Zeovit SPS reefs

[kwl1763]

I think Zeo is yet another way to do the same things we know work.

Take this quote

"But the basic 4 is great. Think of it as phosphate removal w/o leeching iron or aluminum, and as a nirtrate reactor w/o, well a nitrate reactor. If I quit Zeo I'd have to add a GFO, sand or another form of nitrate reduction and either vodka or vinegar for my carbon dosing, all of which to me seem more risky than the simple base zeo."

Phosphates are also a non-issue if you stock properly (low), nitrate removal via live rock/sand, carbon could be done with vodka or not at all (I've never added carbon to mine and the tank looks great)

To me the key is. Enough good nutrients (aka amino acids, etc), very low bad nutrients, nitrates, phosphates, etc.

This can be done in tons of ways of which Zeo is one.

I personally don't use any "system. I dose Saliferts amino acids, bare bottom, have a huge skimmer, stock modestly, have huge turnover, massive calcium reactor, etc. I have great coral coloration and growth. Before this tank I had a DSB setup for almost 4 years. The tank was stunning. Growth was incredible.

Bottom line I don't know why we fight about this or that system. Try to learn from everything. The more we know about what makes these guys thrive the better off we'll be. I'm just glad there are people willing to spend serious $$ to experiement and try new stuff. This whole debate over the last couple years reminds me very much of the DSB barebottem debate a couple years before that. Pure silliness!

 

[TandN]

I am a former zeo user I used it since it came out until recently. I used it to keep my nutreints low and then the additives to help my SPS look better which it did and did very well. I recently moved and set up a new tank a 120g tank. I did start the tank with it in august. I have ALOT of fish so using it was a good way of my nutrients from rising. but a few months ago I decided to take it off line and try something diffrent which was same amount of food but in smaller portions also I added a auto WC system which changes out 2.5g a day and adding a phosban reactor. I also uped my carbon from 1 cup to 2 cups. By doing so my nutrients are as follows
PO4 .03 Hanna
NO3 0
Amm 0

I am though still using coral vitalizer which is a coral food from zeo also AA and Pottasium iodide. My colors are great and my growth is ridicoulous. So all in all if I didnt change my WC/PO4 remover/feeding I would still use the basic 4 I have about 30 bags of zeo 10 bottles of start2 and food7 and te reacotr JIC I decide to go back. I had nothing but good results with it. JMHO
T.

 

[slojmn]

30 bags of ZEO ...nice stockpile.

 

[Reefer87]

its very interesting as the reefing hobby progresses everybody wants to know whether or not the zeo works... and what it exactly does.
Great thread.

 

[250G]

The "what happens when you stop using it?" is an interesting direction. I am curious to learn people's experiences when they stop using it.

While I admit I have never used this product, historically, when I have stopped using a product I have never noticed a significant change (positive or negative) in the happiness of my occupants or the appearance of the environment.

 

[Horace]

I will just say this one thing. Zeo works great at keeping your nutrients low. My nutrients have been low since day one and I attribute atleast 30% of that to Zeo. The rest is my husbandry. I will also state that I am one of those people who had trouble (and still do to a small extent) with pastels. I will state that I had pastels PRIOR to using Zeo as well, but I attribute that to under feeding my tank (only .5 cube per day for 6 fish), and an overpowered skimmer.

Lately I have been feeding more and dosing more aminos and my colors have come around somewhat.

But essentially, what I am saying is there is more to a nice SPS tank than low nutrients. There are MANY factors that result in good color, growth. If all we cared about was low nutrients, we coudl all just dose vodka all day long and our tanks would look awesome....unfortunately there is alot more the the puzzle

 

[JER-Z]

i know this is not good advice to give but somewhere in the combination of using Ultralith, adding more fish, ridding red bugs, and switching to AquaScience T5 bulbs a has made my colors explode as of late...

I am overstocked to many peoples standards, 10 fish in a 65g, but my tank has never looked better...

I think the zeo has alot to do with it because there is both High Import and High Export going on in my tank. I'm pulling the nutrients out as fast as me and my fish put them in.

 

[Horace]

JER-Z, I think that is exactly what the goal needs to be...Put as much food (fish poop and real food) in the tank as possible, while keeping the nutrients low. If you can achieve this, and have good light and stablity, success is all but assured.

 

[rpeeples]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8894139#post8894139 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by slojmn
Agreed, I have been ruinning zeo for 18 months and alk and ph are fine in my tank, if anything they run low on my tank, alk 7.7, ph 7.7-7.9. My biggest issues have always been keeping my params stable, alk fluctuations are a problem on zeo. Every issue I have had has come from params getting whacky. I feel like zeo makes it a bit trickier in the sense of margin for error. There just is not a lot of room for drifts in params.

As far as algae...that was the main reason I decided to run the zeo system. My last tank was taken over by bryopsis and every other macro algae, hair, turf, cotton candy looking stuff, you name it. The first year of that tank was a fight...I almost quit due to major algae issues, I ran a DSB, refugium, and had all the bells and whistles. This go around, zeo from the start...not one issue with any macro algae in 18 months. To me that is worth gold in my tank. The killer colors are just icing on the cake . I have had to figure it out, issues here and there with STN, tip recession, tweaking things. Figuring out what was off has righted every situation. I run zeo on 55g net water volume. so larger tanks probably have an easier time of it due to larger water volume and more stability, but that is reefing in general. Is it for everybody? heck no...There are so many great tanks out there running all kinds of unique ways. Find what works for you and keep good maintenance on the tank and it should work for you...whatever you do .

