Anyone? Plan on doing it, would like some insight though if anyone is... I need more ways to control my nitrate and phosphate (and no one say turf scrubber).
Search "Randy Holmes Farley Dosing Vodka" on Google and click the first search return... it will be a thread in which he has a multi page discussion about dosing vodka and sugar
lol, this just gives me a picture of myself next to my tank with a shot glass and bottle of vodka "one for me, one for the tank, one for me, one for the tank..."
I thought thats what they meant by dosing vodka the first time i heard about this method barney! haha
But, it sounds actually pretty cool, the ethanol in vodka is used by bacteria, along with Nitrate and O2 to create, CO2, water and N2 (Dinitrogen)... the N2 I guess diffuses into the air and you have removed the nitrgen from the system.... atelast, from what I read yesterday, this is what happens... cool stuff this crazy chemistry and biology.....
An interesting note, I remember Randy saying that dosing too much can actually hurt the tank because of the use of O2 in the reaction... that the bacteria can use up most of the O2 in the tank causing the tank inhabitants trouble breathing...
Search "Randy Holmes Farley Dosing Vodka" on Google and click the first search return... it will be a thread in which he has a multi page discussion about dosing vodka and sugar
If you dose with vodka you have to be exceedingly careful not to over cook it and you need a REALLY powerful skimmer. The excessive DOCs produced is phenomenal and can quickly impact on the health of the life stock. Although saying that it is meant to work exceedingly well if you have a rapid surface flow and a mammoth skimmer; levels of nitrate fall to zero within weeks and remain there.
Ive read up that post and stuff, just wanted to see if anyone else does it. But i cant decide between sugar or vodka....
My main worry is O2 levels in my tank...
The best thing i would say about dosing vodka would be the ability to feed more with less consequences. Ever since i heard Dr. Ron Shimeks (spelled wrong i know) speech about the fact that our corals arent getting enough to eat, i want to just dump gallons and gallons of plankton in....
I've been considering it myself, I wish I could find the link that I followed once that had this great site showing before and after shots of reef tanks that are now employing vodka. I'll be interested to hear your methods.