can someone please tell me how to use the vodka treatment to kill algae

how much??

how often??

will any vodka work (cheap stuff)??

it would be cool if someone could help im sick of wasting money on the algae stuff from the shops as it never works for me....thanks

I think if you knock back half a glass with your evening meal you will probably find you aren't troubled by algae. If you knock back half a bottle you'll probably find you aren't troubled by anything!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Sorry, just kidding. I'd be interested in knowing the dosage for tanks as well

Cheers

Jude

well jude i was waiting for a smart reply .... but didnt think it would be from you.....lol.... yes the dam algae drives me crazy.... might invest in a uv system if the vodka does not work......

wow I've heard of vodka for killing fish, but never for killing algae! I'm intrigued...

have you checked your phosphate (i think thats the one) levels? you need to find the cause and fix it, it wont be expensive once you know whats doing it, but in saying that im the type of person who prefers to try to go natural and fix the source than just get rid of it temporarily, up to you. and like whetu said, ive heard of people killing fish with alcohol but never to kill algae!

Have a look at the thread antibacterial remedies for cyanobacteria under aquatic plants. I have just caused a bacterial bloom by adding too much too soon so be careful how much you use. I also had added copper to get rid of snails so I am not sure if there was a reaction there. I used pure ethanol. I will try it carefully again once I bring the tank back to some normality. The salties use it and may be able to give better advice. It is a form of free carbon like CO2 but is also a food for nitrifying (and other) bacteria, but is a lot cheaper than Flourish Excel. I used 2.5 mls ehanol (6-7 mls vodka) in 300 litres water with no change, then 5mls ethanol (12 mls vodka) and the tank went very cloudy very soon afterwards. I did a 40% water change and it is still a bit cloudy today so I will do some more then see what happens.

The first thing is, Is your tank near a window and getting to much light or is your tank light to bright, both of these contribute greatly to algea problems, I have had both and fixed them and not had a problem since.

If that is not the problem then go and buy some Bristlenose Catfish they work a treat. I have found about 4 Bristlenose per 2ft of tank is perfect for cleaning tanks.

I think if you knock back half a glass with your evening meal you will probably find you aren't troubled by algae. If you knock back half a bottle you'll probably find you aren't troubled by anything!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Good one Jude :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:

I didn't know that you could use it to kill algae either! Yes, I to read somewhere in the salt water section about them using it, but darn, I didn't think it was for killing algae...sorry, I forget

stompa...don't know if I missed a post of yours or not (haven't been on for a few days, hurt my back!) but why do you want to treat your tank for algae???

no anks not by a window or the daylight gets no where near the tank.... its strange to me as its a bright green algae and its no all through the tank just on the top of the ship ornament ive got in the tank.... its not growing on the side of the ship e.t.c and as it grows its a real stringy type of algae..... i may have to get some more bristlenose as ive got 2 for a 4 foot tank so by the sounds of it i need maybe 4-6 of them.....theres only 60 watts of light so it cant be too much light i dont think ....

dee_jay heres a pic of the algae im trying to get rid off as you can see from the pic it only grows on top not on the sides..... what do you think???

dam why is my pic so small..... can anyone tell me what i did wrong??

You are lucky, it is not a harmfull algae, It is actually more of a moss than an algae. You will find that the bristlenose may not touch it. It is common to get it on top of sponge filters and ornaments. not sure of the name though.

Anyways, try taking the ornament out, scrubbing it and boiling it in salt water for about 2mins, that shoulds kill anything on it.

If it is too big to boil, put in in the kitchen or bathroom sink and pouring the boiling water over it, and letting it soak for a couple of minutes.

ok dee_jay ill have to do it in the bath as its to big to boil in the pot..... what do you think is causing it??? ...... its a pain in the bum..... ive never had this problem before.....

Have you put in any foreign matter eg. weed or rocks, from any lakes, rivers, or any body of water since you started the tank??? it is the only thing we (myself and partner) can think of???

We have noticed something similar on top of our sponge filter now aswell, it is not harming any of our fish.

i havnt put anything in except some new plants ( just ground cover) when i was doing a water change last nite i got the sissors and gave it a trim it was like mowing the lawn..... ill do the boiling water thing when take the fish out to put in there new tanks im building as i dont want to upset them at the moment ..... there new setups will be ready this weekend i hope (as long as work dosent get busy)... must just be one of those anoying algaes..... thanks for your help dee_jay

Hi Stompa, I'm normally a Salty but had a look in the Freshwater section & saw your thread.

Vodka can be used in salt water systems to keep them clean, but it will not work in fresh water.

The reason is, the vodka provides a food source for bacteria, as correctly stated already. So when there are excess algae causing nutrients in the tank, such as phosphate, the vodka will give the bacteria the carbon part of their diet they need, to multiply and consume the other nutrients. If this results in a good bacterial bloom, this is what causes the cloudy appearance described, it is bacteria.

The reason this will clean up a salt water tank, is that salt water tanks use a device called a protein skimmer. I won't go into the workings of it, but essentially a protein skimmer removes small particulate matter such as bacteria from the water. So, if the bacteria are consuming the unwanted nutrients, and are then skimmed and removed from the tank along with the nutrients they consume, this will clean the tank & stop algae growing. But it won't work in a fresh water tank because there is no protein skimmer. A vodka addition may certainly cause a bacterial bloom, and they may eat the excess nutrients, but end of the day the bacteria stay in the tank, and the nutrients will in one way or another eventually be released back into the system.

Sorry for the negative outcome on this, but thought I'd explain it.

Hope you find another way!

thanks for that wasp..... i put some phosphate remover stuff in my filter tonite as the phosphates were a little above the normal..... i just hope my discus will be ok as there not as active as usual after putting it in.... there breathing normal but there fins seem a little clamped...... i just hope they will be ok i dont want to loose any..... fingers crossed for a good site in the morning

Its morning how are they?

well they all seem to be ok......... but it was a late night i tested just after i posted my last message and well i found the prob ..... 8.0 ph ..... it was all go here till early hours. i got the stuff out & put some peat fibre into the filter to try and bring it back down ........ ive just got outta bed and they all look better except for one ive just noticed.... will keep a close eye on him this morning....... gee and im only one day from putting them all in there new tank to

GOOD LUCK, Just as well you were onto it!!

Would a dash of vinegar have been an easier way to reduce PH?

Also, I thought in FW aquaria, the problem was to keep PH up, as it tended to fall. IF I'm correct there, how did your PH get up to 8.0?