then 3 months, which is the honeymoon period, just before the crash.

I would recomend every body following this thread, to stick on the well established methods to keep a happy reef. Leave the experimenting for the scientists like Mivodar; Dont be one of the RAT in their experiments


And before quoting on someones message, read it couple times to understand it correctly. I used fertilizer after the crash and massive loss due to starvation had started.

[miwoodar]

You have long been advocating that dosing carbon, cleared cyano and algea
I've never claimed anything of the sort through my personal experiences. I never had a cyano or algae problem to clear up with the tank I carbon dosed. I started carbon dosing to allow me to feed more, not to 'fix' anything. IIRC, I've never recommended dosing carbon to any system that is not already healthy but for NO3 and/or PO4 problems.


You have witnessed, almost all of the reefers who tried carbon dosing LONGER THAN 6 MONTHS, except your self, gave up with severe consequences.
Dont you feel responsible and guilty for those people whom you misled and caused them to have crashed systems, starved, dead corals and fishes.
:confused: That's just plain incorrect. You need to do more homework. For starters, look at the results of this poll. Many people have had excellent experiences with carbon dosing.

Also, carbon dosing is nothing new. It has been around for decades. Sugar was being dosed to freshwater tanks when I was sucking milk from a nipple.


I dont believe that you are dosing carbon to your system or you did not dose it for longer then 3 months, which is the honeymoon period, just before the crash.
True, I am not dosing at present. I stopped after I transferred all of my corals to a new tank. I will be starting again once I feel comfortable that everything is healthy and ready to be dosed again.


I would recomend every body following this thread, to stick on the well established methods to keep a happy reef. Leave the experimenting for the scientists like Mivodar; Dont be one of the RAT in their experiments
I don't recommend carbon dosing to anyone who fails to recognize the potential risks and especially to anyone who has not done his/her homework. I see it as a tool in your toolbox. You should have MANY tools to choose from and don't be locked into any one tool. If something is not working, switch. It's as simple as that, change tools.


And before quoting on someones message, read it couple times to understand it correctly. I used fertilizer after the crash and massive loss due to starvation had started.
The fact that you dosed fertilizer to your tank, be it before or after you carbon dosed, makes me question your experiences with this and/or any other approach. Who knows where your problems came from...but blaming your problems on carbon dosing appears to be a leap of faith that I am not prepared to make.

[burnah]

ive been dosing for 6 days so far sticking to the RC plans, water cleared up a bit

[Genetics]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14013021#post14013021 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by yeniraki
Midovar,
You have long been advocating that dosing carbon, cleared cyano and algea from your thank made your SPSs more colorful and increased your growth rate.

You have witnessed, almost all of the reefers who tried carbon dosing LONGER THAN 6 MONTHS, except your self, gave up with severe consequences.
Dont you feel responsible and guilty for those people whom you misled and caused them to have crashed systems, starved, dead corals and fishes.

I dont believe that you are dosing carbon to your system or you did not dose it for longer then 3 months, which is the honeymoon period, just before the crash.

I would recomend every body following this thread, to stick on the well established methods to keep a happy reef. Leave the experimenting for the scientists like Mivodar; Dont be one of the RAT in their experiments


And before quoting on someones message, read it couple times to understand it correctly. I used fertilizer after the crash and massive loss due to starvation had started.

??? I'm at 1+ yr without issue. I don't believe anyone has advocated cyano eradication with use of this method. And have never heard of the honeymoon time table. Most ppl falter in a dosing regimen due to their personal belief that nitrates and phosphates need to be completely eliminated.

Anyways, I am in awe that someone used fertilizer on their tank. Ammonium nitrate poses a serious risk by addition. First, the ammonia ion could cause a tank ecosystem to collapse rather quickly. Second, the other ions and organic matter contained within could reek havoc by so many other means. This addition of fertilizer was not only poorly planned but demonstrates people's inability to conceptually understand the chemical workings within the aquarium.

[DML08]

does anybody have a link on How to dose vodka sugar and vinegar? or just the vodka? what better?

[miwoodar]

Here's a good starter article...
http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/2008-08/nftt/index.php

[yeniraki]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14014122#post14014122 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Genetics
??? I'm at 1+ yr without issue. I don't believe anyone has advocated cyano eradication with use of this method. And have never heard of the honeymoon time table. Most ppl falter in a dosing regimen due to their personal belief that nitrates and phosphates need to be completely eliminated.

Anyways, I am in awe that someone used fertilizer on their tank. Ammonium nitrate poses a serious risk by addition. First, the ammonia ion could cause a tank ecosystem to collapse rather quickly. Second, the other ions and organic matter contained within could reek havoc by so many other means. This addition of fertilizer was not only poorly planned but demonstrates people's inability to conceptually understand the chemical workings within the aquarium.

You call this you have no issues???
http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/500/32924BirdsnestR.jpg

[yeniraki]

I think this poll, with the way it is prepared, will be hazardous to many captive reefs.
I am just trying to warn the reefers who will decide to start dosing carbon reading the results of this poll, as dead corals never coming back and recovery of an established tank takes months.

