zeo supplements for nanos?

[Detritivore]

i was wondering what korallen zucht products would be appropriate for nanos? what do i need to run them? (special filters, ect...) i am considering trying some for my nano. (its 20 gallons, but i might downsize to a 15 for better light penetration)
-thanks

[timsVw]

I have a 30 gallon tank that I run all the basic 4 on. I use a HOB filter to run the zeo rocks in, and then I just dose like anyone else would. I can say I have had some ups and downs with my tank the 5 mo. it has been running zeo. The only problem I can attribute to zeo is when I overdosed at the beginning. I would say you really need to watch the start that you dose with a small tank. I do 1 drop 3 times a day, and that seems to work now. But I have also been having issues with my ph so once that is in check I may try to go up to 3 drops 3 times a day.

Good luck, and this is a great forum to get your questions answered at.
-Tim

[Detritivore]

it would be tough to do the ZEOvit system because i wont have a skimmer...i was leaning toward the non-zeo supplements (AAHC, etc...) what do you guys think?

[Detritivore]

can AAHC be used on non-Zeo tanks? does it actually make a difference? whats the difference between biophos 2 and 3? they both remove phosphate right? do you have a skimmer tim?

[G.Alexander]

Jonah, both BioPhos3 and BioPhos2 are PO4 absorbers. BioPhos3 is aluminium based, BioPhos2 iron based.

There where some hot discussions in the past if corals are able to pick up amino acids from the water column, but believing my corals they can :icon_mrgr You also can AAHC in a non zeo system as recommended in the dosing guide. You should notice stronger growth and better coloration.

G.Alexander

[timsVw]

I have a skimmer yes. I have a remora hob.

-Tim

[Detritivore]

thank you alexander and tim...

what would you recommend for my nano? (20 gal) i havent measured phosphate yet, but im pretty sure my tank isnt clean (been a lot of macro as of late)

[G.Alexander]

Jonah, please give us some details about the tank (skimmer, corals etc.).

G.Alexander

[Detritivore]

hello alexander,

i cant answer all the questions, as i dont have all the test kits, but i will do what i can...

1. Gross water volume of your complete system: 20 gallons
2. Net water volume: 16 gallons
3. Are you using a CaCO2 reactor or other technique: right now, i use saliferts all-in-one...it does the job okay,it keeps calcium around 400 and i notice a growth spurt everytime i dose it.
4. Are you using a PO4 reactor: no, my tank is a very simple nano
5. Are you using Ozone: see above
6. Are you using UV:see above
7. What skimmer are you using: none, see above (i dont plan on using the actual ZEOvit system on this tank cause it requires a skimmer)
8. What are your actual PO4 and NO3 levels: to be honest, i dont know the phosphate level. i dont have the test kit for it and my LFS is closed for a while. NO3 is nitrate right? nitrate is zero
9. What are your actual Ca, Alk and Mg levels: Ca ~400
10. What filtration method do you use: just LR
11. Type of light: 65w pc 10K/actinic combo, i keep softies and low light SPS in this tank (seriatopora, digitata, capricornis,)
12. What corals do you keep: brown zoanthids, palythoa(i actually want to get rid of this, i dont like poisonous animals ), unidentified soft coral (looks like a nepthea of some sort, but i really have no idea), GSP, orange digi, purple digi, red/orange capricornus, pink hystrix, brown hystrix, xenia, blue/green candycane (caulastrea)
13. Tissue color: the pink birdnest, which is the most light demanding coral in my tank, is pink. the brown one i mentioned above is naturally brown
14. How long has the tank been running: 6 mo. i think?
15. Why do you want to use the ZEOvit system: i dont want to use it for this tank
16. Any supplemental dosing: a drop of iodine once in a while, supposedly for the xenia, although i dont think it really makes a difference
17. Live rock: ~20 lbs
18. Any present problems: macroalgae, thats about it
19. Problem description: caulerpa was growing like mad until recently...it seems to have slowed down a little though...
20. What test kit do you use: cruddy no name brand i bought it when i first started the hobby...i wanted to get salifert, but my LFS is closed for moving, i might be able to get some though
21. Present dosing, amounts and intervals: none
22. Other water parameters and water stability: temp 79-80, ph 8.2, sg: ~1.026

some other notes: i have no fish. my rock is very dirty. i recently took it out due to the macro. it is sitting in a separate tank right now to purge it of the detritus. the rock has been "spitting" out a lot of detritus as of late. i used to have an SSB, but i took that out too. so right now, my nano is pretty much a frag tank, although the water in it is "aged". i plan on putting the rock back in once its clean. maybe a very thin layer of sand too. i have also been considering downsizing to a 15 gallon (same footprint, just shorter) to get better light penetration.

[G.Alexander]

Jonah, thanks for providing those complete information. Now I see what you mean. If I where you I would exchange the rocks and the sand against fresh material. I expect both are accumulated with nutrients. For the macro algae I would recommend to add some herbivore like snails, but I am sure you already keep them in your tank.

As long as you do not attach a skimmer to the tank, I can not recommend the zeovit system. The skimmer is necessary to make it work.

There is another product in the row of korallenzucht which is called ZeoLive. I know Gary (mesocosm) has used it, maybe he can jump in with his advise.

Another possibility would be to connect the nano to your zeo tank for the water exchange. Not sure if this is possible.

But my guess would first be replacing the sand and the rocks, which should not be to cost intensive. I also would recommend to run a small filter with some grains of activated carbon which is replaced one a month.

G.Alexander

[Detritivore]

yes, i am replaceing the rocks right now...i forgot to say, i also run carbon...about 1/4 cup

[Detritivore]

alexander, what do you think about biophos or AAHC?

[G.Alexander]

Jonah, both versions of BioPhos (2 = iron based) and (3 = aluminum based) are similar to the classical available PO4 removers. You can get the same problems they are know from these absorbers. If you like to give it a try I would recommend the iron based version because it does not changes his reaction with different PH levels. Wash out the material with hot RO water before you first use it.

AAHC can also be used in a no zeo system, but because of your low water quantity I would recommend to dose it with a maximum of 1 drop once weekly.

G.Alexander

[Detritivore]

i see, thank you alexander... i am going to wait for everything to stabilize first before i start adding anything...

what type of filter should be used for the biophos?

[G.Alexander]

The water flow through the material should be on the low side. Same conditions as other absorbers.

G.Alexander