Switching To Zeovit - Documenting The Entire Process!

[TJcop]

OK...this is going to be my official Zeo thread! I haven't seen anyone else do this, so I thought that it would be a good idea to track a tank switch over with photos and logs.
One of the things I like to see is photos of "before and after"...well I'm hoping that this thread can document the entire process. Success and failures. Trial and error. My ideas and your input. Let's begin...

My setup is an approx 1 year old 120gal AGA. Currently stocked with LR and Southdown sand, various SPS, LPS and a few other smaller corals. Motion is provided by 2 Tunze Stream 6000 and multicontroller, along with the return pump. Temp is 78.6, salinity 1.025 (35ppm), calc ~400, alk ~3.5, ph 8.3, no detectable nitrates/nitrites/ammonia/etc. 20 gal sump & 20 gal refuge.

So here's the plan: I'll be changing out my sump/refuge for two 60 gals tubs, adding 120gals to the system. Adding a dual chamber calc reactor. Removing the sand bed! Adding a PVC rock rack to help increase flow after removing sand. Removing all macro (which will die with Zeo anyways). I'll probably cook my rock before the switch over too. New, oversized skimmer.

The switch is still about 1-2 months away, but I thought I'd track the progress of building the new equipment room, new sump/refuge setup, removing the SB, etc...

Anything else I missed or you would care to add? I hope this ends up being an informative and HONEST thread of my experience with Zeo...I can't wait!

[GTR]

TJc...
Welcome to zeovit.com. Seeing the changes in your system will be interesting for sure.
Looks like you'll be making a considerable number of changes to the system all at the same time. Just be sure you have a handle on the balance of the new system. When I moved my tanks 5 miles from a 200g system to a 350g system for me it was easier to stop the zeo dosing while I got a handle on the alk, mg and ca demands. The ca and alk demand after the move was so much lower for a couple months. I'm thinking all the surface area with coralline in the old system was using much of what I supplied. SteveU

[GTR]

Anything else I missed or you would care to add?

I forgot... watch out for "little tiny aliens that farm our corals for us"

SteveU

[Diesel3443]

Yeah sometimes when its late at night you can actually see them with the naked eye

[invincible569]

Good idea!

[TJcop]

I wish those aliens would visit me!

Anyways...Yes, I am aware that all of the changes can be drastic, which is why they are going to be spread out over a period of time. Zeo will be the last change, so it should be easier to watch the results.

Now, when the heck are those aliens gonna show up...?

[ricka]

Welcome to the club!!

Cooking the rocks probably isn't necessary because zeovit will do that for you.

I'm not going to try to talk you out of taking out the DSB because I just removed mine. I kept the top inch, tossing the remaining 3 inches.

I was having good results with Zeovit, but in almost 6 months of using zeovit I could not get rid of my hair algae. In the 4 days since I removed the sand I have seen a lot of algae die off. At this rate, it should be completely gone within the next two weeks!!!

I'd also suggest that you keep the macro until it starts to die. You want to keep all of you existing filtration (minus the sand bed) in place until zeo has a chance to take hold.

Good luck!

--Rick

[Funkyskunk]

Personally I would recommend keeping some of the sand, just a very shallow sand bed, I added mine back yesterday and the difference in aesthetics’ is chalk and cheese.

I could take a little longer to get the full Zeo affect and maybe some more maintenance to siphon the sand bed at water change’s however I still feel that it gives the tank a far more natural and better looking feel.

You can call me crazy but I also believe that the white sand bed reflects the light better and therefore increase’s the benefit’s of your lighting system. ( something like getting far more burned when you on the beach as apposed to anywhere else)

I also agree with Ricka about letting the macro die of in it natural time. I would also be careful not to make to many drastic change’s all at once , (cooking the rock, removing the sand bed, removing macro, bigger skimmer) rather take some time to let the coral’s acclimatize to nutrient poor water over some time, I think if you do all these change’s that you are talking about in one fowl swoop you may run in to some problem’s i.e. stressed coral’s tissue loss etc…. So do make sure that you do these change over quite a period of time!


Anyway with that said welcome to ZEOvit I know that you will be happy with the results! And you defiantly have the right people on this forum to help you enjoy the experience even more.

Look forward to following your thread, and good luck!

Christiaan

[TJcop]

Personally I would recommend keeping some of the sand, just a very shallow sand bed...

That is what I currently have, about a inch and a half sandbed...from what I've read, a shallow one is worse than a deep one. I figure just get rid of it all.

I would also be careful not to make to many drastic change’s all at once...So do make sure that you do these change over quite a period of time!

See my above posts...I mention a gradual change.

...one fowl swoop...

I didn't know birds had anything to do with this!!! Maybe that's where I went wrong?

Anyways, thanks for the tips. This is the stuff I want to see in this thread. Keep it coming!

[TJcop]

Well, I started removing the sand in the fuge yesterday. Not a very fast process...I'm siphoning it out, along with alot of water. Anyone have a better way of removing the sand and keeping the water?

[Orion76]

Well, I started removing the sand in the fuge yesterday. Not a very fast process...I'm siphoning it out, along with alot of water. Anyone have a better way of removing the sand and keeping the water?

Sure, take the water out, scoop the sand out, put the water back in

[TJcop]

Yeah, that was what I was thinking...siphon the water out into tubs, put the LR in there then scoop out the sand and reverse the process. Seems to make too much sense, and way too easy...ya know, it just might work!

[TJcop]

I haven't forgot about this thread...just haven't had much "tank time" since the weather got nice here. Here's the update:
Sand is all gone in the fuge, already saw some recovery in the acros!
Dreading the sand removal in the tank...I don't want to drain all the water, grab the fish/rocks/corals/critters then scoop out the sand. I was thinking of scooping the sand in sections w/o tearing apart the tank.
New sump/fuge should be setup this week. I've got parts coming in from Drs. Foster/Smith, MarineDepot and MRC.
New calcium reactor, return pump, filter pads, etc.... Can't wait!!!
Built a PVC LR rack
Ordering some starboard (is thecuttingboardcompany.com a good place to order it from?)
Pics later today!

[slojmn]

Regarding the starboard...If you can find a Meyers Restaurant Supply in your neck of the woods they have starboard in tan/white/green/etc and different sizes as well for a little cheaper than the cutting board place and you don't have the shipping. Otherwise I think the cuttingboardcompany.com was the best price I found online with the shipping. The shipping was high everywhere though.

[TJcop]

Here's an update on what's happening. First off, here's the PVC rack I built for the rocks in the center of the tank.


Here's the old sump/refuge...No Laughing!!! :


This is the new setup...well, not completely. But at least it's the two bins and the stand I made. I'll be painting the stand to protect it, and I've braced the heck out of it, you could park a car on it.


This is what the new layout will look like when it's completed.