About to ditch ZEOvit!

[malx]

Don't know about rollermat. I don't even know there is this kind of product before viewing this thread. :lmao:

I use filter sock, but not 24/7. I only use it to collect debris after I blow them off the rocks, once a week or after water change.

Try not to make the water too clean. Some floating particles and planktons are good for the system and for the corals to feed on.

Good advice. I spoke to BRS they said they haven't heard of any issues and they said they sell a lot. I trust them. I have a theory, I'll post it in a sec.

 

[malx]

Here's a theory I thought about. Let me know what you guys think. So let's say I have X number of corals doing well. The system is stable and they are growing slowly. Next, let's say I add Y number of corals, but Y number is a lot. Let's say Y = X/2. So if I had 20 corals, I've added 10.

Now, if I have A B and C elements that are sufficient to run X corals, but a bit on the low spectrum, and I add Y number, could the combination of X and Y corals be too many, deplete A B and C elements, and the corals suffer as a result?

 

[lynchmob3000]

What lighting are you running?


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[LordDarth Bane]

Here's a theory I thought about. Let me know what you guys think. So let's say I have X number of corals doing well. The system is stable and they are growing slowly. Next, let's say I add Y number of corals, but Y number is a lot. Let's say Y = X/2. So if I had 20 corals, I've added 10.

Now, if I have A B and C elements that are sufficient to run X corals, but a bit on the low spectrum, and I add Y number, could the combination of X and Y corals be too many, deplete A B and C elements, and the corals suffer as a result?

Possibly, especially when elements A B C are dKH, Ca, and Mg.

I have always been a firm believer that weekly 10% water change could not correct everything. It just postpones disaster. It would dilute pollutants and replenish some elements, but the water would never get back to as good as day 1.

Thats why you need dosing, and big water change for those elements that we couldn't check. A big enough water change once or twice a year could help getting back those parameters to where they should be.

 

[malx]

What lighting are you running?


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6 unit ATI T5 bulbs. 4 blue one purple and one actinic. Also two Kessil A80s for white shimmer.


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[malx]

Possibly, especially when elements A B C are dKH, Ca, and Mg.



I have always been a firm believer that weekly 10% water change could not correct everything. It just postpones disaster. It would dilute pollutants and replenish some elements, but the water would never get back to as good as day 1.



Thats why you need dosing, and big water change for those elements that we couldn't check. A big enough water change once or twice a year could help getting back those parameters to where they should be.

Yes big water changes are good advice. I was considering doing something like 2 gallon water changes every few days to see if that helps. Once a year I like to do a series of 30% water changes a few days apart. If I don't see improvement in my tank in another 4 weeks with the small changes I'm going to try a large one.


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[malx]

Also my montipora is coloring up a bit since I've been dosing more K and Iodine. I'm gunna give it a week and run another triton teat


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[chgoblknazn]

What's your total water volume? Are your corals alk and calcium needs so big that you need a reactor now? I would assume that weekly water changes would be ok, as you don't have a lot of coral at the moment.

 

[kenneth wolfe]

Get automatic feader.

 

[malx]

So seems like iodine dosing is going well. Corals came back with color within a week and no additional algae. I wonder if this was the element that was missing. That's the only change I made


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[chgoblknazn]

So seems like iodine dosing is going well. Corals came back with color within a week and no additional algae. I wonder if this was the element that was missing. That's the only change I made


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I'm curious which iodine supplement you used.

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[Ztrain]

Correct me if I'm wrong but just reading through the thread you never actually did the Zeo system correctly? In the guide it pretty clearly states don't have anything additional on the system. You have a roller, you had an algae reactor etc. It says no other export methods are to be used. No GFO no bio pellets etc. Then you took one of the core parts off which was the Zeolites that are supposed to be the home of the bacteria that you are still dosing in to the system without the rocks.....

