Brightwell Aquatics NeoZeo method.

[Nanz]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14662509#post14662509 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by austin93
Nanz, thanks for the follow up. I guess that empirical evidence is what's most important and why they generally don't give very specific directions for dosing. They just say to make changes as needed. I too have noticed less cyano (still some hiding behind the rockwork in low flow areas) but am having a hard time with the white cottony (sp.) stuff all over the glass. I believe it to be bacteria and have made some dosing changes. I have went from 2 ml to about .5 ml of mb7 and about .5ml of biofuel. Does anyone think that maybe this is due to a lack of nutrients? Maybe I should start dosing amino acids a little earlier. I am on my 3rd week, but started with no detectable trates or phates.

Wind, I think that the general agreement is you need to add Amino Acids, Potassium, and Vitamin C. Someone correct me if I am wrong, as I am going to be adding these into the tank in that order very soon. Probably do a week of each and note the results (more empirical data) before adding the next.

I know exactly what you mean, the white cottony stuff your talking about is only in my sump but when I dose my mb7 and my biofuel I dose them in the return section near my phosban reactor that contains neozeo stones. During the first two weeks I noticed this white cottony stuff accumulating there but not in the main tank. Do you add your dose to the main tank or the sump? I also shut off skimmer/return when when I dose for 1 hour but I keep the neozeo reactor running. I dont know if this helps but this is what Im experiencing.

 

[austin93]

I add everything to the sump near the return. There really isn't any in the sump, just the display. The snails seem to like it, but there just isn't enough of them to get the job done. I just ordered a clean up crew from liveaquaria and will get it tomorrow. 60$ shipped is pretty cheap for the amt of critters I will get. The water is getting clearer every day, but the corals are getting lighter colored. I jumped ahead a little last night and added 3 drops of AA to my dosing. Hopefully no negative effects.

 

[Wind]

Just ordered a bunch of their products. Will let folks know.

I'm planning on just dosing, and feeding my tank. No reactor.

Thanks

 

[Wind]

Just ordered a bunch of their products. Will let folks know.

I'm planning on just dosing, and feeding my tank. No reactor.

Thanks

 

[Nanz]

My dosing schedule for week #6 of NeoZeo.

BioFuel: 5 drops/day (morning)
MB7: 10 drops/week (After 10% Water Change)
KoralColor: 12 drops/day (evening)

I just added KoralColor to the list and backed off on MB7 for weekly doses. I also shake up the phosban reactor with the NeoZeo stones every day and increase the water flow from 100gph to 200gph for 5 mins.

My standard feeding is Mysis mixed with 1/8 tsp of Cyclops powder. I mix it in a cup with a stir bar/magnetic stirer, hehe. It helps to get the cyclops to mix with the water. I also feed my two RBTA, silversides and also give my cleaner shrimp who is a pig a small piece so he doesn't steal it from the RBTA. Any left over pieces are fed to my duncan. The only other thing I have changed is I'm feeding 1/32 tsp of Coral Frenzy twice a week.

 

[saltygeek]

Figure I'll give some info on my results (not using full system).

Long story short, I neglected my tank for a few months and got a good amount of hair algae. Replaced bulb, beefed up cleanup crew, ro filters and membrane and added DI. Water changes after water changes and saw a little improvement, but not much. I decided to try microbacter7 to see if it could give me an edge. After a couple weeks of dosing, there was a huge slow down in growth and it started losing its bright green appearance. A few weeks later the algae was gone. Seems like the microbacter starved it from growing and the cleanup crew was able to take care of the rest. Now I've continued dosing microbacter and have been dosing restor and vitamarin C for just over a month now. On of my acroporas had slowed growth to almost a stand still. It is now encrusting more than ever and has a ton of new growth. My candy canes are dividing more than ever. I added some zoanthids that have done very well doubling in number but cant compare their growth because they were added just before I started dosing. I have some pictures of the algae disappearance (not great) that I can post if anyone is interest. Hard to get pics of the coral, they always are washed out from the metal halide and point and shoot camera. I have some but would be hard to see new growth.

