Bob, question on dosing bak

[slojmn]

I just started my dosing schedule on the new tank today. I was reviewing stuff and noticed that your recommendations of bak dosing amounts based on my info was very different from the guide. My tank/sump is a net volume of about 55g.
Your suggested bak dosing:
"dose 2 drops bak/food7 daily for 1st 2wks, then 2x's wk. Turn off your skimmer for 60 minutes after your dose bak/food."

the guide suggested dosing of bak:

2-4 drops per 25g net water volume daily over 2 weeks. Subsequently dose 1-2 drops per 25g net water volume once or twice weekly until the change of zeovit.."

So according to the guide for a brand new tank I should dose 4-8 drops daily and you suggest 2 drops daily for first two weeks. This seems like a lot of a difference. Which is best for these first few weeks?

[Aged Salt]

Hi Alicia, thnx. for the good question A new tank will not have stored- nutrients to rid as in a "old-tank-syndrome" set-up. If you have a medium to high bioload, the higher guide doses should be safe but remember when starting ZEOvit, we wish to lower nutrients slowly, allowing our corals time to adjust to the changing water composition. Bob

[slojmn]

So somewhere between the guide recommendation and your recommendation??? Those higher bak dose amounts from the revised guide were in the section for brand new tank with no little to no bioload(nonstocked), for a higher nutrient tank (one that is established, already stocked) the dose amounts were lower "...1 drop per 25g for 2 wks, then 1 drop per 25g 2-3x's/wk" (I paraphrased a bit here). So this is kind of the opposite of what you are saying in your above post.

"If you have a medium to high bioload, the higher guide doses should be safe..."

The guide is saying with no load higher bak dosing, with high nutrient load much less bak dosing. I get the concept of slowly lowering nutrient for coral adjustment period but I was asking regarding difference in dosing amounts for newly established tank with no livestock ('cept 2 little fish). So I guess I am still a little confused. I have little to no nutrient load at this point since there is not much in the tank and it is only 2 weeks old. Thank you so much for your time

[Aged Salt]

Hi Alicia, in a new tank w/o livestock bioload the guide recommendations are fine. My recommendations are more conservative based on my experience with Start2 which is more potent in nutrient reduction yet safer than Start1 & a avg. livestock bioload. My reasoning for higher dosages[no livestock] is as you pointed out, exactly opposite, & I stand corrected. Therefore, higher dosages with no load, lower doses for livestock for sure, thnx. Bob

[slojmn]

Thanks for clarifying...I feel a more conservative approach suits my style better so I think I will be dosing the smaller amount.