Which Vodka

[ggNoRe]

Trying out the Elegant Corals Dinoflagellates regimen which prescribes vodka dosing. I have Titos vodka here at the house already. Will this do or will I have to buy some special vodka?

 

[windemerejack]

Any unflavoured Vodka, cheapest you can buy, 37.5/40% abv.

 

[PatW]

A cheap white unflavored vodka or rum will do the trick.

 

[homer1475]

Haven't heard of Elegant Corals Dino regime before. Have a link?

I would think carbon dosing(the vodka) would lower nutrients, which is what causes dino's to begin with.

I have fought dino's a few times, and have never carbon dosed to fix it, but rather added nutrients. o_O

 

[MMI]

Haven't heard of Elegant Corals Dino regime before. Have a link?

I would think carbon dosing(the vodka) would lower nutrients, which is what causes dino's to begin with.

I have fought dino's a few times, and have never carbon dosed to fix it, but rather added nutrients. o_O

https://elegantcorals.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/65232970_1058036854395643_2307032019369984000_n.jpg

Worked great for me. I ended up having to do it 3 weeks in a row. Just keep an eye on nutrients by testing every 1-2 days and dose when needed.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

I cannot imagine that the very cheapest drinkable grain alcohol cannot replace vodka in any reef application.

 

[Dkeller_nc]

Oddly enough, the procedure that you provided a link for seems to suggest that you have to filter your chosen vodka 10 times through activated carbon. It's not clear to me what the author wanted to accomplish by doing that, but vodka dosing has a long history in the reefing community, and I've never heard of someone recommending filtering vodka (i.e., ethanol/water for human consumption) through GAC.

One other comment - this is the first time I've ever seen this regimen, and I'm not about to declare that it won't work or has other problems if there's a history, even an anecdotal history, of effectiveness. However, I should point out that adding 5mL of (presumably) 80 proof vodka per 15 gal of tank water is a very large initial dose. My guess is that is why the author of the protocol adds an air pump and limewood airstone to the tank, as such a large initial dose of vodka is likely to cause a significant bacterial bloom that will reduce the oxygen concentration of the tank water.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

I agree. I'm not endorsing the method, just the ethanol source. :)

 

[ggNoRe]

Oddly enough, the procedure that you provided a link for seems to suggest that you have to filter your chosen vodka 10 times through activated carbon. It's not clear to me what the author wanted to accomplish by doing that, but vodka dosing has a long history in the reefing community, and I've never heard of someone recommending filtering vodka (i.e., ethanol/water for human consumption) through GAC.

One other comment - this is the first time I've ever seen this regimen, and I'm not about to declare that it won't work or has other problems if there's a history, even an anecdotal history, of effectiveness. However, I should point out that adding 5mL of (presumably) 80 proof vodka per 15 gal of tank water is a very large initial dose. My guess is that is why the author of the protocol adds an air pump and limewood airstone to the tank, as such a large initial dose of vodka is likely to cause a significant bacterial bloom that will reduce the oxygen concentration of the tank water.

You are correct in that assumption. Cruz Arias, the author, explains that is exactly what we are going for.

You can find more about the method here: https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/analyzing-a-bacterial-method-for-dinoflagellates-and-cyano.635165/

It has become the "go to" treatment for dinoflagellates over the past few years.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

You are correct in that assumption. Cruz Arias, the author, explains that is exactly what we are going for.

You can find more about the method here: https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/analyzing-a-bacterial-method-for-dinoflagellates-and-cyano.635165/

It has become the "go to" treatment for dinoflagellates over the past few years

The clear go to treatment on Reef2Reef is to raise nutrients, not dose vodka.

That said, I'm not saying if it works or not.

FWIW, I see no reason to treat vodka with GAC.

 

[ggNoRe]

That was the first thing I tried, raised nutrients. Unfortunately, after a month or so things just got worse. Had to move to more drastic methods.

 

[taricha]

Yeah, in the thread linked here I tried to get my head around what was going on with the method...

You can find more about the method here: https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/analyzing-a-bacterial-method-for-dinoflagellates-and-cyano.635165/

Basically it boils down to a massive carbon dose that generates a cloudy water bacterial bloom, as @Dkeller_nc noted.

Any of the other effects and steps in the method are of much lesser significance than the fact that the tank is swimming in organic carbon for a few days and all the chemical changes that accompany that, crazy competition and depletion of N (and P). O2 depletion in low flow areas. etc.
It's questionable if the added bottle bacteria do anything before the native aquarium bacteria respond and rapidly consume all the added Carbon.

The emphasis on aeration is absolutely essential. This carbon dose WILL eat all the O2 in the tank if not aerated aggressively.

I don't know if I'd recommend it or not, it certainly shakes things up. It makes my cyano patches retreat - and their color changes and pigment shifts tell me they are undergoing N stress.

 

[KrisReef]

I cannot imagine that the very cheapest drinkable grain alcohol cannot replace vodka in any reef application.

My coral will only drink top shelf :)

 

[blasterman]

My Coral prefer Popov - plastic bottle only. Absolut gives them a headache :)

Having just gone through a minor but impossible to fully cure Dino outbreak hanging on for months I nuked them with a $40 ozone generator over night. My UV filter would kill them after a few days, but they kept coming back, and my nitrate is rock solid. I use them same generator for weekly DOC removal, but there was a trick to it to put the smack down on dinos.

OP can PM me if he wants details.

 

[plc001]

This is what I used:

 

[KrisReef]

This is what I used:

I've never read the label before. I've also never came across a drink recipe that called for filtered liquored hooch. :)

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

Filtration impacts flavor:

The Real Reason Vodka Is Filtered and Why It Actually Matters

Surprise: It’s not just marketing hype.

www.liquor.com

 

[clhardy5]

What type of Dino's do you have? I would think the specific treatment would be geared to they type of dinos.

 

[HD_Reefer]

Enchanted Rock - Texas Vodka. I love it...I mean the fish love it....wait, nevermind, it's me that likes it. My tank looks way better after 2 glasses and a little ginger ale!

 

[dhnguyen]

I use 80 proof cheap vodka

Monarch Vodka - 750 Ml - Safeway

Shop Monarch Vodka - 750 Ml from Safeway. Browse our wide selection of Vodka for Delivery or Drive Up & Go to pick up at the store!

www.safeway.com