Cyano, Brightwell MB7 and Vodka

[Simmy]

I started getting Cyano back in mid January when a cleaner shrimp went missing somewhere in my tank. After using chemi-clean the cyano is gone and hasn't returned. I've also added a six-spot sand sifting goby and my sand is as white as it has ever been! Been cyano free for 2 months and counting! The only annoying thing was that it took about a week and a bit after using chemi-clean before my skimmer would settle down. Was producing micro-bubbles all over the tank but it was well worth it!

[Oscar]

Originally Posted by Oscar

Yesterday I started dosing vodka. After doing a bit more reading I changed my formulation and tomorrow I will shift to a vodka/sugar/vinegar concoction.

I have found before and after photos of tanks ~2 months after dosing. They can be very dramatic. But how long until I start to see some subtle changes?

Any suggestions?

[gqlmao]

The before and after pictures posted in reef central are most definitely extreme and I am not saying it can't happen. However there are very few who actually experience such dramatic results, if you read on some of the vodka threads you will see that the majority of the people don't notice extreme changes over short periods of time and some have actually complained that vodka dosing created cyano outbreaks even with mild dosages.

There are A LOT of variables that can lead to success. In my opinion its great to see people with such success but from another viewpoint it could mislead people in thinking carbon dosing is the all mighty method to solve every tanks problems. I am not saying you shouldn't vodka dose, but be wary of possible side effects.

To answer your question, if you are following the reef central guide to vodka dosing and have a powerful skimmer. Results will vary, however you should start to see a decline in nitrates and a little in phosphates in around a week or two weeks time, once the initial bacteria batches get established. Once you get the levels down to your desirable levels, it will be another battle to make your corals happy. You will need to balance feeding with carbon dosing to ensure there is sufficient nutrients for the corals and yet not enough to have a nuisance algae outbreak. I have been to the point where I starved my SPS corals so bad that they turned completely pale, so please take your time and make sure you cut the dosage by half once you have reached low nutrient levels.

I agree with having combined vodka/vinegar dosing regimes, the different carbon sources may create a more diversified bacteria population, rather than a specific group.

Hope this helps.

Originally Posted by Oscar

Any suggestions?

[Oscar]

Thanks gqlmao for that balanced response.

Over the past 6 years I have been rarely happy with the appearance of my tank. Either it was algae, dirty sand, cyano, or brownish corals.

VSV seems like a very easy and inexpensive dosing regime, if it does not pan out then nothing lost.

[gqlmao]

Nope really nothing to lose, it VSV is a very good method for nutrient control. I use it for the reason I can feed like a mad man and still keep nuisance algae in control. It just has to be used carefully and the results will come over time. I am hoping you get the results you want with this method. GL

[Oscar]

I am now 4 weeks into vodka dosing. Last Saturday's tests showed the first reduction in nitrates, phosphate has been 0. On Saturday I will conduct my next test and hopefully I will see another reduction in nitrates. My current dose of VSV is 2.2ml per day, increasing at 0.5ml per week.

On Monday we are heading out of town for 4 weeks and my tank sitter will be feeding the fish and dosing vodka every second day. Although I have not gotten nitrates to zero yet I have suggested that he dose only 1.0ml per visit in my absence.

Am I being too conservative? I can always start increasing vodka dosing when I return, if necessary.