Vodka to lower Nitrates ??

[Cuban_Caballo]

Have any of you tried this out ??

http://reefaquariumdvd.wordpress.com/category/aquarium-pests/

its toward the middle of the article.

[Bergy]

i have... but actually it wasnt vodka, but it was the same premise...

the sugars in the vodka is what is causeing the bacterial bloom that processes the nitrates...

and prior to doing that or anything, i would detrmine that the level of nitrates yo uhave is causing harm or being detrimental...

just because the goal is zero nitrates doesnt mean that 10-20 is bad...

it depends on the corals yo uhave and how tolerant or 'needy' they are for pristine water...

if they dont care, then neither should you... if yo uhave growth, then that is all you can hope for...

try, feeding less, and doing your water changes a few days earlier, and maybe a slightly larger water change...

if you start seeing no growth, and pretty colors disappearing to differing shades of brown, then try to fix a problem, but until then,  dont sweat the small stuff and the 'interim' stuff...

[Just_Greg]

+1000

first of all, let your system mature...it may be cycled, and may support life, but it won't be mature for at LEAST 6 mos of being up and running, but really closer to a year.

this is especially true when you're learning the hobby, and while vodka dosing is a relatively simple procedure, it's really an advanced technique in that you have to get the dose "just right" for your system, and a novice just doesn't have the "feel" for their tank yet to see small effects before they become big problems.

this isn't meant to be a lecture, but there's something that can't be taught in books or on the forums...experience.  what works for a given tank won't work for another, so you need to learn to apply your research to your situation.  you will indeed come to know your system and you'll have "tell-tale" critters that will literally say what's amiss by their behavior.

[Cuban_Caballo]

I thought it was a very bizarre and interesting technique. So a mature system is considered to be a year old ??

[Bergy]

a mature system, just like a 'cycle' has not time frame/date

and most important a system is not one component.. and in this case YOU are part of tehsystem


as your tank gets older you get wiser...  hand in hand a great thing,...

like greg is saying, after some period of time, you will have a 'feel' for how your tank is...  you will smell the water and know if things are ok or if they are sour/bad...

you will see the color of the algae and know this or that..



i guess the way to tell if you and your tank are 'mature'/established... is for you to know what your pH should be, without testing it... then testing it and you being pretty darn close...

same for all your peramters...

It comes from dozens and dozens of repeated tests, and EXPERIENCE


when you achieve that level of maturaty/establishement, you will know... it isnt something i or anyone can say.. hey, your system is established NOW...  (meaning yesterday it wasnt)

[Just_Greg]

as Bill mentioned, it's not necessarily a time thing in the sense that a tank can most certainly be up for a month and still not be cycled...sometimes it takes 6 weeks, sometimes it takes two weeks, it really depends on lots of factors.

the "general rule of thumb" for tank maturity is about a year, but it can vary as well.  for instance, sometimes if a keeper is constantly fooling with the setup, the tank never truly matures.

the points Bill makes about being able to be pretty close at estimating the value of your major parameters is right on.  my wife can taste SW and be pretty darned close to the salinity.  she's also SUPER good at knowing when a fish just isn't "right", even tho it SEEMS to be doing OK.  i have a few other ways of looking at my systems and just "knowing" what's probably outta whack.

i know some of this may sound odd, but you'll get there...we were all noobs once.

[RandyFolds]

There is no timeframe to decide that a tank is mature. It is merely about stability. When your biotope has reached a point that it is self-regulating (for most purposes) it is mature.

It is all about the look. I don't test any of my clients tanks for anything unless fish just start dying randomly. Once you get used to a tank, you can tell in a minute if there is something amiss. If you keep up good maintenance habits, nothing will ever be off.

On the topic of dosing vodka...correcting the problem is always going to be better than dumping one more thing into the tank. Even if I did think it needed dosing, ethanol is the way to go. God only knows what is in vodka, and besides, just because some other guy did it and didn't kill his tank doesn't really mean anything with regards to your tank.

[Bergy]

i know what is in vodka!!!  so does the fda...

But, again, the thing that is causing the Bacterial bloom, (thats the goal)  is sugar...

you can accomplish the same thing by using regular old sugar...


there is a 'recipe'/formula to determine HOW MUCH, but, suffice it to say, the trick is to start off slow... like a 1/8tsp or less for a 50 gallon tank... then in two days, add another 1/8th, (plus a few grains)...

and then every other day, just slightly increase the dosage...

basically you are creating the right conditions for the bacteria to propagate..

the bacterial bloom will suck the nitrates right out of your tank...

BUT,  it isnt like a magic trick...  it dosnt just go BAM  zero nitrates...


what will happen is ... (and believe me, it scared the living crap out of me)


your tank will turn milky white...   and not 1%   more like 2% milk.. you couldnt see more then one inch through the water...

I was bouncing off the walls
 
calling everone trying to find homes for my fish and critters

and what was worse.... my nitrates were above 50ppm   and i, Just like some of you guys here, and almost everywhere decided i didnt want nitrates that high...

BUT, I had no problems with growth or color...  My tank was stellar... I just felt bad that folks would ask me my nitrates and i had to tell them it was off the scale... and then go thru a series of questions and answers to show the test kits were accurate, and that i was doing the tests correctly, etc...



Most of what i share when folks ask me questions is stuff i personally have endurred... hehehehe