Cost to run a zeovit system?

O

obiwanthegoby

Hair Algae cultivator
Hey guys,

Looking for some people with experiance running zeovit or equivelent systems. Im currently trying the VSV method but am looking at possibly switching to a zeovit type reactor but am wondering just how expensive it runs to employ these systems. Looking for an average monthly or yearly expenditure and the tank volume your running it on, to try and estimate what my 400 gal DT would run me to employ a reactor and the chemicals suggested. (I could then use the 120 gal I planned to use for a fuge as a predator tank.... ;).

Obi
 
I can't answer your question on how much it costs to run a Zeovit system, but I can tell you that the most amazing tank I've ever seen ran one. The growth and color of the corals was second to none.
 
Can someone explain what a zoevit system is and how and why they work?

Ive seen several times zoevit mentioned, but never understood
 
I run a full blown zeovit system and the last 9 months including start up cost and reactor and replacement additives (including shipping) it turned out to be $25/month. I am using a TLF Phosban reactor (instead of a zeoreactor) since I run only a 75 gallon tank. I am just running the basic four (Zeolites, Zeobak, Start2 and K-Z carbon passively. I dose 1 drop of coral vitalizer 3 times a week.
You need a salt that has NSW levels (Alk 7-8 dkh and K+ 380). Get Tanked Aquarium has an organic salt that meets this but its not cheap.
Hope that helps.
Vishnu
 
pricey is subjective,

i would zeo is somewhat expensive to start up but to maintain is not really different than other expendable media like gfo carbon etc we use in the hobby for normal maintenance.

the biggest expense in zeo is the reactor. they are usually small, made of acrylic and scratch up in a heart beat.

my 2g external diy zeo reactor cost me $20 to make and has been working flawlessly for over three years now. since then manufacturers have copied my bucket within a bucket design for pumping the rocks to dislodge the mulm that is bacteria food for the corals.

the zeo forum is a huge help if you want to start zeo. i have stopped most components of zeo except the rocks because my life has become busier and its not having the time to dose the supplements...its the remembering. in reality, i have just kept the rocks with flow...never changing them. it doesnt do any harm and it houses beneficial bacteria! :)

zeo produces awesome coral color that is for sure.

i dont know why zeo, for the most part, is heavily slammed here on rc. other systems like prodibio and fauna seem to get a free pass on criticism. perhaps it was the first to use a baterioplanktonic methodology that seemed like voodoo for most people. strange because waste management has been using bacteria systems for years and years before even zeo came out. i do know that the zeo claims in the beginning seemed too good to be true. as reefers are usually skeptical, this may be one of the reasons that zeo was constantly ridiculed despite its incredible track record.

perhaps also is that others who used zeo in the past, has used it incorrectly. the reefers didnt follow the directions properly and dosed the wrong amounts or combined systems and/or other supplements. i call this 'thinking that one is smarter than the average bear' syndrome. it is like saying one is on a modified atkins diet...there is no modified atkins diet. either youre on atkins or youre not. thus, this is the same for zeo. either youre doing full zeo or dont do it.

hth's a little.
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15635696#post15635696 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by bergzy
pricey is subjective,

i would zeo is somewhat expensive to start up but to maintain is not really different than other expendable media like gfo carbon etc we use in the hobby for normal maintenance.

the biggest expense in zeo is the reactor. they are usually small, made of acrylic and scratch up in a heart beat.

my 2g external diy zeo reactor cost me $20 to make and has been working flawlessly for over three years now. since then manufacturers have copied my bucket within a bucket design for pumping the rocks to dislodge the mulm that is bacteria food for the corals.

the zeo forum is a huge help if you want to start zeo. i have stopped most components of zeo except the rocks because my life has become busier and its not having the time to dose the supplements...its the remembering. in reality, i have just kept the rocks with flow...never changing them. it doesnt do any harm and it houses beneficial bacteria! :)

zeo produces awesome coral color that is for sure.

i dont know why zeo, for the most part, is heavily slammed here on rc. other systems like prodibio and fauna seem to get a free pass on criticism. perhaps it was the first to use a baterioplanktonic methodology that seemed like voodoo for most people. strange because waste management has been using bacteria systems for years and years before even zeo came out. i do know that the zeo claims in the beginning seemed too good to be true. as reefers are usually skeptical, this may be one of the reasons that zeo was constantly ridiculed despite its incredible track record.

perhaps also is that others who used zeo in the past, has used it incorrectly. the reefers didnt follow the directions properly and dosed the wrong amounts or combined systems and/or other supplements. i call this 'thinking that one is smarter than the average bear' syndrome. it is like saying one is on a modified atkins diet...there is no modified atkins diet. either youre on atkins or youre not. thus, this is the same for zeo. either youre doing full zeo or dont do it.

hth's a little.
Click to expand...

Id be skeptical of any company that promised the things Zeo does.


This product enhances the colors of your stony corals.
"“ Improves all kind of color significantly.
"“ Improves coral growth enormously.
"“ Improves vitality visibly.

HA! Yeah right.
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15635838#post15635838 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Reefer08
Id be skeptical of any company that promised the things Zeo does.


