dosing sugar?

gacolt · Sep 10, 2014

is any one dosing sugar.zooxanthellae produce sugar that the corals feed on.So would dosing sugar help corals grow and produce better colors?
also if you are dosing sugar how?I like trying new things with my reef tank and would like to hear more about this topic as im considering trying.if there is a thread about this already please share.

jt17 · Sep 10, 2014

Sugar is just another form of carbon dosing like vodka or biopellets. They are added to boost bacteria populations to increase nitrate and to a lesser extent phosphate removal. I've never heard if the zooanthellae directly take up sugar from the water or not. There alot of info out there on carbon dosing. If you do decide to go forward with it go slow.

gacolt · Sep 10, 2014

well im already dosing vinager and acropower but i was reading something saying that zooanthellae produce sugar and fatty acid that the corals consume.but im not sure and thats why im asking.

Randy Holmes-Farley · Sep 10, 2014

FWIW, zooxanthellae don't produce or release sucrose, which is presumably what you mean by sugar. They do produce glucose. Sucrose is a dimer of glucose and fructose.

I dosed sugar once as a test and some corals browned up. Maybe the zooxanthellae loved it too much and expanded in numbers (they are golden brown).

But many people dose sugar as part of the VSV protocol (vinegar, sugar vodka).

I have, however, read of more problems with sugar than other dosing, and I see no reason to do it. I've never read that it improved colors any differently than other carbon sources.

FWIW, I dose only vinegar.

But it is easy enough to experiment with and see if you like the results.