Convince me not to use chemicals.
- Thread starter ellebelle
- Start date
- Location
- Long Island
Nice, I never knew about the Vodka Dosing. I'm not using my Grey Goose on that one
- Location
- Rego Park, Queens
Red slime remover is an antibiotic. In fact, its erythromycin. It is effective, but I have no clue as to what it may do to an established tank. When I first set up my tank, before it became a reef tank, I had a terrible outbreak of red slime...the tank was only a few months old. I used the stuff, it worked, and there were no repercussions....but that was in a tank that was still stabilizing. As for the alcohol.....alcohol has been used as a fertilizer additive for plants for quite a while now. I add about 2 mL vodka or gin/gal to my fertilizers during the summer...definitely increases the sweetness of peppers and tomatoes. Apparently it is used as a shortcut in sugar production. I can see it benefitting the zooxanthellae in the corals...however, I can also see it benefitting the algae as well.
the vodka induces a bacterial bloom of sorts. as the bacterial population increases it depletes the system of bioavailable N and P. Many subscribers of this method have rather nutrient poor water as a result and have to supplement amino acids. Many also use this method to "cultivate" bacterio-plankton in the water column as means of feeding sps. conceptually, vodka dosing is the brethren of zeo vit and prodibio LOL. just lower tech and less sexy.
The practice has devotees and nay sayers, mostly in the sps realm. But I would advocate a very cautious dosing of vodka for non sps systems for the benefit of nutrient export, granted the person has an efficient skimmer, before trying red slime remover.
To me, it is just a more holistic approach. Besides, vodka and sugar have been used in denitrators without ill effect for a generation. I personally have tried neither vodka nor red slime remover, but i am inclined to believe one is more susceptable to overdose than the other, with the result of a mini cycle at best, or a tank crash at worst.
Sorry, didnt mean to hijack the original poster's thread! lol
The practice has devotees and nay sayers, mostly in the sps realm. But I would advocate a very cautious dosing of vodka for non sps systems for the benefit of nutrient export, granted the person has an efficient skimmer, before trying red slime remover.
To me, it is just a more holistic approach. Besides, vodka and sugar have been used in denitrators without ill effect for a generation. I personally have tried neither vodka nor red slime remover, but i am inclined to believe one is more susceptable to overdose than the other, with the result of a mini cycle at best, or a tank crash at worst.
Sorry, didnt mean to hijack the original poster's thread! lol
wow sounds like some people like to throw around large words stick with "kiss" (just in case some of the more "knowledgeable" people don't know I will explain "keep it simple stupid") Go with the red slime remover! You will be done with your problem in a matter of days or you can read the back of a vodka bottle and get the recomended dosage lmao!
to each his own i guess
reefkeeping is as much about trial and error as it is about science (or pseudoscience with the plethora of bogus literature and snake oil products out there)
good luck, ellebelle, in whichever route you take. it was not my intention to transform this thread into a preachy lecture by any means lol sorry
i only wanted to rehash some information i gleaned from my research on various reef forums through the months.
cheers!
michael
reefkeeping is as much about trial and error as it is about science (or pseudoscience with the plethora of bogus literature and snake oil products out there)
good luck, ellebelle, in whichever route you take. it was not my intention to transform this thread into a preachy lecture by any means lol sorry
i only wanted to rehash some information i gleaned from my research on various reef forums through the months.
cheers!
michael
- Location
- Upper East Side
Michael, I appreciate the information. While I have heard of vodka dosing, I never really understood what the point of it is. I actually don't want to use the red slime remover if I don't have to. Definitely NOT a thread hijack!
AND as an update! Since starting this thread, apparently my tank has decided it is done testing me. I have been sucking out the cyanobacteria every single day, blowing off my rocks, letting it go into my sump where I can remove it with a hose etc. etc. It is definitely not being laid down as quickly as it was before and I think the outbreak may have run its course.
I will continue the water changes and running to GFO, of course. I think I might try the lights out method and a big water change just to get rid of it fully and completely.
If I do leave the lights off for three days, should I also leave the moonlight off? And won't the ambient light in my apartment be enough for the bacteria?