[melev]

I've been dosing Vodka in my reef for just over 5 months, and am very happy so far with the results. Here's a picture from a few days ago:

http://melevsreef.com/pics/08/12/fts_1222.jpg

Does it work miracles? No. But I believe it is helping keep PO4 down as I don't use any other phosphate removers on a daily basis. I feed relatively heavily, so PO4 would rise in my tank pretty quickly. I can go weeks at a time, simply skimming the water and dosing vodka, and when I test, it reads around .1ppm (higher than I'd like, but if I didn't dose at all, I bet it would be .5 to 1ppm.

Nitrates aren't down as low as I'd hoped, but they also aren't high. It is still a work in progress.

Had I read posts by yeniraki and seen the images he's mentioned, I might have been less inclined. However, the article that was written for <i>Reefkeeping Magazine</i> was reasonable, and had a good working game plan. I decided I wanted to try it, now that I had the recipe in hand.

I don't recommend it for everyone (and especially not for newbies), but for those that are experienced in the hobby and have the right skimmer for the job, it could be a good option.

[melev]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13946129#post13946129 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by toothman
I used ultralife red slime remover as directed.

You need to take the skimmer cup off. I decided to use this product after testing my tank with <.03 phos and nitrates barely detectable <3. It was very anoying as it got worse and worse, the tank had a constant slight milky look to it. With the addition of the ultralife red slime remover with in one week it was all gone even where it was growing on a tunze power head,

Yes my tank has 50X flow, low nutrients and still had cyano. Really no side effects, two browned out none died.

Activated carbon at one week and ease the skimmer cup back down or on.

Three months past and tank has never looked better.

While you dosed the tank, you left the skimmer running without a cup? I've had hints of cyano in a few spots that I'd really like to nip in the bud, but haven't dosed because those products require that the skimmer be turned off.

Just to clarify, while it is in the water, you continue to dose vodka, or do you stop for that 72 hour period?

[miwoodar]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14018706#post14018706 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by yeniraki
You call this you have no issues???
http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/500/32924BirdsnestR.jpg

Things die off all the time for one reason or another and most of the time we can't actually pinpoint a cause. I am not inclined to believe that you can put together a bulletproof case that dosing vodka did that to your reef, especially in light of the other known facts.

[Genetics]

http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/500/32924BirdsnestR.jpg

What is wrong with this picture? The white stuff attached to the birdsnest is minced shrimp/clam/octo.... I had just fed the tank when I decided to snap some pics. :D For what its worth, this is the same area from the top down three months later.

http://i62.photobucket.com/albums/h116/NAWalton00/Birdsnest12-20-08.jpg

[Genetics]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14018786#post14018786 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by yeniraki
I think this poll, with the way it is prepared, will be hazardous to many captive reefs.
I am just trying to warn the reefers who will decide to start dosing carbon reading the results of this poll, as dead corals never coming back and recovery of an established tank takes months.

Yes, there is always concern when dealing with live animals that the lack of attention and detail to requirements for survival will result in death. If you add too much vodka, or any other carbon source for that matter, you run the risk of quickly changing water parameters in an environment that requires stability. Therefore people need to understand the consequences of moving quickly in this hobby and those assigned to dosing any sort of chemical to their tank.

[melev]

Thanks for answering that Nate. I kept seeing that image, and couldn't figure out what was wrong with it. It definitely wasn't dead, that's clear to see.

[Genetics]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14026308#post14026308 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by melev
Thanks for answering that Nate. I kept seeing that image, and couldn't figure out what was wrong with it. It definitely wasn't dead, that's clear to see.

Marc, I was confused myself for about 10 minutes trying to figure out what was wrong with that picture. I new there was food attached to it, but surely someone wouldn't tell me that my corals were falling apart. That would be news to me, very sad news... There is a spot that died from where the acro grew into the birdsnest visible in the first picture. Maybe that's what he/she is talking about.....

Conspiracy I cry! Anyways, I did just recently find cyano in my tank. It was rather disappointing but at least it was in the back. I decided to take care of it and dosed 0.4x the recommended dose. It seemed to have worked. Water turns a scary green color at first and the skimmer goes nuts from the addition of the Red Slime Remover. I just skimmed drier for the night and came back 24hrs later to turn it back up to a wet skim. Still waiting to see whether I will incur any detrimental effects from its dosing... and vodka for that matter..... ;) I still dosed vodka throughout the Slime Remover without any ill effects. I caution that the amount of bubbles will become annoying andn may spill over into the display from the sump. Not that this would cause any issues, more just annoyance.

[melev]

When I've dosed Chemi-Clean or RedSlime Control (by BlueLifeUSA), when I turned the skimmer on 72 to 84 hours later, it would overflow with watery skimmate for 5 or 6 hours. Usually I toss out about 12-14 gallons of skimmate, and that is with the skimmer dialed back as far as I can. The body looks like it is full of milk, which is pretty neat but not really beneficial to my patience. ;)

So you dosed a tiny amount instead of the normal dose. How did you come up with that particular ratio?

