• Vinegar method in the reef. Questions.

  • Jeremy8404

At Riffcentral, it is widely recommended to use vinegar instead of vodka to reduce nitrates. Apparently, it works better. Has anyone tried doing something like this? Any impressions? The Google translation from English is quite clumsy and doesn't always convey the thoughts of those Americans who describe this method.

Cynthia6578

Some KZ chemistry with vinegar, but I think it's used as a preservative there, or maybe not.

Johnny

I would slightly adjust it - vodka-sugar-vinegar. At the moment, it's the perfect combination to add to the aquarium. But it's incredibly lazy.

Brenda

What is the ratio? In what sense?

Tonya

Can we go into details?

Mark9853

Somewhere there was also something about vinegar, if I find it, I will attach it, but for now, this is practically off-topic! Here they discuss everything: sugar, vodka, vinegar. Once, in a soft aquarium, I used such a cocktail; I regret I don't remember who advised it, but it was a sailor from our forum. At that time, I wasn't getting useful information from RC... I managed to reduce the nitrate from 25 to 10 and maintained it by decreasing the dosage... I found it!

Lori4746

Tanya, I mentioned in the first post of the thread that this was somewhere, even where exactly. The question was not about how to use a translator. The question was directed at the forum members or, more broadly, at the Russian-speaking part of the aquarists. This was done because, although Americans have advanced further than us in technology, they also tend to exaggerate more. I wanted to hear opinions from those who are trusted here.

Brian6895

There are indeed many things on the RC, so I shared what I had in my favorites; I've been collecting different links for a long time. I have Google translating automatically, so I don't see any problems. After reading for a couple of months, you can understand this bird-like translation. And the last link, in my opinion, is problem-free, and everything can be understood. Well, if you want folklore... we are waiting for our lovers of marine aquariums, but I don't think anyone will explain anything in detail like the p...s do.

Chad

It's a pity. Maybe there will still be good people? Pins are translated so unclearly - I guess I'll have to learn "bird language."

Melissa3820

On the logo in the vodka method topic, there are other recipes for carbon additives: add 50% solution + 50% vodka. Description of the method in English. Here on the logo and further in the posts by PabloEscobar. Regarding the dosage: the initial dose is 0.1 - 0.5 ml of VSV per 76 liters (gallon - 3.8 liters?).

Denise

For this, the word is not needed; it was written entirely, written with words.

Joseph6461

The link has already been provided above! You can read from message 730 here. Now we are waiting to see who specifically poured vinegar from our sailors and what the reaction will be... the consequences...

Andrea

In terms of taking a long time with VSV.) Three components, after all. In general, I just poured some vodka and it's fine. Tanya already provided a link to the logo above; they spent a lot of time on VSV.

Chelsea

I didn't believe it would help, I thought it was a lie. I took a 100ml bottle of medical alcohol (from the pharmacy), added a few tablespoons of vinegar and glucose (from the diabetic section). I kept adding glucose until it stopped dissolving. I fed the bacteria with this awful mixture. It's not worth getting carried away with this method using a syringe, unless the nitrates and phosphates are not decreasing at all. You need to fight the cause, not the consequence.

John828

Hooray...found it! Thank you, it really helped, maybe vodka would have helped too, but at that time I had no experience at all...

Kimberly

only brown sugar if any the method is actually effective, but some of us get carried away and don't stick to the dosage, increasing it instead... THE BEST IS THE ENEMY OF THE GOOD ))))) and the foam should not be weak )))

Gene1948

Do you mean cane sugar? And why not replace it with glucose or fructose?

Nancy758

It means brown, that is, unprocessed with orthophosphoric acid. P.S. I think you already asked me this. By the way, does table vinegar have any other impurities/additives? I've seen good results when replacing vinegar with acetic acid.

James4757

A couple of months ago, I watched a TV program that talked about so-called "cane sugar." There are many fakes, and it's difficult to buy the real thing. Often, dyed sugar is sold under the guise of "cane sugar." That's why I suggested glucose or fructose, which can be easily purchased in the diabetic section, where there should be fewer impurities. P.S. There was once a conversation about vodka with us; I was asking (bothering with questions).

Joe

I would not recommend keeping all components together (insoluble aldehydes are formed). Why not white sugar? Because it is treated with orthophosphoric acid (H3PO4), but bacteria still need phosphorus for ATP (energy) synthesis. The "vodka" method (alcohol, sugar, vinegar) will not work fully for long without phosphates.

Phillip9722

Yes, it only refers to the phosphates in the system, not those you want to introduce from outside))) If there is no phosphate, then there is no need to add it))) Otherwise, it contradicts the essence of the method.

Heather6148

If you suffer from the purity of the raw material, then you need to go to the pharmacy for glucose in ampoules, or at least that's what I think.

Julia

Sugar consists of glucose and sucrose. It provides a more diverse feeding source for bacteria, and various impurities can be disregarded. There is no need to fear monocultures, and additionally, glucose has an advantage over alcohol and vinegar in that it integrates into a greater number of food chains, both anaerobic and aerobic.

Bethany

I disagree about cane sugar; it can be anything, even dyed/caramelized white sugar. If you are concerned about phosphate residues in white sugar, switch to glucose. Regarding vinegar, I think table vinegar is a blend of water and acetic acid; if there are any impurities, it's likely due to poor water preparation or dirty containers, not because something else is added. So, if we want pharmaceutical purity, we take alcohol + acetic acid + glucose; we just need to recalculate.

Nicole

And what are all these intricacies for? Which bacteria are you feeding, and for what purpose? Can you elaborate a bit more? Or just send me some links, I'll read up on it.

Emily3506

Too lazy to read the first page of this topic?

Brooke3987

An interesting topic, but it somehow ended abruptly without a conclusion. If I understood correctly from the links provided above, the recipe is: 200 ml of vodka, 50 ml of vinegar, and 1.5 tablespoons of sugar. And we dose 0.1-0.5 ml per 75 liters.