AND as an update! Since starting this thread, apparently my tank has decided it is done testing me. I have been sucking out the cyanobacteria every single day, blowing off my rocks, letting it go into my sump where I can remove it with a hose etc. etc. It is definitely not being laid down as quickly as it was before and I think the outbreak may have run its course.
I will continue the water changes and running to GFO, of course. I think I might try the lights out method and a big water change just to get rid of it fully and completely.
If I do leave the lights off for three days, should I also leave the moonlight off? And won't the ambient light in my apartment be enough for the bacteria?
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- Location
- Upper East Side
Aren't you supposed to have a tank if you're giving advice? :lol2:
i would leave the moonlight off just in case, might as well eliminate the possibility. Quite possibly if you get a decent amount of light in your apt. You can cover it w/ newspaper and tape to help keep the ambient light out.
- Location
- Flushing NY 11355
Cyano is something in between bacteria and algae so it can use light and organics material as food. By turning off the main light for 3 days you limit their food in great quantity. Turning on the actinics, if strong, basically same as giving light back to them since algae type thing wants blue light and red light for photosynthesis . I think, there is no need to go so extreme as to shutting down the moon light and even covering up the tank. Even if you do so, the remaining cyano will just turn to eat food instead of photosynthesis. The over populated ones that cannot get light nor get to their food on the surface of the sand will die off. The true bacteria which don't use light as an engery input will bloom and balance out the system. If after shutting down the light for 3 days and large water change still does not the level of cyanos, I would really check out what's there source of food-there must be something feeding them like
1) over feeding which you said should have limited that factor
2) refugium macro algae dying which I think you said you done away the refugium, right
3) something else is rotting
4) my personal experience-cyclopeeze going bad(actually any bad batch of frozen food would do the same)
1) over feeding which you said should have limited that factor
2) refugium macro algae dying which I think you said you done away the refugium, right
3) something else is rotting
4) my personal experience-cyclopeeze going bad(actually any bad batch of frozen food would do the same)
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- Location
- Upper East Side
Still haven't bothered with lights out, and every morning there is less and less of it in my tank. YAY! Since the middle of January, I've been able to pull sheets of it off of my sand but now I've just got some remnants on the glass. I'll probably go in with a tooth brush and manually remove the last of it.
No chemicals used; just adequate husbandry. Thanks for all those that gave me suggestions!
No chemicals used; just adequate husbandry. Thanks for all those that gave me suggestions!
Joe Burger told me to use this, I have been using this product on and off for a few years and it seems to do the trick to get rid of it for months at the time. I know one other the person on this board who orders 6 bottles at a time :lol2:.
Don't sniff the bottle when dosing, it smells like Jamaica bay at low tide.
Don't sniff the bottle when dosing, it smells like Jamaica bay at low tide.
- Location
- Upper East Side
What is in that "Special Blend" stuff? I can't find the ingredient list.
While I can't tell you what is in Special Blend, I will agree that it smells awful..wich means it probably contains lots of good gooey bacterias.
A very good friend of mine works for Ecological Laboratories and I know all of their products are are on the up & up..no bs stuff that doesn't do what is expected/advertised.
Pure speculation but since cyano is a bacteria..maybe it's just that we have it in such an overabundance that a product like this provides the bacteria that balances that out by eating the cyano up..?
I know I have a bottle of it here (I use it in the pond) and might give it a try and see how/if it works for me.
Oh and I'll pop my friend an email and see what I can find out specifically about it
A very good friend of mine works for Ecological Laboratories and I know all of their products are are on the up & up..no bs stuff that doesn't do what is expected/advertised.
Pure speculation but since cyano is a bacteria..maybe it's just that we have it in such an overabundance that a product like this provides the bacteria that balances that out by eating the cyano up..?
I know I have a bottle of it here (I use it in the pond) and might give it a try and see how/if it works for me.
Oh and I'll pop my friend an email and see what I can find out specifically about it
- Location
- Flushing NY 11355
The discription does sound sketchy
but
if they say it contains bacteria ABC and enzymes DEF, will most consumers know what those things do either? I still don't understand what most of the FDA labels can do for me when I eat the food except stuff that our doctors told us to avoid.
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