Dosing sugar???????

[toniell]

I was reading on another board and they were talking about dosing sugar anybody with a opinion, or input?

[thekid55]

sounds like a no no to me

[ScruffyRubicon]

Originally Posted by toniell

I was reading on another board and they were talking about dosing sugar anybody with a opinion, or input?

What was the reason for it? Sounds odd to me.

[toniell]

here is a link the thread,
http://aquariacanada.com/forums/showthread.php?t=11720

[crvz]

I don't know the chemistry behind this (something similar to dosing vodka, I think), but it was a fad at one point. I don't think it's very beneficial.

[DrFish33]

Very interesting stuff...hmmm...i'm curious about this. Ya'll try and keep this thread bumped up to the top for as long as it takes for someone with some experience with this to drop us some knowledge.

[lance]

i don't know about that... i work for domino sugar and we have to watch the amount of sugar that leaks into the mississippi river because the sugar takes oxygen out of the water and to much will kill aquatic life...we have a siren that will go off if any sugar gets through which i have been there for 5 years and have never heard it yet

[talon4x4]

Originally Posted by lance

i don't know about that... i work for domino sugar and we have to watch the amount of sugar that leaks into the mississippi river because the sugar takes oxygen out of the water and to much will kill aquatic life...we have a siren that will go off if any sugar gets through which i have been there for 5 years and have never heard it yet

Cause for concern would probably be very high amounts of sugar. They are only talking about dosing 1/8 teaspoon per 25 gallons every other day. The arguement for using it seems pretty plausable and makes good sense. I think I'm going to give it a try. The nitrates in my 55gal have been right around 20-30ppm. It a fish only tank, so no corals to worry about. I'll let everyone know how it goes.

[mcliffy2]

I think it is supposed to help good bacteria grow. Sort of like zeovit or prodibio. One thing to certainly be aware of that I know is a problem with zeo and prodibio, so it may be a problem w/ sugar or vodka - if you don't have your levels near natural seawater (ie 8 kh, lower than most of us keep it), you can run into some serious problems.

[thekid55]

i would not do it i think the sugar mask the nitrates or makes it so it wont test right.

lets talk about it here. your adding a substance that would make your nitrates go up. just more nutrients to be broken down makes no sense to me

ok looked at the thread. with out any long term test and i mean like 1 to 2 years of doing this i wouldnt say its safe on a fish only or reef. it could be messing with the fish. soaking into the sand bed or killing corals and live rock

just dont know until someone does some real test

[mcliffy2]

check it out more thoroughly before you knock it...i dont personally do it, but there is some science behind it. I think the sugar feeds bacteria that reduce nitrates and nutrients, but its a delicate balance, too much, and it has the opposite effect. the zeovit method is the expensive way to do this, but it requires some skills to pull off...have seen some A-Mazing tanks that swear by it...
heres a link:
http://www.captiveoceans.com/pdfs/ZEOguide1.02.pdf

and heres some proof:

[thekid55]

the zeovit is alot just to make good bacteria and lower nitrates. why not just do a water change and get to the root of the problem

[mcliffy2]

well that, and you can run phosphate...but i think its more than that, i guess theoretically you get your good bacteria up beyond levels you could otherwise so you can keep more fish and grow more organisms up the food chain (zooplankton, pods, etc). From what I've heard and seen, it can be very beneficial, but its a double edged sword...it takes flawless husbandry (pretty much need an aquacontroller to keep your levels constant) or it can backfire bigtime and cause a crash. thats why personally, i will stick to water changes, a phosphate reactor, and good skimming.

[john_auberry]

I have does vodkia befor to reduse Nitite BUT IF YOU DONT UNDERSTAND WHY THEN DONT DO IT. Like I have had to use driveway deicer in my tank befor. But I was under the supervison of chemist/ reefers.

[mcliffy2]

Originally Posted by john_auberry

I have does vodkia befor to reduse Nitite BUT IF YOU DONT UNDERSTAND WHY THEN DONT DO IT. Like I have had to use driveway deicer in my tank befor. But I was under the supervison of chemist/ reefers.

that sounds like a good story....