[Genetics]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14027001#post14027001 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by melev

So you dosed a tiny amount instead of the normal dose. How did you come up with that particular ratio?

Methodology was really more a scare than anything else. Put one scoop in and waited 5 minutes. Didn't observe any negative signs from my corals/fish/clams/invertebrates so I did another scoop. Repeated until I saw one of my clams contract and my water was green in color. Decided to stop there and see what happened. Worked out to 0.4x recommended dose figuring I could always dose again. The cyano isn't bad and if I wasn't shooting top down pics from the tank I would never have found it. My clams are 8+ inches and didn't want to risk it as I've had them since they were less than 4". I'll look tomorrow to make sure the cyano was completely eradicated but it looked like it had broken up before I took off for the holiday. The product I used was from UltraLife. From online boards people stated it was safe to use in a reef but I am always skeptical to online reviews because I do not know the skill level of the reefer.

EDIT: Also, the contractions could have been caused from the reduced light to the clam due to the green coloration of the water.

[Mykel Obvious]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14026000#post14026000 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Genetics
http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/500/32924BirdsnestR.jpg

What is wrong with this picture? The white stuff attached to the birdsnest is minced shrimp/clam/octo.... I had just fed the tank when I decided to snap some pics. :D For what its worth, this is the same area from the top down three months later.

http://i62.photobucket.com/albums/h116/NAWalton00/Birdsnest12-20-08.jpg

Gods, but I wish my birdsnest would turn that color... I just can't seem to get the green to pop out on mine... just looks peach with purple polyps and about once every few weeks the tiniest hint of green

Good work, G!!

[Genetics]

Low nutrient levels and some blue bulbs really helps. I run 12k reeflux and the first four months of the bulb life my corals always have great coloration. I'm sure if I ever get atinics for supplementation it will get better.

[Genetics]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14013021#post14013021 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by yeniraki
Midovar,
You have long been advocating that dosing carbon, cleared cyano and algea from your thank made your SPSs more colorful and increased your growth rate.

You have witnessed, almost all of the reefers who tried carbon dosing LONGER THAN 6 MONTHS, except your self, gave up with severe consequences.
Dont you feel responsible and guilty for those people whom you misled and caused them to have crashed systems, starved, dead corals and fishes.

I dont believe that you are dosing carbon to your system or you did not dose it for longer then 3 months, which is the honeymoon period, just before the crash.

I would recomend every body following this thread, to stick on the well established methods to keep a happy reef. Leave the experimenting for the scientists like Mivodar; Dont be one of the RAT in their experiments


And before quoting on someones message, read it couple times to understand it correctly. I used fertilizer after the crash and massive loss due to starvation had started.

Just for clarification. I understand there are some that are proponents of vodka dosing and others that believe it is unnatural and unhealthy. Some may just experience bad luck. Before dosing I would hope that the people doing it have exhausted other means of trying to control N/P problems in their tanks. If you are willing to add fertilizer to your tank, you should not be vodka dosing. It shows that you do not have a clear understanding of the biology or chemistry that is going on behind the scenes. Adding fertilizer will destroy your tank more quickly than adding cyanide. Do not add fertilizer if you think you have overdosed vodka! If you catch it early, right after addition, water changes would be the ideal way to stave off any negative effects.

yeniraki, I believe this is where you state using fertilizer on your tank, in combination with vodka and potassium that lead to the demise of your tank.

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=1455261&perpage=25&pagenumber=2

[DML08]

this is from the reef keeping article..

"Stable systems that do not contain high levels of NO3 and PO4 may not benefit to any great extent by employing carbon source dosing. "

with a salifert test kit my NO3 is undetectable and so is PO4( I know there is still some in the system though).. would this still be worth trying if those levels are still undetectable? also it states a powerful skimmer, ATM I have a ASM MINI-G on 55g total soon to be a msx160, should I hold off on dosing till I have the new skimmer?

[Genetics]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14183956#post14183956 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by DML08
this is from the reef keeping article..

"Stable systems that do not contain high levels of NO3 and PO4 may not benefit to any great extent by employing carbon source dosing. "

with a salifert test kit my NO3 is undetectable and so is PO4( I know there is still some in the system though).. would this still be worth trying if those levels are still undetectable? also it states a powerful skimmer, ATM I have a ASM MINI-G on 55g total soon to be a msx160, should I hold off on dosing till I have the new skimmer?

Would you be able to hold off until the upgrade? The ASM Mini-g is rated for 75g, which may be enough. Two things that seem to occur with smaller skimmers is the lids popping off from overflowing mucus-like skimmate and little or no skimming at all from a lack of bubble creation. If the bubbles are creating decent foam, then you could go ahead with it and just watch the skimmate a few hours after addition to make sure it isn't causing collection issues.

[ankor253]

I have been dosing vodka for over 6 months now with great results! All my corals look brighter and PE is great