Started Brightwells Neo-Zeo Today

3rd week in, just added another 100grams of media to the reactor... This week I adjusted and used amino dosing everyday, fed the fish more, and noticed the corals piment darkening, which is a good thing... Tomorrow I will begin the Reef BioFuel, which I am thinking the amino dosing and fish feedings will probably need to continue... I have a very slight sheen of algae on the glass, still have not brushed the glass since starting the system. I think it will be required in a day or so. Nitrates are testing around 3-5ppm right now, and PO4 is not testing at all.
Here are my current params:
Temp: 78-79
Salinity: 1.025
Calcium: 400
Alk: 9.4 dkh
Mag: 1350
NO3: 3-5
PO4: Zero

I am using the ReefCon Program for tracking all my tested paramaters and any other general notes. I really enjoy testing the water, the daily dosing, monitoring, upkeep, etc... Obviously running a UNLS does require paying close attention to details, so once I am fully established in the system, I think the corals are going to color up very nicely......
 
Here are the pics for the week, most of them of the same corals, or at least the ones I am watching closely. Some appear to be pretty washed out, they look much better this week, as hard as that may seem... They were almost bleached 2 weeks ago... Anyway here are some pics taken moments ago...

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I am updating, despite the lack of activity, this creates a journal for me, the pics help to see growth and coloration. I am really starting to dial in, the colors are slightly morphing, no washed out nutrient starved corals at this point. I noticed a bit of STN towards the base a few corals, not pest related at all... Seems that every time a coral in my tank starts STN'N, neighboring corals do as well, must be a pathogen in the water column.
Anyway, I started using 5ml of restor each day, and the necrosis has seized and all corals are showing signs of improvement. The tissue is growing over the exposed skeleton, and I am certain the corals will be ok.
Here is a list of products I am using at this time....
1. Koral Kolor- 5 drops every 3 days
2. Patassion- 3 drops every 3 days
3. Restor- 5 ml per day(until tissue is completely restored)
4. Replinish- 5 ml per week
5. Vitamarin C- 5 drops every 3 days
6. Reef Snow- 5 drops every other night
7. Zooplanktos-L- 5 drops every other night(opposite reef snow)
8. Micro-Bacter- 3 drops a day
9. Reef Bio-Fuel- 5 ml per day(in the AM)
10. Coral Amino- 3 drops every other day(during feedings)

Other Products:
1. Lugols-3 drops per week
2. ESV Strontium- 5 drops per week
3. Zeovit Sponge Power- 3 drops every 3 days
4. CA- Oceans Blend- 12ml per day
5. Alk- Oceans Blend- 12ml per day
6. Mag- Oceans Blend- 5ml per week

* all dosing by hand, yes all dosing done daily by hand. I really enjoy this part of the system, not for everyone, but I am super anal about this tank/ project. I am under the values recommended, but this is a gradual approach. I do water changes weekly(10%), using IO salts buffered to tank water, well as best as possible... I am also striving for NSW values, as most ULNS generally prefer...
Here are my very consistent values:
CA-410
ALK- 8.0
Mag- 1350
Temp- 78
SG- 1.025
NO3 and PO4 don't register on my test kit(salifert)

I know this is alot of info, but I don't remember speaking to it in previous post....

Thanks for looking, I also read the other Neo-Zeo thread religiously, I don't post much, but really dig that tread!

Pics coming
 
Plyle, the tanks looks AMAZING!! :eek1:

Thanks a bunch for posting your dosing regiment. I am about to enter my 5th week and will be purchasing the additional supplements shortly. I think I will only start with AAs (maybe Elos, not sure) Vitamin-C (brghtwell) and Koral-VM (brightwell) and then gradually start adding the others.

Looks like I should be able to get the 600-650g of stones in the phosban reactor, it will be maxed, but should be fine. I will upgrade to a larger pump, likely the quiet one 1200.

Also, I didnt realize you had a CBB, how is it doing? No problems with the corals? I am thinking about adding one to my tank, looking for a very small one myself, as I know I will be upgrading to a larger tank in about a year.
 
Yeah,
This guy will be here until my next upgrade, or he gets too big... CBB's are hit or miss. So far so good, no sps picking, but he is picking at a trach brain, and hovers over the clam... My previous one didn't touch a thing, and LOVED aptasia. O well, I will keep a watchful eye....
Thanks for the kind words!

