OK! Time for a Drink! Vodka?

Discussion in 'Water Chemistry' started by Dador, Jan 6, 2008.

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  1. cuttingras

    cuttingras Starving Artist :)

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    I knew nothing and my lfs was just out to make a quick buck. I didn't find this site until April 07 and I'm glad I did. I've learned more here in the past 9 months than I did in 4 1/2 years with my lfs's "help". I just didn't know so many people out there knew so much!:)
     
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  3. Scott Osborne

    Scott Osborne Feather Duster

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    I have philisophical problems with Liquor so I use sugar. I have been doing it on and off for the last two years.

    At 20ppm you should first exhaust all other methods for removal. If that doesn't work Slowly introduce sugar dosing. I personally think you should start with a half dose. Do that for a week and then check your numbers. If that hasn't worked go ahead and move to the full dose. Check your levels and as soon as they are down then decrease your dose back to half. If your numbers are stabile at a low point then discontinue. You will know right away if you over dose. Your water will get cloudy.

    Keep in mind you are causing a bloom of unaturally high levels of bacteria so if you discontinue dosing cold turkey you could cause a mass die off.
     
  4. JasonSquared

    JasonSquared Spaghetti Worm

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    Scotts right and thats an important point. Once you start, and you'd like to stop, you can half the dose. Then half it again after 3 days. You'll have some bacterial die off but nothing your skimmer won't be able to handle.

    These bacterium are dieing off all the time even if you don't stop, which gives other bacteria more to feed on. Kind of like a mini bacteria cycle. Thats kind of how this works. The sugar runs out rather quickly and the bacteria then consume nitrogen, lowering your NO3 level. Once that runs out, then they being to fall back to natural levels. It's all part of it.

    But it's most important to only do this with a decent skimmer...
     
  5. SAW39

    SAW39 Ritteri Anemone

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    JasonSquared,
    How much is a "dose"?
    As a point of reference, I have a 45gal tank, and my nitrates had been at 40-60ppm. I did a 20% water change 3 days ago, but the nitrates are still above 40.
     
  6. Tangster

    Tangster 3reef Sponsor

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    Why not just dose orange juice it has the sugar and plus Vitamin C one of the better thing toward off Ich and other disease's better then Garlic extract..ROTFLOMFAO :)
     
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  7. geekdafied

    geekdafied 3reef Sponsor

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    LMFAO
     
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  9. Tangster

    Tangster 3reef Sponsor

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    LOL here you go you do the research but these organs will put you on the path nothing new its been known for yrs in how the guts and flesh of a coral work key words are (coelenterons) ( calicoblastic epithelium) But its pretty much the sameway you tummy turns you ca and carbonates into bone to make us big and strong :) Now I'll not banter back or forth with your studies and research As with annything find me one expert who said this and I'll find you 2 to say that.. But many know how its done.
     
  10. JasonSquared

    JasonSquared Spaghetti Worm

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    A good starting point is a half teaspoon per 50 gallons or so.

    Tangster you're missing my point entirely LOL! I was making a statement that not many people that DOSE calcium actually know HOW it works in their system. I don't need to do the research, and that prticular statement had NOTHING to do with dosing sugar. Just a response to people needing to FULLY understand this before doing it.

    To heck with the experts, how about REAL world testimonials:

    well, after 3 long weeks and lots of reading... my nitrates tested 0 tonight!!! That is down from a shocking 160 3 weeks ago... hence my discovery of this thread and the beginning of my dosing sugar...I dosed 1/2 tsp everyday for 3 weeks... saw no ill effects on anything and they are finally DOWN to a big fat 0!!!

    Does anyone know what I should dose to maintain this??

    Thanks for lots of good advice!

    Jenni
    Second Post: my nitrates continue to be at 0... I have been dosing a couple of months now... I am down to every other day and they stay at 0....they started way off the color chart, say 160 or so...long story...don't ask...you can find it somewhere in this looonnnggg thread...things are doing great! No bleaching or ill effects that I have seen...my skimmate does smell especially putrid though lol
    Jenni


    Whoah...I just tested my nitrates...0! They were only 5 before, but I only started dosing a relatively small amount of sugar maybe a week and a half ago. Very cool...just have to get that pH back up...

    jds


    After almost 3 years with 50-80ppm nitrate I start to dose sugar.
    after 4 days the skimmer works harder, I think it is good sign.
    I will keep dose for another week then I will monitor the nitrate again.

