How does a scrubber compare to vodka (carbon) dosing?
Both remove nitrate and phosphate. Vodka, however, requires a skimmer to operate (to remove the bacteria that grows), and this skimmer thus also removes food from the water. Vodka also reduces the oxygen in the water (bacteria use it). Scrubbers don’t require (and work best without) a skimmer, and they add oxygen to the water. Lastly is the safety issue of vodka: If you carelessly pour it from a bottle, and pour “just a few ounces too much”, your entire tank will be dead in a few hours. With a scrubber, there is nothing that can happen which would cause such a situation.
Both remove nitrate and phosphate. Vodka, however, requires a skimmer to operate (to remove the bacteria that grows), and the skimmer thus also removes food (protein) from the water. Vodka also reduces the oxygen in the water (bacteria use oxygen). Scrubbers don’t require (and work best without) a skimmer, and add oxygen to the water. Lastly is the safety issue of vodka: If you carelessly pour it from a bottle, “just a few ounces too much” can kill your entire tank in a few hours. With a scrubber, there is nothing that can happen which would cause such a situation. Scrubbers cannot kill your tank under any situation.
