Lowering Phosphates - Vodka Dosing

[MabuyaQ]

I'm going to slightly disagree with MabuyaQ here in that I'd urge caution with respect to carbon dosing. Many, many reefers have noticed an increase in cyano growth when first starting dosing with vinegar, vodka or biopellets. It's unclear why this might be, because MabuyaQ is correct that cyanobacteria are photosynthetic and therefore can make their own sugars. Nevertheless, the observation is consistent enough that I'd have a hard time dismissing it.

I will agree that it's helpful to have bacteria, corals and other life in the tank out-compete cyano for nutrients, trace elements, and the like. And his (or her) advice is probably sound for an established reef tank. But brand-new tanks generally always go through waves of "the uglies", from cyano to diatoms and/or true algal growth. After several months to a year, these problems typically disappear on their own as long as the tank's being well-maintained otherwise. And because nothing's in a steady-state in a new tank, you may have all sorts of things going on that could contribute to cyano growth - from nutrients leaching from (new) sand, to a bacterial base that's just getting built-up and sorting itself out as to the dominant species.

If the cyano's really bugging you, you can consider a 3-day tank blackout; it's really helped other reefers, though it must generally be absolute - lights off and black plastic taped around the tank sides. Having said that, it's unclear on a new tank whether the cyano would simply come back after the lights come back on. Similarly, chemiclean is typically very effective in the short term because it's largely erythromycin, and cyanobacteria is extremely sensitive to erythro. However, this may simply be "kicking the can down the road" because one the erythro is removed by skimming, water changes or carbon filtration, the conditions that allowed the cyano bloom may still be there.

New tanks experiencing cyano outbreaks haven't been cycled properly. The whole point of cycling is to establish a healthy bacteria population that prevents outbrakes of cyanos when nitrates and phosphates are kept in balans (and measurable because in the absence of the corals found in an established reef only the other bacteria truly compete with cyanos so chasing for immeasurable nitrates and/or phosphates in a non established reef is only going to kill of your other bacteria making cyano outbrakes more likely.)

To me this looks like a reef where cyanos have become the dominant species so to solve this you want to stimulate the growth of other bacteria and make life miserable for the cyanos. Chemiclean or any other antibiotic doesn't discriminate, they will not just have an effect on cyanos but on all bacteria so aren't a viable solution because you want more of those other bacteria not less. Blackouts won't work either because even though you deprive them of the light needed to create sugars they still have plenty stored as glycogen. So turn the lights back on (your corals will need light before the cyano runs out of glycogen) and the cyano is back. And turning the lights of won't provide the other bacteria with carbon. Blackouts and reduced lighting can be used though to help weaken the cyano, but syphoning of the mats from your sandbed and liferock at the midpoint of your lightcycle is just as effective at weakening them. But non of this will work without also stimulating the growth of other bacteria, which can only be done by keeping them well fed with carbon (that needs to be dosed), nitrates (that you will run out of without dosing based on current NO3 and PO4 levels) and phosphates (you have plenty of) and most likely by adding them to your aquarium (bottle, life rock, sand from an established tank).

 

[codytbuckner]

New tanks experiencing cyano outbreaks haven't been cycled properly. The whole point of cycling is to establish a healthy bacteria population that prevents outbrakes of cyanos when nitrates and phosphates are kept in balans (and measurable because in the absence of the corals found in an established reef only the other bacteria truly compete with cyanos so chasing for immeasurable nitrates and/or phosphates in a non established reef is only going to kill of your other bacteria making cyano outbrakes more likely.)

To me this looks like a reef where cyanos have become the dominant species so to solve this you want to stimulate the growth of other bacteria and make life miserable for the cyanos. Chemiclean or any other antibiotic doesn't discriminate, they will not just have an effect on cyanos but on all bacteria so aren't a viable solution because you want more of those other bacteria not less. Blackouts won't work either because even though you deprive them of the light needed to create sugars they still have plenty stored as glycogen. So turn the lights back on (your corals will need light before the cyano runs out of glycogen) and the cyano is back. And turning the lights of won't provide the other bacteria with carbon. Blackouts and reduced lighting can be used though to help weaken the cyano, but syphoning of the mats from your sandbed and liferock at the midpoint of your lightcycle is just as effective at weakening them. But non of this will work without also stimulating the growth of other bacteria, which can only be done by keeping them well fed with carbon (that needs to be dosed), nitrates (that you will run out of without dosing based on current NO3 and PO4 levels) and phosphates (you have plenty of) and most likely by adding them to your aquarium (bottle, life rock, sand from an established tank).

I'm a little lost on how I'll run out of nitrates if I'm not dosing. How? What if I start dosing bacteria?