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goochesfish
02/04/2010, 12:26 AM
What happens when a tank getting vodka dosing goes 1-2 weeks without dosing? Like when out of town? I want to know if algae blooms or if there is a large bacterial die off?

OwenInAZ
02/04/2010, 12:53 AM
Well, you're taking away the carbon source for the bacteria, so presumably the levels will drop off significantly. Algae may bloom (or may not, depending on feeding/lighting), and when you start vodka up again you'll get a fresh bacterial bloom.

sir_dudeguy
02/04/2010, 12:57 AM
my question...why are so many people trying this vodka thing lately? I've seen so many tanks run so much better without it...i see no reason for it assuming you're doing a regular water change... just my opinion

OwenInAZ
02/04/2010, 01:07 AM
I'm not sure, exactly. Reefing is a creative outlet for my bacteriologist nerdliness, so I figured I'd give vodka dosing a shot. Maybe I did something wrong, but I ended the experiment when my pump intake got clogged with a biofilm. Since then, I put on a micron filter to cut down on bubbles and calm the sump down so my skimmer can actually do some skimming. No real change to the hair algae yet, but the growth of the film on the glass has slowed to a crawl.

goochesfish
02/04/2010, 08:52 PM
I'm at a loss for the cause of the hair algae so I thought about vodka dosing.
Maybe the one rock I have it on is leaching out phosphates.