Amino Acids, Are they worth it?

[rds85]

I just recently was given some ACROpower by two little fishes. I am wondering your guys opinion on using these? If so what would be a good dosage? 75 gal mixed reef mainly SPS.
Parameters are all good but for those who need numbers that apply to adding a food source
nitrite=0ppm
nitrate=0.25ppm
phosphate= 0.00 ( Hanna checker)
ALk= 7.7 ( carbon dosing so yes it is below 8, Stable for 5 months @7.7 with 2 part)
calc= 450
temp= 77.1-78.2
2 Gen3 Radions ( brand spanking new 2.5weeks into acclimation)
2mp10's and another crappy little power head would love to bump to 2 mp40's ($$)

The reason i am asking this is because my valida (tri color) is growing extremely well an colored up nice but my digis are pastel and have been for months before the radions and extremely slow growth. Another acro losing some color is a wild caught green acro ( assuming it was wild caught because it was on live aquaria divers den sps section and they have a specific aquaculture and mari culture section, also did not have growth tips (white) when i received it. All my other SPS are fine not super vibrant but growing just fine.
I am just looking to improve my acros and SPS color. Any recommendations. I would post photos but lets face it i don't have a quality camera and an iphone just blues everything out.


Thanks
Happy Reefing

Ryan

 

[dowtish]

I have heard nothing but good things about acropower. But dosing the proper amount and at the right time is key. I feel like if growth is rapid and the colonies are actual colonies and not frags it will get consumed properly and you will see the benefits. If not consumed that is where you run into problems with nuisance algaes etc.

I have quite a few largish colonies and I dose warner marine aminos just once every 2 weeks.

 

[rds85]

My valida is a small colony and my digis are frags. two other are colonies and the rest are just frags. Are you recommending use a very small dosage every blue moon or so?

 

[dowtish]

My valida is a small colony and my digis are frags. two other are colonies and the rest are just frags. Are you recommending use a very small dosage every blue moon or so?

Yes. You will find that SPS will kind of hit a point where the more polyps they have the more ability they have to feed and grow. When they are small they simply just take longer to do much. But then there is a point they kind of hit critical mass and they explode with growth. That is when you want to really worry with adding aminos and vitamins to enhance their colors. As long as the parameters are good and stable they should do just fine intitally.

I would dose very sparingly now.

Also, I know this is another whole topic, but I would not strive for zero on n03 and p04. 0.03 on p04 is best

 

[rds85]

That is why i was debating adding aminos to add some phosphate and maybe a tiny bit of nitrate.
What would you recommend on raising my phosphates ever so slightly? Also why would you recommend not having zeros across the board. I have heard this from other people as well just no one as truly justified enough to me and don't want to shock the tank and have a jump in nitrates or phosphates. Like we all know stability is key.
(Maybe slowly stop dosing vodka?)

 

[ZON]

AA are the only things that sps can eat easily.. And they need ever food

 

[rds85]

need ever food? or never need food?

I also have a question. What do you recommend on my water parameters to endure long term health and growth of my sps. Leave it as is or recommend changing it slowly to a different set of levels?

Ryan

 

[Felixc395]

I would also like to hear replies. I have some pastel colors and am looking into AA's as reef Chilli and Zeovit food additives just aren't cutting it.

 

[rds85]

Felixc395,

Have you already purchased some AA's? If not i am going to start dosing them once a week starting tomorrow. I can keep you posted if you want, unless i am convinced otherwise to not use them. Are all your corals pastel or just a small few like mine?

 

[ZON]

they need food ! yes.. and when they are pop colored with clean tissue without zooxanthellae , Food is only thing that they use to grown..

and AA is the most useful and easily eaten food... imho

 

[Peter Eichler]

AA are the only things that sps can eat easily..

There is no data to actually support the above statement. Corals are known to be able to synthesize their own amino acids, and it's debatable if all corals are even capable of taking them in from the water column.

I feel that most reports of success with amino acids is because they indirectly boost nitrogen levels in a nitrogen starved tank. From some testing I've done with my tanks, dosing amino acids and dosing a small amount of nitrate will have the same effect on coral coloration. Potassium nitrate and sodium nitrate in very pure forms are dirt cheap, amino acids are not. However, in the OP's case, simply peeling back from the carbon dosing should be all that's needed.

