Carbon Dosing without drinkable alcohol

[taricha]

What’s funny is I started up zeo last week and the bacteria food “bac start” smells like straight vinegar lol.. I bet that’s all that’s in that tiny expensive bottle! Haha..

maybe, but the smell of vinegar covers up a bunch of other would-be smells, too.

 

[vahegan]

I prefer to use a mixture of carbon sources, which I believe, helps to promote diversity of the bacteria types - they may have preferences, depending on how easy for them it would be to consume one compound or the other. My main preference is glycerine (but you need to make sure you can get pure unflavored glycerine with no other substances added to it: I buy from a chemical supplies store), mixed up with ethanol, and/or isopropyl alcohol. You can even use starch (food grade). I don't like adding sugar, because I have the impression that it promotes cyano - but many people use it. Nor I like vinegar, because the acidity affects KH - but this depends on how much you have to dose.
BTW, you do not have to dilute any of the mentioned carbon sources (except for starch) with water, you can use them at full strength, you just need to adjust your doses accordingly

 

[Reefahholic]

I dunno, I think all this talk of the holy grail of Nitrate @ 2 and phosphate @ .03 is from stickhead youtube vids w/o any real backing other than the nice tanks … many tanks run that high w/o issue ….

100% agree.

What’s funny is I started up zeo last week and the bacteria food “bac start” smells like straight vinegar lol.. I bet that’s all that’s in that tiny expensive bottle! Haha..

I bet that’s exactly what’s in there. Lol

 

[nicodim55]

Back when carbon dosing was vogue, there were 3 popular ways to do it. You can use sugar, vinegar or vodka. Some people even had it down to dosing all 3 at specific ratios.

I'd say vinegar is your best alternative. Or you can give your money to the products sold for the hobby, which i guess in a way has its benefits.

I use all 3 in my recipe, been dosing it for over 2 years

 

[Reefahholic]

I use all 3 in my recipe, been dosing it for over 2 years

What products do you use?

Do you see noticeably more PE and growth? My PE got crazy.

 

[nicodim55]

What products do you use?

Do you see noticeably more PE and growth? My PE got crazy.

The cheapest vodka at Total Wine lol, regular vinegar you buy at Costco and regular brown sugar. Growth is definitely noticeable.

 

[Reefahholic]

The cheapest vodka at Total Wine lol, regular vinegar you buy at Costco and regular brown sugar. Growth is definitely noticeable.

HaHa! Nice!

 

[PeterErc]

Vitamin C, ascorbic acid, sodium and calcium ascorbate.

That with vinegar, sugar and alcohol will be a grand slam.

Grand Slam Magical Elixer.

This magic potion will make your Acropora smack Zoanthids clean over the Euphyllia.

For the low price of $99.99 (small print) for 1/2oz.

Comes with a precision measuring device so you know exactly how much your coral needs.(syringe)

Enhance your your bacterial to promote exuberant colors so no photo shopping will be necessary when selling your ridiculously priced frag of a frag.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

I prefer to use a mixture of carbon sources, which I believe, helps to promote diversity of the bacteria types - they may have preferences, depending on how easy for them it would be to consume one compound or the other. My main preference is glycerine (but you need to make sure you can get pure unflavored glycerine with no other substances added to it: I buy from a chemical supplies store), mixed up with ethanol, and/or isopropyl alcohol. You can even use starch (food grade). I don't like adding sugar, because I have the impression that it promotes cyano - but many people use it. Nor I like vinegar, because the acidity affects KH - but this depends on how much you have to dose.
BTW, you do not have to dilute any of the mentioned carbon sources (except for starch) with water, you can use them at full strength, you just need to adjust your doses accordingly

Why do you prefer glycerine?

Vinegar won’t impact alk after it is taken up.

 

[vahegan]

Why do you prefer glycerine?

Vinegar won’t impact alk after it is taken up.

I prefer to mix up various carbon sources. As for glycerol, it is non-toxic, has more carbon per ml compared with ethanol, is less likely to cause cyano outbreak if overdosed, compared with, say, sugar (don't know why). Generally, I liked how glycerol worked when I was experimenting with carbon dosing.
As for vinegar - yes. I didn'y think deep enough, I was just weary of putting any acidic substance into the tank.

 

[jda]

I just used table sugar. Cheap, available, pure and effective.