So, I have an 80g FOWLR tank that is about 9 months old. Well cycled and great. Has about 60 lbs of LR. For nearly the entire life of the tank, everything has been great. Had some initial hiccups, but never really lost ANY fish w/ the exception of one Coral Beauty that got marine TB. I had the tank fairly heavily stocked w/ typically only nano fish (clown gobbies, dragonets, small blennies, etc). Despite having 18 fish, I probably only had about 24 inches of fish. I also have a 3-4" fine sand/crushed coral bed.
With all this in mind, I decided to start vodka dosing a little more than 3 months ago to help with the infamous nitrate problem. I hadn't seen any real difference since I started dosing with the exception of a micro-bubble issue, which I attributed to the heavy skimming that comes with carbon dosing. I was dosing very very very slowly... only increasing 0.4 mL of 80 proof per 7 days. Despite no progress with the nitrate, I continued to press on. With this in mind, about 3 weeks ago my nitrates finally came out of the 60-80s, and dropped below 20, but my nitrites were oddly and slightly positive during this time as well. I was ecstatic, though. It was working. But then suddenly and out of no where, I began losing live stock... and dramatically so. A fish death about every 3 days. And this morning I woke up to three fish dead and probably four more on the way out.
I have a vet who did a fellowship in vet school on domesticated fish keeping. I spoke with her about this... and her response shocked me: "Well, I'm not surprised." With my mouth gaping open. She offered this info:
Vodka dosing should probably be limited to SPS-only tanks. While the carbon is a great food source for the denitrifying bacteria, it is also a great food source for a host of other anaerobic bacteria, many of which can be pathogenic. So, when you dose a tank with fish (especially a FOWLR), you are playing with fire. In my experience, I have seen a host of tanks crash b/c a certain bacteria was given the resources to get out of control and wipeout all the fish. This risks the vodka dosing pose to a tank and it's vertebrate-livestock is significant, and not just cyano- or skimming-related problems. While there is never certainty in the fish-keeping hobby, I find carbon dosing to be a bit more dangerous than many hobbyist would have you believe.
Sighs, why did I not read anything about this? Did I just miss it. Honestly, I am staring at a 40-page pile of info on vodka dosing that I read before I started. There's nothing about this. I am devastated... I feel like a terrible steward to these animals and an awful hobbyist. I really did care for these animals, and now they're all dead or dying.
So first off, has anyone else every run into this issue?
Secondly, please heed this warning. Low nitrates are not worth this!
With all this in mind, I decided to start vodka dosing a little more than 3 months ago to help with the infamous nitrate problem. I hadn't seen any real difference since I started dosing with the exception of a micro-bubble issue, which I attributed to the heavy skimming that comes with carbon dosing. I was dosing very very very slowly... only increasing 0.4 mL of 80 proof per 7 days. Despite no progress with the nitrate, I continued to press on. With this in mind, about 3 weeks ago my nitrates finally came out of the 60-80s, and dropped below 20, but my nitrites were oddly and slightly positive during this time as well. I was ecstatic, though. It was working. But then suddenly and out of no where, I began losing live stock... and dramatically so. A fish death about every 3 days. And this morning I woke up to three fish dead and probably four more on the way out.
I have a vet who did a fellowship in vet school on domesticated fish keeping. I spoke with her about this... and her response shocked me: "Well, I'm not surprised." With my mouth gaping open. She offered this info:
Vodka dosing should probably be limited to SPS-only tanks. While the carbon is a great food source for the denitrifying bacteria, it is also a great food source for a host of other anaerobic bacteria, many of which can be pathogenic. So, when you dose a tank with fish (especially a FOWLR), you are playing with fire. In my experience, I have seen a host of tanks crash b/c a certain bacteria was given the resources to get out of control and wipeout all the fish. This risks the vodka dosing pose to a tank and it's vertebrate-livestock is significant, and not just cyano- or skimming-related problems. While there is never certainty in the fish-keeping hobby, I find carbon dosing to be a bit more dangerous than many hobbyist would have you believe.
Sighs, why did I not read anything about this? Did I just miss it. Honestly, I am staring at a 40-page pile of info on vodka dosing that I read before I started. There's nothing about this. I am devastated... I feel like a terrible steward to these animals and an awful hobbyist. I really did care for these animals, and now they're all dead or dying.
So first off, has anyone else every run into this issue?
Secondly, please heed this warning. Low nitrates are not worth this!