My corals have really shown nice color, early on they washed out, but are coming back strong. The colors are really taking on zeovit type colors, I really think I am dialing in... I have also noticed that weekly water changes are really helping too, the PE is always so nice after the W/C.
 
Very nice and clean. :thumbsup:

I am wanting to try some of the Brightwell products as soon as my LFS starts carrying them.
 
Wow, that is a pretty intensive dosing schedule. I don't know if i could pull that off. Kudos to you for taking the time. Looking at your setup I see a lot of coral that look like mine used to. My problem was lighting. How far off the water is that pendant? I upgraded to new reflectors and my corals colored up nicely. Just a thought for you.
 
Mark: Lol.... I did sneak that copperband in the tank...

SunnyX: Coming from you I consider that a major compliment! I appreciate the kind words...

LunarDDS: I have a 250 watt aquamedic pendant, using the coralvue 20k bulb at 12" above the water line... The tank is only 15" deep, and I have a 3" sandbed, with the water line 2" from the top, so I am getting plenty of light on even the bottom of the reef... The dosing schedule is demanding, not for everyone, but I really enjoy the daily schedule, I love to tinker, this keeps me preoccupied, keeping my hands out of the tank
 
Wow looking good, so let me ask you adding all this stuff is it making your glass get dirty faster with a film on it. I see your adding 5ml of bio-fuel in your tank im only doing 1.5 ml day in my 55 my i should up this uh. Anyways great lookin tank just seems like whenever i add other products with the biofuel i get a film on my glass, i even dose at half of what it says.
 
One more question you seem pretty good with this, if my NO3 is at 2.5, and my po4 is at 0.03-0.04, for the past couple of weeks with dosing the bio-fuel at 1.5 ml you think i should raise this up to get my N and P to go down at all. Thanks
 
Would the carbon/gfo reactors from Bulk Reef Supply be good for running this stuff?
Single stage or two stage?
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14011216#post14011216 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by volcom69
Wow looking good, so let me ask you adding all this stuff is it making your glass get dirty faster with a film on it. I see your adding 5ml of bio-fuel in your tank im only doing 1.5 ml day in my 55 my i should up this uh. Anyways great lookin tank just seems like whenever i add other products with the biofuel i get a film on my glass, i even dose at half of what it says.
Click to expand...

The glass on the tank has certainly shown more algae than in the past, I have increased the bio-fuel, more than suggested. I am now seeing a reduction. This will occur no matter what, but when it shows after 4-5 days vs 8-10 like early on, it leads me to believe the nutrients are not quite as low. This is the reason I increased the bio-fuel. Go by recommended values until week 5, then start tinkering a bit more...

Also, nothing wrong with your NO3 and PO4, IMO, the corals need a bit of it. Let the system work for you, I believe it is a design to bring the values down...very slowly. GL :D
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14013110#post14013110 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by d2mini
Would the carbon/gfo reactors from Bulk Reef Supply be good for running this stuff?
Single stage or two stage?
Click to expand...

Ultimately you need to achieve at least 100gph through the reactor, based on your tank size, you may be fine with one reactor, or you may need two... I am using a phosban reactor, and it seems to work just fine. The media is kind of large, so there is no proble gettting the flow through it. Not familair with those reactors, I would go with a standard media reactor....GL;)
 
Good thread. I am starting the Neo-Zeo method very soon (might be using ZeoVit media since Premium Aquatics hasn't got their Neo-Zeo media in yet....we'll see). I like the positive results I've been reading about. Probably won't dose as many things as you but I'll just play it by ear (or eye, lol).

What test kit have you been reading your NO3 levels with?
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14014275#post14014275 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by CoralCaps
Good thread. I am starting the Neo-Zeo method very soon (might be using ZeoVit media since Premium Aquatics hasn't got their Neo-Zeo media in yet....we'll see). I like the positive results I've been reading about. Probably won't dose as many things as you but I'll just play it by ear (or eye, lol).

What test kit have you been reading your NO3 levels with?
Click to expand...
not to hijack, but I bought my starter pack (neo zeo rocks, MB7 and RBF) from fragfarmer.com, great customer service and great price.
my 5th week into the system, and I bought my ZeoVit AAs, and 4 Brightwell products for additives from PA (my favorite online retailer).
 
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