Dosing Update Request

[Pikeman]

It's been another 6 weeks and I'm back for more dosing guidance. Over the past 6 weeks my dosing has been as follows for my 200 gal system.

-2 liters zeolith (3 on/3 off) ~300gph flow
-2 cups black diamond activated carbon (Passive on sump overflow)
-Start 2 - one drop morning and one drop evening
-PIF - 3 drops 2x/wk
-Fe - 1 drop 2x/wk
-Bac - 2 drops 3x/wk
-Food7 - 1 drop/wk
-AAHC - 6 drops/day, although I reduced this in the past week due to 3 drops/day due to an increase in the "slime" showing up.
-I also started adding Pohl's CV at 8 drops/day starting last Tuesday.

My water chemistry (Salifert unless noted) as of this morning:
sp gr - 1.025
Nitrate - Non-detectable w low res test
Phophate - 0.01 Hannah (although it may actually be 0.00 as I'm not convinced I had the glass as clean as possible)
- Non Detectable Salifert w low res test
pH - 7.8 (rises to 8.0 to 8.1 when I can open the windows)
Alk - 7.5 KH
Cal - 410
Mg - 1270

Other:
-ARM media in Ca Rx with ~15% magnesium.
-I was using IO + Tropic Marin Pro Reef salt until the past week. I am now trying the new KZ Reefers salt.
-2 -250W DE BLV 10K Mh's + 2 54W Actinic t5's. MH's on 7 hrs/day, t5's 12 hrs/day
-1,100 gph main circ pump + 1,100 gph from power heads + 1,100 gph internal circ w/2 sea-swirls for a 140 gal display tank.
-7% water changes weekly
-Fish feeding was very sparse initially but I've increased my feedings over the past 3 weeks with the addition of 3 bartlett's anthias'.
-Bare bottom tank
-ASM-G3 Skimmer
-Started zeo in Nov, 04
-Corals (unfortuntely) look similar to Albert's on an adjacent thread (blanched with slow growth). I also added a couple of frags last Friday to see if they will hold their color with my current tank conditions. So far, so good, but its early. In short, I'm at a loss on what to do to achieve the vigorous colors and growth I see my fellow zeoheads achieving. Needless to say I envy those folks getting the great results and HUMBLY look for help on how to improve my tank.

[gqjeff]

Your flow through the zeo ractor should be 100gph per liter and you do not need to cycle any longer.. I would slow that down from 300gph to 200gph, the zeoliths might be taking to much out of the water to fast at 300gph... Your tank has the same volume of water as mine.. My current dosing it as follows.. 2 liters zeos changed every 5-6 weeks... 200 gph flow.. Start2 .3ml daily over 3doses. PIF 8 drops 3-4x weekly Fe 4 drops 1x weekly.. Bac 3 drops 2x weekly food 2 drops 2x weekly... I am currently not using ME. 2 cups carbon changed every 4 weeks in passive flow. CV 8-16 drops daily.. AAHC 4 drops daily. Spur every 2-3 weeks at 4-5ml. PSG 8 drops daily for 3 weeks at a time and then again when colors fade. Also after change out I do bac and food every other day at the same dosages for 2 weeks then back to the reg schedule. Hope this helps you some.. I would try adding more PIF and CV. You can double the PIF dosage for a few days and report back to me.. I have been doing this schedule for awhile and have gotten great color and growth.. The hanna has also helped me fine tune my start2 dosing..

Peace, Jeff

[Pikeman]

Thanks Jeff, I'll modify my dosing as you indicated and slow down the flow to my zeolith. It also looks as if you're dosing the PIF in much higher quantities than I am and I wonder if this accounting for the lack of color in my "blue" corals.

Jeff

[Pikeman]

Jeff, just out of curiosity, what salt are you using?

Jeff

[gqjeff]

Pike, I am using the new seachem reef salt.. I really like it.. The only thing I have to add is a little Ca and its good to go.. I think its the best salt I have used over the years. Also as for the PIF. I would double the dosage a few days or just use it a few more days a week and see how the blues glow after that... Please let me know how things are going after a week or 2.

Peace, Jeff

[Pikeman]

Jeff, Will do on the update. I just started a new cycle of zeolith this morning and I've adjusted my dosing in accordance with your guidelines, including the doubling of the PIF and CV over the next few days. (I've yet to see the "pop" of the CV, but I've only been dosing it for 8 days. Perhaps I'm due) I also re-measured my zeolith reactor flow and it was running around 250gph. It is now lowered to the target 200gph for the 2 L of rock.

[gqjeff]

Pike, if you are ever up this way you are more then welcome to stop and see my reef anytime.. I am 5 min off I55 20 miles north or Bloomington/Normal.

Jeff

[Pikeman]

Jeff,

I may take you up on that offer some time later this fall. My in-laws live on a farm near Danvers, IL. (~10 miles west of Bloomington) and we visit them on a fairly regular basis. I really enjoyed the internet photos of your tank and would especially like to see it in person.

[gqjeff]

Cool anytime..

Jeff

[gqjeff]

Pike, for some reason when I am trying to send u back a response in the email it keeps coming back from the mail admin.. Not sure if you are getting it or not.. I will try and send it in my other email..