This product enhances the colors of your stony corals.
"“ Improves all kind of color significantly.
"“ Improves coral growth enormously.
"“ Improves vitality visibly.

HA! Yeah right.
Click to expand...

Out of interest have you gone down the Zeovit route?

If done correctly it has been proven many times over that it does improve color, growth and vitality.

I was sceptical at first but after a lot of reading on the zeovit forums I decided to give it a go, I have been full zeovit for 5 months now and the tank and corals are doing great, including LPS, I have never had a tank look so clean and colorful.
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15635838#post15635838 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Reefer08
Id be skeptical of any company that promised the things Zeo does.


This product enhances the colors of your stony corals.
"“ Improves all kind of color significantly.
"“ Improves coral growth enormously.
"“ Improves vitality visibly.

HA! Yeah right.
Click to expand...

Yeah right??? Have a look at these tanks! Zeovit is just one method to get to a ULNS...

http://www.korallen-zucht.de/en/gallery/our-own-coral-cultures/

http://www.zeovit.com/forums/showthread.php?t=17270
 
I think the point is the grassroot concept is sound but there is no end to the claims and amount of things to drop dose that zeovit will sell you if let them. I'm also convinced alot of improvement attributed to these various "methods" come from tank maturity and attention to detail as much as the method. Anybody who pays enough attention and time to comply with the zeovit method long term and has the husbandry to implement it is going to have a decent aquarium with time anyway. many of these "method" tanks that are the best you ever saw would be hell of a tanks anyway. You know one time people where just as giddy over the berlin method. Now everybody is giddy over ULNS/microbial methods. Down the road it will be something else.
 
I took some info from a web page that gave dosing regimen for a guys tank. I upped the dosings of the different additives in proportion with my tank size to get a general estimate of costs and I can say if I hadn't moved to such a big tank I probably would have done a zeovit system.... below are my calculated costs for a 400 gallon display with a 100 gallon sump running a tad over half full....each drop was estimated to be 1/22.5 of a mL which is on par with estimates by zeovit forum members (their measurements were 20 - 25 drops per mL)

Zeo vit reactor - $400 initial investment
Zeolites - $35 a month (3.5L replaced every 7 wks)
Zeobac - $9.98 (187.2 drops per month or 8.32 ml)
Zeofood - $2.50 ( same as zeobac)
Zeostart - $7.13 (66 ml per month)

to run just these basics would cost me 54.50 a month. That would be on top of salt costs, electricity and misc expenditures...

to run AAHC, coral vital, Potasium Iodide, Job Complex, Iron, Xtra and Spong Power would cost another 15.90 a month. This is not the initial invextment either... just maintenance. (this estimate may be a TAD high as wmost supplemens recommended an increased dosage for the first 2 - 3 weeks after changing zeolites...for this I added 1 drop to the maintenance recommendations and used that as the maintenance dose.)

Again this was a rough estimate for my insight and may not reflect a true costs for this system to run on a tank of my size. It was however enough for me to decide to continue my VSV for now and maybe add a bacterial strain and amino supplement to the regime. In the future I may turn the 400 gallon into a FOWLR or a Soft coral tank with larger predatory fish and utilize my 120 as my SPS tank with a zeovit reactor....


Obi
 
i ran it for several months and it was quite expensive.

i did run a lot of the additives, but a 400 gallon tank is going to require a lot as well. the initial cost will be quite large, but monthly won't be that much since most additives last several months depending on how much of each you dose. i would expect that you'll spend over $1000 for initial costs and probably close to $50 or $60 per month (breaking down annual prices over 12 month term).

again, this will all depend on which additives you dose and how much you dose.
 
it is amusing that a lot of people will show concern about the cost of a zeo system. the initial cost can be high if you buy a pre made reactor. the induction phase uses more additives (basic 4) but tapers off extensively once you reach phase 3 when uln's are reached. are there other methods to reach uln's? absolutely! prodibio and fauna shadow what zeo does. but again, like i predicted. for some reason, every other system gets a free pass while zeo gets hammered. it is so common and bandwagon...it basically is pretty much laughable now.

cost should always be a consideration when doing anything. but i find it ironic that those who are shocked at the cost of running zeo are usually the ones with better (much much better) than average skimmers, ca reactors, lighting etc.

the cost of electricity where i live exponentially exceeds the combined cost of (when i was doing zeo) zeo, carbon, food, light bulbs etc etc etc. it's not that i dont bat an eye to the cost of zeo when i was running it...it was the remembering the dose schedule that was tough for me. esp when one is on vacation.

having tried all the supplements out of the basic 4 (sponge power, aahc, cv etc)...i found that none of them were really ness and never saw much of a difference when i used them. they truly are optional and from my experience, i wouldnt use them...not just for saving money.

as i have already predicted. those who have never tried zeo or have already had their minds made up (without using it correctly or to its full potential) are usually the ones that seem to voice their knowledge about it the most. interesting, yes? ;)
 