 

[austin93]

Glad to hear the good results. Every post is better with pix! So I am sure people would like to see what you have. My tank is still doing well, I am dosing 4 drops of RBF and every other day 4 drops of mb7. Also dosing 10 drops of AA when lights are out. That reminds me, I forgot today .

 

[Nanz]

Last weekend I had my husband build me a new reactor for my stones because I wanted to use the phosban reactor to run Phosban. I have noticed a very small bit of hair algae starting on a couple rocks and I was thinking maybe this could be linked to removing my phosban 7 weeks ago. The phosban reactor also wasn’t very good for stirring up the stones so I wanted something that might be better. I wish I would have taken pictures but my husband built it at his friend’s house. I’ll try to describe it for you.

It looks like a Kalkreactor with a stirring pump:

Parts List
--------------------------
Pump Connection:
Maxjet pump cover
3/4 x 1/2 reducer (this fits over the inlet of the maxjet)
Small PVC pipe (that small cream colored pipe, this fits over the outlet of the pump cover.
PVC 1/2 SLIP 90

Reactor:
4 inch PVC pipe 12inches long
PVC knockout flange (for base of reactor)
PVC 4inch screw cap
PVC 4inch FPT x SLIP
3 inch drain plate

Conections:
(2x) 1/2 inch MPT x INSERT IGNORE IGNORE
(2x) 1/2 inch FPT x SLIP
Some 1/2 pipe
PVC 1/2 SLIP 90

The water enters the bottom of the reactor and then the 90 on the bottom directs the water upward through the drain plate. The rocks sit on the drain plate which is where the mixing pump is to stir the rocks 4x a day. Every 6 hours for 2 minutes. The mixing pump is just like the ones on a kalkreactor except it mixes the water next the stones. I use a MJ 900 with 200+ GPH to mix the rocks. The flow exits the reactor through the top and is set to 100 GPH (MJ 400).

I’ll get a picture of it for you guys. Its kinda difficult to describe.

 

[austin93]

Looking forward to the pix!

 

[CHUBAKAH]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14722994#post14722994 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Nanz
Last weekend I had my husband build me a new reactor for my stones because I wanted to use the phosban reactor to run Phosban.

I have not gone back and read if you are using the Neozeo system complete, so if I am speaking out of turn I apologize, however if you are you need to drop the phosban immediately. This is a MUST not in this system.

 

[kenny77]

were can I get Neo Zeo and the rest of Brightwell products. Seem like Brightwell no longer have Neo zeo. At lest not in there site.

 

[dustinP]

http://www.aquabuys.com/page/aqb/CTGY/t1a

 

[Nanz]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14724239#post14724239 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by CHUBAKAH
I have not gone back and read if you are using the Neozeo system complete, so if I am speaking out of turn I apologize, however if you are you need to drop the phosban immediately. This is a MUST not in this system.

I think Im using the neozeo complete system.. I have went through the 6 week startup with the rocks, mb7, and biofuel. After week 6, I started dosing Koral Color and then begining week 7 I started dosing Vit C. Next week I'm going to add amino acid.

I have 600g of neozeo stones in a phosban reactor with 100gph flow. I added 1/5 the amount each week to the reactor until it was full and followed the flow restrictions as well as the dosing of mb7 and biofuel.

Dosing Schedule (week #7):

• MB7 10 drops/week (after water change)
• BioFuel 5 drops/day
• Koral Color 12 drops/day
• Vitamin C: 6 drops/day (soak with food)

I just noticed some very small amounts of hair algea starting on my rocks and I want to stop it before it starts to get worse. I thought if I used phosban it would help remove some the nutrients that are fueling this outbreak.

Quote from PDF

With all of the afore-mentioned nutrient-control measures (in addition to protein skimming) in place, one might question the need to use a phosphate adsorption media; as with most types of filtration media, the requirement for use is dictated by the presence of phosphate in the system. Some aquarists choose to employ this media simply to ensure that they minimize the chances that phosphate becomes a problem in their aquaria; others employ it if and/or when phosphate becomes elevated. In the latter scenario, it is up to the aquarist to determine whether the use of such a media will be required only sporadically until the system gets into a “balance”, or will be permanently utilized to control the phosphate concentration.