 

[dankreef]

I dose once a week now with under recommended amount. I found out what happens when you OD amino... cynooooo ! Start off really light and ease your way into it. If you see bad stuff back off some. I think they do truly help sps, do they need it.. no they get from fish poop already. Does it help.. I'm pretty convinced.

 

[rds85]

After reading that extremely long thread on reef 2 reef about acropower , i have decided to dose about 2-3mL per day every day. If anyone wants i can fill updates as the weeks go by. A lot of people had success with this product. And don't get me wrong i do agree if i begin to slow down the carbon dosing it could provide a little more nitrate in the tank and could benefit the SPS. But due to the fact i just got a bottle i plan to slowly bring down the carbon dosing as dose acropower and test test test the nitrate to not have a jump in nitrates. Because as of now i have really clean water.

 

[xtlosx]

I know someone who dosed AA's w\ a S. Gigantea and had problems with the anemone. I myself have a showpiece S. Gigantea, but have wanted to try AAs for colors, growth, etc. Anyone here have any experience with the two? Right now, just one person is a limited scope, but enough to make me worry.

 

[Felixc395]

Felixc395,

Have you already purchased some AA's? If not i am going to start dosing them once a week starting tomorrow. I can keep you posted if you want, unless i am convinced otherwise to not use them. Are all your corals pastel or just a small few like mine?

Only some of my acros are pale. Greens are easy to keep but I notice pinks and purples are lighter. I've also weened myself of the zeovit basic four, and nutrients still have not risen. However I just discovered I have red bugs and that could be a major factor. After I treat for RB's I'll see if color comes back.

 

[xtlosx]

Only some of my acros are pale. Greens are easy to keep but I notice pinks and purples are lighter. I've also weened myself of the zeovit basic four, and nutrients still have not risen. However I just discovered I have red bugs and that could be a major factor. After I treat for RB's I'll see if color comes back.

I'm doing my third red bug nuke'ing tonight, and I have to tell you, the morning after the first dose, PE was unreal, color came back a LOT within two weeks, and I'm looking to expand on color. Red bugs are MUCH worse on SPS than I had thought, now that I just went through it.

 

[Felixc395]

I'm doing my third red bug nuke'ing tonight, and I have to tell you, the morning after the first dose, PE was unreal, color came back a LOT within two weeks, and I'm looking to expand on color. Red bugs are MUCH worse on SPS than I had thought, now that I just went through it.

Just quickly, were the corals brown or pale before red bugs? I feel as if my some of my corals were pale before red bugs and just got more pale. While others were colored well and then browned out after red bugs.

Either way after treating RB I'll look into AA's. My phosphate is 0 with a Hanna checker and I have to try extremely hard to get my nitrate to detectable levels with salifert. It's at 0.3 now.

I've heard that AA's effect are more pronounced on coral growth tips than the actual body. Certainly would hope AA's help improve overall coloration.

 

[rds85]

I will post my results after a few weeks of dosing acropower. sorry to hear about the red bugs. Could have came from frags at the LFS?

 

[xtlosx]

Just quickly, were the corals brown or pale before red bugs? I feel as if my some of my corals were pale before red bugs and just got more pale. While others were colored well and then browned out after red bugs.

Either way after treating RB I'll look into AA's. My phosphate is 0 with a Hanna checker and I have to try extremely hard to get my nitrate to detectable levels with salifert. It's at 0.3 now.

I've heard that AA's effect are more pronounced on coral growth tips than the actual body. Certainly would hope AA's help improve overall coloration.

They weren't terribly pale or dis colored, but certainly there was color missing on the bodies of a lot of my frags.. I had red bugs for several months, but didn't think it was a big deal.. boy was I wrong. Suck because the pod population is dead, but tonight is my LAST time and that's it.

I've gone to a strict bayer dip procedure to not be at this spot ever again.

 

[xtlosx]

I will post my results after a few weeks of dosing acropower. sorry to hear about the red bugs. Could have came from frags at the LFS?

several local reefers have had it recently, and I have never had them, so my normal dips (I thought) should have me covered.

Having them now, Bayer dip is the ONLY way to go.