I agree that there are a lot of people that knock a lot of new products out there, as there are so many "do all" and "best thing since slice bread" comments out there. Thing is in this hobby you dump tons of money into EVERYTHING and when something new pops its head up you have to evaluate both of the above comments: Is it worth me spending another gob of money on something if its not a sure bet. Everything people use now as standard equipment went through the same scenario, protein skimmers, Calcium reactors, different lighting options. I think the ULNS's are just something new everyone is skeptical about buying. For me it boils down to the fact that my original plan was to keep monthly expenses (salt and electricty mainly) under 100 bucks. I succeded for the most part but Hair Algae has invaded my tank, my turnicates have died in the sump and given way to stringy hair algae as well. I am just exploring options to get to the pinnacle I was with my 120... and its getting frustrating....
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15636194#post15636194 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by TheDogFather
Yeah right??? Have a look at these tanks! Zeovit is just one method to get to a ULNS...

http://www.korallen-zucht.de/en/gallery/our-own-coral-cultures/

http://www.zeovit.com/forums/showthread.php?t=17270
Click to expand...

Yes Sir, Ive done full blown Zeovit for over 6 months. Basic 4 along with other stuff. I was never happy with it. A lot of their products are "snake oil" IMO. The basic 4 works great at reducing nutrients in a tank but ive gotten better results from just vodka dosing along with some MB7 once a week.
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15639656#post15639656 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by bergzy
it is amusing that a lot of people will show concern about the cost of a zeo system. the initial cost can be high if you buy a pre made reactor. the induction phase uses more additives (basic 4) but tapers off extensively once you reach phase 3 when uln's are reached. are there other methods to reach uln's? absolutely! prodibio and fauna shadow what zeo does. but again, like i predicted. for some reason, every other system gets a free pass while zeo gets hammered. it is so common and bandwagon...it basically is pretty much laughable now.

cost should always be a consideration when doing anything. but i find it ironic that those who are shocked at the cost of running zeo are usually the ones with better (much much better) than average skimmers, ca reactors, lighting etc.

the cost of electricity where i live exponentially exceeds the combined cost of (when i was doing zeo) zeo, carbon, food, light bulbs etc etc etc. it's not that i dont bat an eye to the cost of zeo when i was running it...it was the remembering the dose schedule that was tough for me. esp when one is on vacation.

having tried all the supplements out of the basic 4 (sponge power, aahc, cv etc)...i found that none of them were really ness and never saw much of a difference when i used them. they truly are optional and from my experience, i wouldnt use them...not just for saving money.

as i have already predicted. those who have never tried zeo or have already had their minds made up (without using it correctly or to its full potential) are usually the ones that seem to voice their knowledge about it the most. interesting, yes? ;)
Click to expand...


Cost was never a factor for me while doing zeovit, I bought a Vertex reactor and waiting until I hit ULN before I started adding other supplements. Im willing to pay the extra money to get better growth and better colors on my sps. But I never got these things with Zeovit.

You said it yourself that you noticed no difference and not necessary to dose Sponge Power, Coral Vitalizer, etc.
 
Id also like to add that I bought 2 boxes of Reefers Best Salt by Zeovit. Both boxes which were very expensive tested at 5.5dkh alkalinity and 1600 Magnesium. That was a waste of money. Im sure it was just 2 bad batches of salt though ;)
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15636240#post15636240 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by obiwanthegoby
I took some info from a web page that gave dosing regimen for a guys tank. I upped the dosings of the different additives in proportion with my tank size to get a general estimate of costs and I can say if I hadn't moved to such a big tank I probably would have done a zeovit system.... below are my calculated costs for a 400 gallon display with a 100 gallon sump running a tad over half full....each drop was estimated to be 1/22.5 of a mL which is on par with estimates by zeovit forum members (their measurements were 20 - 25 drops per mL)

Zeo vit reactor - $400 initial investment
Zeolites - $35 a month (3.5L replaced every 7 wks)
Zeobac - $9.98 (187.2 drops per month or 8.32 ml)
Zeofood - $2.50 ( same as zeobac)
Zeostart - $7.13 (66 ml per month)

to run just these basics would cost me 54.50 a month. That would be on top of salt costs, electricity and misc expenditures...

to run AAHC, coral vital, Potasium Iodide, Job Complex, Iron, Xtra and Spong Power would cost another 15.90 a month. This is not the initial invextment either... just maintenance. (this estimate may be a TAD high as wmost supplemens recommended an increased dosage for the first 2 - 3 weeks after changing zeolites...for this I added 1 drop to the maintenance recommendations and used that as the maintenance dose.)

Again this was a rough estimate for my insight and may not reflect a true costs for this system to run on a tank of my size. It was however enough for me to decide to continue my VSV for now and maybe add a bacterial strain and amino supplement to the regime. In the future I may turn the 400 gallon into a FOWLR or a Soft coral tank with larger predatory fish and utilize my 120 as my SPS tank with a zeovit reactor....


Obi
Click to expand...

You can remove the Food7 from that list. That stuff gives a lot of reefers bad algae so a lot have stopped using it.

Im 100% sure its Vinegar though, it smells identical. I posted on zeovit forums asking if it was vinegar and all the mods said no way. But then I received a bunch of PM's from people in Germany saying Yes its vinegar and its actually vinegar acetate.
 
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