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Old 01-14-2009, 06:35 PM   #1 (permalink)
goldenmacman
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Adding Vodka to your tank!??!?

Well today I was talking to a fellow reefer who was saying that he adds Vodka to his 125 reef tank to kepp his nitrates and ammonia down. He says that the downside to this is that it completely kills all the bacteria in the water so he only does it once a month and changes the water once every 3 months.. Any one ever heard of this? What are your thoughts? Does anyone do this? If so, ever seen your fish talk????
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Old 01-14-2009, 06:48 PM   #2 (permalink)
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Re: Adding Vodka to your tank!??!?

Quite a few people do this, and it does seem to work, at least in some cases. It's a carbon source for anaerobic bacteria.

Even though you be doing this to keeping nitrated down, I'd still maintain regular water changes to replenish any trace elements removed.

Is it worth it? IMHO, it's only worth a try if you already have a refugium and that plus water changes is not enough to keep nitrates down. We will assume you are doing all the other right stuff for nitrate control.
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Old 01-14-2009, 06:56 PM   #3 (permalink)
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Re: Adding Vodka to your tank!??!?

yeah.. will it get rid of bacteria in the water like ich and such?
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Old 01-14-2009, 06:57 PM   #4 (permalink)
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Re: Adding Vodka to your tank!??!?

There's a lot of negative feedback surrounding Vodka, I'd look into it further before dosing it.
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Old 01-14-2009, 07:02 PM   #5 (permalink)
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Re: Adding Vodka to your tank!??!?

oh im not planning on it.. just curious about it.
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Old 01-14-2009, 07:05 PM   #6 (permalink)
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Re: Adding Vodka to your tank!??!?

I dosed it once and I went to dose again but the bottle was empty? dunno what happened
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Old 01-14-2009, 07:06 PM   #7 (permalink)
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Re: Adding Vodka to your tank!??!?

Hmm, yes. Carbon source dosing. I am all for it but vodka is to impure and has caused many woes. There really is no set amount to dose and it is hit and miss with every aquarium. Your friend is not even understanding what he is doing from your post. It does not kill bacteria it creates it. If anyone is interested in dosing a carbon source your better off trying a product designed for the purpose like Prodibio, Zeovit, Fauna Marin. Be prepared to do a lot of reading and testing. As for new to the hobby people I highly recommend going the conventional way with sumps and refugiums.
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Old 01-14-2009, 07:06 PM   #8 (permalink)
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Re: Adding Vodka to your tank!??!?

AHHAHAHAH
good one!
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Old 01-14-2009, 07:06 PM   #9 (permalink)
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Re: Adding Vodka to your tank!??!?

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Originally Posted by Varga View Post
I dosed it once and I went to dose again but the bottle was empty? dunno what happened
LOL! Another reason why I never tried it
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Old 01-14-2009, 07:27 PM   #10 (permalink)
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Re: Adding Vodka to your tank!??!?

Haha that's insane, and I think its ridiculous. I'm sure fish love it though, takes away their pain lol. I'd rather settup a tank with vegetation.

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Old 01-14-2009, 07:34 PM   #11 (permalink)
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Re: Adding Vodka to your tank!??!?

I hate adding anything to my tank that i can not test for, so until they make a vodka test kit and i know what levels are safe i wont be doing it lol...
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Old 01-14-2009, 07:35 PM   #12 (permalink)
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Re: Adding Vodka to your tank!??!?

they do have Vodka test kits. called breathalyzer
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Old 01-14-2009, 08:10 PM   #13 (permalink)
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Re: Adding Vodka to your tank!??!?

I don't dose Vodka but do mix vinegar with kalkwasser which does the same thing. Also it increases all bacteria aerobic/anaerobic and if overdosed could wipe out your inhabitants so make sure you study the subject carefully before attempting. If you do a search here at RS on Vodka you'll find plenty of info and if that's not enough then here's some more...

Vodka Dosing...Distilled
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Old 01-30-2009, 02:20 AM   #14 (permalink)
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Re: Adding Vodka to your tank!??!?

I don't think there is any vodka in the natural reefs- so I would say no
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Old 01-30-2009, 03:02 AM   #15 (permalink)
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Re: Adding Vodka to your tank!??!?

I wonder if I could go shot for shot with my aquarium!
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