I don't know if this is just an advertising ploy but it seems to me that my system is showing signs of increase phosphate. I cannot detect it with lab tests it still reads less than .01 but my tank is showing signs of what it used to look like before I added phosban which was an abundance of green hair algea. I understand the bacteria is supposed to be removing phosphate but it doesn't appear that way in my tank. Again this is my theory and I have no sure answer just what Im observing. Also I have noticed my Cheato is growing like crazy since my phosban was removed. My nitrates have only dropped from 7.5 to 6.5ppm so it seems that the cheato is not getting its nutrients from the nitrate since it was about the same before I started neozeo.

Where did you read that you should NOT use phosphate removers? Maybe I missed something and I apologize.

 

[CHUBAKAH]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14729543#post14729543 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Nanz


Where did you read that you should NOT use phosphate removers? Maybe I missed something and I apologize.

TBH, I don't think I read it, and was told by Chris.

I have an email in to Chris now on a question I have, and when he is back and can reply to that question I will ask him about this.

I just scanned the doc and can not find anything on it.

Stay tuned...

 

[reedman]

Not sure about the NeoZeo method's interaction with phosban type media, but it is clearly stated in the Zeovit forums and manual not to use it in combination with Zeovit. The issue is the faster reduction in PO4 than NO3. The systems are designed to bring them both down together and when one drops faster than the other the systems efficiency drops too.

 

[austin93]

I heard the same thing somewhere, I think you can use it to start things off, but when you progress through the system it should be removed because it is unnecessary. Interested in Chris's response for sure! While we are at it, why can't you use Kalk?

 

[reedman]

While we are at it, why can't you use Kalk?

Kalk has been shown to bind PO4 to the surfaces in the tank (sand & rock). This takes it out of the liquid form and temporarily keeps it from being a problem (source of food for algaes). The problem is it leaches back into the water column and these ULN methods encourage the "leaching process by removing the nutrients from the water column. Once the water column is depleted the bound nutrients begin to leach. You end up fighting yourself.

 

[Nanz]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14729786#post14729786 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by CHUBAKAH
TBH, I don't think I read it, and was told by Chris.

I have an email in to Chris now on a question I have, and when he is back and can reply to that question I will ask him about this.

I just scanned the doc and can not find anything on it.

Stay tuned...

Thanks so much! I really appreciate it

 

[austin93]

Thanks Reedman! That answers my question.

 

[intenseimage]

So I come to you guys who have been using the BW products to help with my situation

My tank has been plagued with some very high nitrates. We used to feed ULTRA heavy (snow storm when the pumps came back on, and didnt rinse the food either) -- and we slacked on WC's. At one point the nitrates were 80+ ppm.

We started doing massive and frequent WC's (and changed feeding habits) and got the nitrates down to 25 ppm.

Then something happened to a batch of SW we had mixed and after a WC the nitrates went from 25 to over 100. We tested a bit of the sw that was left over and the first drop of reagent spiked the test kit. Not knowing what happened I cleaned the entire SW mixing/storage setup and made a new batch (same bag of RC) - it tested 0 ppm!?

Not wanting to spend another $100+ on salt to get the nitrates back down I decided to try the BW line.

For 2 weeks I dosed 3 caps a day of the MB7 -- my nitrates didnt drop at all.

4 days prior to the end of the 2 week dosing schedule I started to dose BF at the rate of 7.5 ml a day (recommended dosage, slightly under estimated as tank has approx 90g GWV).

In just over a week the nitrates have dropped to the 15 ppm range.

While I have been dosing the BF I have stopped the MB7 dosing.

Should I continue to add some MB7 or just continue with the BF on its own?

Also, ive noticed my green palys and these blue center/green ring zoos turning a more pastel color - even my Tubb's Blues are fading. I had original thought it was due to a lighting change but I have switched back to my old setup and its been several weeks (longer than I had the "new" lights in place) and the colors havent returned so I am leaning towards nutrients.

Should I start some Vit C and AA's?

I dont plan on continuing the MB7/BF once I hit 0 nitrates as I believe the tank will be able to support itself since the problem was caused by feeding and lack of WCs in the first place.

Thoughts / Opinions?

Thanks!