So far everyone I see not having good luck with it are generally doing it wrong by adding their own "extras" to the method or only implementing part of it because they don't think they need this part because of this or that. The previous thread I was reading said he wasn't having good luck with it and then went on to talk about his UV sterilizer............. Personal opinion is do it right or not at all.

 

[malx]

Correct me if I'm wrong but just reading through the thread you never actually did the Zeo system correctly? In the guide it pretty clearly states don't have anything additional on the system. You have a roller, you had an algae reactor etc. It says no other export methods are to be used. No GFO no bio pellets etc. Then you took one of the core parts off which was the Zeolites that are supposed to be the home of the bacteria that you are still dosing in to the system without the rocks.....

So far everyone I see not having good luck with it are generally doing it wrong by adding their own "extras" to the method or only implementing part of it because they don't think they need this part because of this or that. The previous thread I was reading said he wasn't having good luck with it and then went on to talk about his UV sterilizer............. Personal opinion is do it right or not at all.

Well if you read my thread I took the ZEO reactor off and added an Algae reactor in its place. I wasn't having luck with the reactor and once I took it off I saw an immediate benefit. Also, I stopped dosing all of the NO3 PO4 reducing elements and that seems to help. Not sure why the rollermat is under blast it's just a filter sock that I don't have to change.

 

[malx]

I'm curious which iodine supplement you used.

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I'm using the KZ stuff: https://www.bulkreefsupply.com/iron-concentrate-complex-korallen-zucht.html

G. Alexander seems to be pretty accurate with his dosing recommendations too. I followed his instructions of 5 drops for 5 days and then 2 drops daily and as per my Triton test, although it's still low, it's holing solid which is good. I'm going to increase this dosing 1 drop per day and in 6 weeks do another test.

I'm also adding Iron to the mix as that is 0, and I'd like to get that slightly above 0 as well.

 

[malx]

What's your total water volume? Are your corals alk and calcium needs so big that you need a reactor now? I would assume that weekly water changes would be ok, as you don't have a lot of coral at the moment.

My CA, Alk, and Mg have never been the issue. I'm able to get those to hold pretty well at..

Between 7 and 7.5
Ca: 470
Mg: 1400

Ca reactor works well. I have a good amount of coral I'd say and I'm seeing a lot of growth.

 

[malx]

Also everyone...

I've noticed since I removed my ZEO reactor my phosphates are crept up from .01 to .02 over the span of three months. I think that helped a lot.

Cheers,
Joey

 

[malx]

i ran full zeovit religously for 6ish years here is my last zeo tank

and now i run a tank with nothing but a skimmer

What T5 unit is this?

 

[rtparty]

What T5 unit is this?

Looks like a Giesemann unit to me

 

[Ztrain]

Well if you read my thread I took the ZEO reactor off and added an Algae reactor in its place. I wasn't having luck with the reactor and once I took it off I saw an immediate benefit. Also, I stopped dosing all of the NO3 PO4 reducing elements and that seems to help. Not sure why the rollermat is under blast it's just a filter sock that I don't have to change.

Ahhh gotcha I took when you said you turned it up that it was already on there at the same time as the Zeo and added flow or intensity to the light or something.

 

[malx]

Im not suggesting you stop Zeo. I think Zeo does have benefits in regards to using carbon dosing to both feed and keep nutrients "low", but the key is to NOT chase 0/0. Low nutrients is good....but IMHO ZERO detectable nutrients for most tanks is disaster. Unless you are feeding massive amounts, and you have such efficient nutrient export and bioload that you can maintain 0/0 (which 99% of tanks are not capable of), then you are better off with small amounts of nutrients. In my experience, I like to push my feeding/nutrients (mostly nitrate) to the point where i start getting small amounts of hair algae in the display, then back it off a bit. For me that tends to be Nitrate <5ppm or so. Po4 I tend to try to keep low as well, but not 0.

You know I've had this hair algae advice in the back of my head for the longest time and once I saw it started to grow in mine my corals started to look great.