Thank you!!!!! AMEN!!! To your last couple sentences I like the above as well.....I hate algea as well

 

[TryTheChi]

I'v been using ZEOvit for 8 months now. Very very pleased with the effect. Of course all the standard husbandary tasks need to be kept up to scratch, but try as I might, I can't fault ZEOvit method. I'v systemartically applied then stopped the various potions and they all have a demonstrable benefit. Highly recommended.

Shame u guys have to pay so much for it. Use global trade to your personal advantage:lol:

JME

Simon

 

[my2girls]

I've been using zeo for almost a year now. It's not magic, just a very solid system. I think most people get caught up in dosing from all those blue bottles. IMO, there is no need. Start slow with the basic 4 (Start2, Bak, Food7, and zeolith) and "right" your aquarium. Then try additives to tweak coloration. Adding all kinds of AA and CV at the begining is not a good idea. Also IMO people fail or are displeased with zeo because they don't follow the directions that they are given. Each tank is different so the approach can be different.

Zeovit has given me a deeper understanding of what is really going on inside my glass box.

Yes it is probably expensive for a large system, but for anything under 120 gallons it's not that bad. Just think of all the money you would save on that GFO.

 

[Creetin]

I got the same reults from Zeo that i did from dosing vodka.
RTN< STN, and a headache when it was all done.

 

[prodman]

This is not directed at you creetin but I have had more rtn/stn from my CA reactor and temp spikes than from zeo. I think its easy to balme zeo when problems happen when other things can be to blame.

 

[Rossini]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8891845#post8891845 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by cidory
9 months using Zeo and love it!

[/IMG]

no fish though?

 

[RichConley]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8905514#post8905514 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by PrangeWay
I use some of the "extra" additives and mess around with 3rd party produts some for coral food and the like.

But the basic 4 is great. Think of it as phosphate removal w/o leeching iron or aluminum, and as a nirtrate reactor w/o, well a nitrate reactor. If I quit Zeo I'd have to add a GFO, sand or another form of nitrate reduction and either vodka or vinegar for my carbon dosing, all of which to me seem more risky than the simple base zeo.

Of their extras the salt is nice, but red sea coral pro is alot cheaper and seems to be near as good (I think it's K is high also, I'll be testing it this weekend). Their coral foods/amino acids have toke a big cost cut with competition, though I might try the Salifert amino's when they current runs out. Their t5 lights, while not part of the "system", are really really nice, and I won't be buying ATI speicals again I think.

Overall I like it, and for a 50gal it's not to expensive and does what I want it to do (ie control nutrients), now when my 180 gets setup I'll have to think harder on what to use.


PW

Prangeway, I'd have to disagree that vodka/sugar are any more risky than Zeo. I've seen plenty of crashed zeo tanks, and plenty of crashed vodka tanks. Same with healthy ones. The big difference is people are more likely to research before addign Zeo than they are before adding sugar. Sugar just seems so innocuous.


Meso, I am of the "adding carbon in" movement in reefing. I've been dosing sugar for a good six months (actually, I mix it in with my Goo...no dosing) and I love the results.


I think the main thing people need to take here is that each alternative method that works, there is something to be learned. I run a DSB, but bomber and the BB people taught me a bit. I run high flow (150x turnover) and a huge skimmer. The zeovit people taught me about the Reinhold ratio and carbon limitation, and I've now dealt with that. People need to stop thinking about this as a war, and looking at the bigger picture.

 

[slojmn]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9140418#post9140418 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by RichConley
I think the main thing people need to take here is that each alternative method that works, there is something to be learned. I run a DSB, but bomber and the BB people taught me a bit. I run high flow (150x turnover) and a huge skimmer. The zeovit people taught me about the Reinhold ratio and carbon limitation, and I've now dealt with that. People need to stop thinking about this as a war, and looking at the bigger picture.

Rich, Well put

 

[cidory]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9140189#post9140189 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Rossini
no fish though?

That tank was a 50 and it had 3 fish, I've upgraded to a 120 and its has 9 fish. I will continue to use Zeovit as it has proven to me to be the most effective nutrient reduction system available.

Consistency in the implementation of the Zeo system is generally what trips people up. IME the thinking of some to tweak and adjust the dosages suggested are detrimental to success. The when an animal is lost they give up on the system and look to Zeo for the blame. JMO

 

[slojmn]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9141015#post9141015 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by cidory
Consistency in the implementation of the Zeo system is generally what trips people up. IME the thinking of some to tweak and adjust the dosages suggested are detrimental to success. The when an animal is lost they give up on the system and look to Zeo for the blame. JMO

cidroy,
Bob suggests tweaking dosages ocasionally based on nutrients, tip recession, or param numbers...especially potassium. So that statement is a bit confusing to me. I have tweaked my dosing often on Zeo based on my coral colors, over dosing signs, Bob's suggestions, etc.

 

[cidory]

I guess I didnt make myself clear. Indeed tweaking is part of the system. What I meant is people who take suggested doses and add more in hopes of speeding up things or making things better.

This is not part of the system.

 

[slojmn]

Ahhhhh yes, agreed, definately a problem. That is the seductive part of dosing more Spur 2 or B-Balance than is indicated. Now it makes sense to me what you were saying. Thanks for the clarification .