Vinegar dosing making some acropora corals browner?

[KGV]

Did any of you with lots of different acropora species observed that dosing vinegar (100 ml, 5%, per day for a 800 liter tank) turns some acros browner? In particular some valida’s and my pearlberry Acro. I read that acetate can be used by some dinoflagellates and could increase their numbers and perhaps this causes browning? Note that most of acros are not affected.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

Acetate can be used by most organisms in the tank, and that at least has the potential to increase the zoox in corals.

How did you arrive at that dose?

Maybe a lower dose is more appropriate.

 

[Miami Reef]

You can also switch to vodka. Zooxanthella can’t directly consume vodka.

 

[KGV]

Acetate can be used by most organisms in the tank, and that at least has the potential to increase the zoox in corals.

How did you arrive at that dose?

Maybe a lower dose is more appropriate.

I increases the dose until it matches my feeding so that NO3 is steady.

 

[KGV]

You can also switch to vodka. Zooxanthella can’t directly consume vodka.

That’s what I did, now it’d 50/50 acetate/ethanol.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

I increases the dose until it matches my feeding so that NO3 is steady.

Over what time period? Days? Weeks? Months?

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

That’s what I did, now it’d 50/50 acetate/ethanol.

Did it help?

Does 50/50 mean equal volumes of equal organics dosed?

 

[KGV]

Over what time period? Days? Weeks? Months?

About 4-6 weeks.

 

[KGV]

Did it help?

Does 50/50 mean equal volumes of equal organics dosed?

Only started 3 days ago. 50/50 is equal moles of each.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

OK, let's us know if that helps.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

FWIW, ethanol packs more energy per mole than acetic acid, so you might find you want to scale back the dose if nitrate declines more.