Amino Acids and SPS

[k2parkstar]

Do any of you with mature sps tanks dose anything other than cal, alk, or mg? Specifically amino acids? If so what is your choice additive?

 

[sparky45]

I only add alk to my tank. I use oceanic salt that is high in Cal.

 

[Dexters Reef]

I am pretty new to sps, but all of mine are thriving and looking good. A very trustworthy LFS employee told me on his home sps tank, and the LFS sps tank he doses red sea reef energy A/B daily. One of those is amino acids and proteins, the other is vitamins.

I have been using them since I started sps, and have had a lot of good luck. Nice colors, great polyp extension, good growth. Not sure if this stuff is actually contributing or not, because I don't have experience "not using" them with sps.

 

[echopiece]

I am pretty new to sps, but all of mine are thriving and looking good. A very trustworthy LFS employee told me on his home sps tank, and the LFS sps tank he doses red sea reef energy A/B daily. One of those is amino acids and proteins, the other is vitamins.

I have been using them since I started sps, and have had a lot of good luck. Nice colors, great polyp extension, good growth. Not sure if this stuff is actually contributing or not, because I don't have experience "not using" them with sps.

I'm interested in this as well. Dexter, do you have a tank thread or pics of your system using the red sea products?

 

[power boat jim]

I use oyster feast 2x a week, seemed to help pick up the color a bit.

 

[k2parkstar]

I use oyster feast 2x a week, seemed to help pick up the color a bit.

I've been using oyster feast as well to feed. I'm looking for other additives like amino acids, or vitamin C.

 

[Allmost]

I dose AA from KZ once in a while, but Xtra 3 times a week, which is essentially AA and some trace elements. from my experience, AA darkens the color.
so I dose when I feel like my corals look pale.

 

[psykobowler]

Elos amino omega and reef nutrition oyster feast are part of my daily feeding along with brine shrimp, mysis, blood worms and ocean nutrition flakes. I used to use brightwell coral amino but Elos is much more concentrated. You get more for the money.

 

[CUNAReefer]

I dose AA from KZ once in a while, but Xtra 3 times a week, which is essentially AA and some trace elements. from my experience, AA darkens the color.
so I dose when I feel like my corals look pale.

Allmost, I like your style!

I dose the Xtra Special, the AAHC, and the ZEOFood. All three have aminos in them. At least I've read that the ZEOFood is a form of aminos and a carbon source. I dose a different one each day. I have begun to feed the oyster feast every other day now. Here are a couple actinic shots of my tank.

And some daylights

 

[k_red_raider]

Wow I wish I had a frag rack like that!!

I dose Zeo food, Zeo AA, Zeo coral vitalizer, and Phols xtra and seem to have good luck with them

 

[allsps40]

I dose next to nothing these days, only kalk in my ATO and I do water changes. All my sps grow fast and are colorful as ever and healthy. I no longer add any additives or feed anything but the fish pellet food and once in a while a frozen mix. My sps have never looked so good. I have a RP that was always green now it is getting red and pink on the tips. I have tried the AA, ULNS, dosing mg, K, potassium ect ect. What a waste of money. Just keep a stable system with good lighting. Hell my tank is not even the cleanest as of right now since I need to replace the po4 media.

 

[creefer01]

I dose next to nothing these days, only kalk in my ATO and I do water changes. All my sps grow fast and are colorful as ever and healthy. I no longer add any additives or feed anything but the fish pellet food and once in a while a frozen mix. My sps have never looked so good. I have a RP that was always green now it is getting red and pink on the tips. I have tried the AA, ULNS, dosing mg, K, potassium ect ect. What a waste of money. Just keep a stable system with good lighting. Hell my tank is not even the cleanest as of right now since I need to replace the po4 media.

This is interesting to me. I've recently stopped dosing everything. I'm running a VERY small amount of biopellets and other than that I'm not doing anything. I feed oyster feast once a week, but other than that, nothing.

I stopped dosing things because some of my SPS frags have been fading in color and becoming very pastel while others are doing extremely well. Considering this, I moved back to the "KISS" method and hope for the best.

I'm interested to follow this thread and see what people have to say.

 

[Allmost]

Allmost, I like your style!

I like ure frag tank ! looks awesome ! love the rich color on the pieces, while at the same time no sign of brown and stress.

what are ppl saying Zeovit makes corals too pale

 

[Duc1098]

I started using Aquavitro Fuel, which is a vitamin/amino acid, about five days ago with the idea that I might get better colors and PE as a result. So far I have not noticed much by way of colors but the PE is slightly better. I just ordered the Red Sea Reef Energy part A/B to see if it that is any better. The Aquavitro does not last very long requiring a 50ml dose per day for my 200g tank.

 

[allsps40]

Back when I ran a ULNS I used Fuel and saw improvements in coral PE, growth and color, I also had to feed a ton to keep the corals from paling. I just dont feel you need to add all these $10-$20 per bottle additives to have colorful thriving corals. There are some people out there making a killing selling reef additives. Stability, ca, alk, water changes and good lighting are all you need.

 

[Duc1098]

Back when I ran a ULNS I used Fuel and saw improvements in coral PE, growth and color, I also had to feed a ton to keep the corals from paling. I just dont feel you need to add all these $10-$20 per bottle additives to have colorful thriving corals. There are some people out there making a killing selling reef additives. Stability, ca, alk, water changes and good lighting are all you need.

How do you not have a ULNS? I wasn't going for that, but that is what I ended up with and just recently found out I need to be dosing all these additives. I have also just recently started feeding daily, the coral in the morning with cyclop-eeze and the fish in the afternoon with Rod's complete reef. I have been on the regime now for a few weeks and I may have seen a nudge in the PO4 but it is to small to tell with my test kit so I ordered a Hanna Checker. Thanks.

 

[allsps40]

I no longer dose a carbon source have not for a while now. UNLS are too much work, too hard to keep the sps happy and it is a fine line between a super clean tank and nice corals to having bleaching starving corals. JME

 

[k2parkstar]

CUNA, those are some phenominal colors! Great information guys!

 

[Dexters Reef]

Here are some pics of my system with Red Sea supplements