    I;'ve been dosing about 6 months. My 18" Sebae continues to grow like a weed, and my 8" derasa looks fine, and is growing.

    I'ts weird that people are so scared to put sugar in but have no problem putting in garlic???? Now at 0 nitrates after the first week!

    I dose 2cc of vodka daily to help control nutrients it really clears the water almost like ozone and causes great polp extensions probably because of the temporary food source. It lowers the nitrates and PH4 by boosting the bacterial populations that will consume the nutrients as food and causes them to grow which allows them to be skimmed off.


    0-5 ppm nitrates from 160 ppm and more than 3 months now I believe of dosing sugar. Everything is great. No hair algae, NO diatomic, no algae of any sort, no red slime nothing. In fact my hair algae outbreak went away within 2 week of the first dose. I am sold on this. There will always be naysayers, but it worked great for me, and I would tell anyone that is having nitrate problems to do the same.

    [After dosing sugar] Yeah you may be right. ALL of my hair algae just vanished! I mean it was gone in like 2 weeks. But I do still have a good bubble algae colony going on.

    I still think you guys are using too much.I'm dosing 1/8 teaspoon for 55 gallons net in my system.I also dose 1ml of vinegar daily.I'm on my 3rd week of Prodi too.Everything is great water is crystal clear and no Nitrates or Phosphates.

    My nitrates have been at 20-40ppm for the longest time. I dosed my 55g with 1/4tsp of sugar daily, and after a week my nitrates went down to 5ppm. Just thought I'd post my results.

    Nitrates down to 10 from 120-160. Gonna keep going! Coral already starting to chenge color!

    I have a 150 G reef tank that the nitrate level never been below 10, infact it was usually around 20ppm. After reading this thread I started dosing sugar. In less then 10 days nitrate went down to zero.

    well I dosed about 1/4 teaspoon yesterday, and my nitrates were upwards of 60-70, they are now showing 40 this morning...all of my corals look great polyp extention is normal, water clarity is normal as well.

    I think the best way to do this is slow, dont try and get them down immediatly just take it slow so you dont messs anything up. I dosed another 1/4 tablespoon this morning as well.

    Rob


    This sugar treatment made all my cheato die.

    I'm currently dosing 1/2 tsp every other day and my nitrates are about 40 from 180+ This is quite awesome results considering I have doubled my feedings, which aren't all that small in the first place.

    Just tested an nitrates went from 120ppm to 30 in 24 hrs. I added another 1/4 tsp just now.


    Well I added a half tsp of sugar three days ago, noticed nothing, then added another half tsp yesterday, the water had turned slightly cloudy, and my skimmer started to pull very wet foam out of water (I intentionally did not adjust the skimmer to see the effect on skimming product).

    Nitrate has dropped to 5ppm from 15ppm. I have put sugar addition on hold until the tank clears up. I did not think half tsp of sugar would amount to much for my 125g tank but apparent you only need a very small dosage.

    BTW I used organic cane sugar after seeing it next to the regular cane sugar granule at the store. The organic sugar was off white compared to the regular sugar, lead me to think some bleach agent must have been added to the regular sugar.


    Well, I've been dosing sugar every other day for 2 weeks now. 1 full table spoon for 280 gallons of TWV. Nitrates have gone down from 20 ppm to less than 5 ppm, and I am not sure if this is at all related to the sugar dosing, but the tank water now looks extremely clear and hair algae is disappearing. FWIW.

    I guess thats enough for now...
     
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  11. HotStix71

    HotStix71 Astrea Snail

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    wow--that was some heavy----------stuff, think I''ll go have that vodka:-/
     
  12. vtfishies

    vtfishies Astrea Snail

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    This is an interesting thread..love the info..not the bickering as i see here..opinions are like..* insert another word for ur butt* every one has one..anyways..where were you when my son dumped a pepsi in the tank..anyways..*note this* any cola product..remove livestock and water change..ASAP, it took 3 days to wipe out my tank..even when everything " looked like it was clearing" it wasnt. on that note..someone give me a shot..no ice!! carry on..great thread minus the impurities.
     
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