hello i have a few questions

[reeftec]

hello to all the reefers @zeovit,let me tell you my specs before the questions
72 gal +20 gal sump+5 gal refugium
dsb 4" to 5" in the back,85 p lr,caulerpa in fuge
2x 400 w 10k mh,2x96w actinic,1x 54 w t5 15k,1x54w t5 actinic(1100w)
filteration,euroreef for 90gal,rowa phos(125 gram in reactor,changed monthly),1liter of carbon changed weekly,18 w uv,200mg ozone on controller
filtersock on the return from tank changed weekly,weekly 20% waterchange
percisionmarine caco2 reac. on controller(ph set on 6.4,arm media)1/4 hrs chiller,return from sump,eheim 900gal/hr(act 610)tunze 3175 gal/hr,two maxi jet in the caves to eliminate dead spot(around 80 times of actual water volume turn around in display tank) tank was set up in june 04
parameters: ca 410 ,alk 11.5 ,mg 1350,sg 1.025,orp 375,temp 78-79
tank inhabitants: yellow tang ,small blue tang,yellow diamond goby,mandarin goby,coris wrasse,cleaner wrasse,various shrimps& 100s of different snails
80% sps,frogspawn,alveopora& nonphotosynthetic goronian snephtide,dedronephthya

[reeftec]

now the tank story
never had any major problems,algae run its own course(except one that i'll get into later)virtualy algae free,corals are growing& thriving,however about 10 months ago i introduced a cottonfuzzy red algae to my system(not bryopsis)i forgot its name (astropsis maybe)on a coral rock,first it start spreading i got scared & against my better judgement & a friends recomandation i used chemiclean to get rid of it,which it did notwork,i got 2 sea hare which ate the stuff & it never came back ,but using the chemiclean,my sps browned after a few days,i tried everything to bring the colors back,my growth was fine very fast in some cases,but colors were dull,so about 6 months ago i did some research on heavy feeding in acropoids & other corals,so i decided to start my own experiements,i did follow some experts recepie,also some of my own,i mean very heavy to the point that one time using oystereggs i created a spawninglike event density of egg particles in the water that lost me afew fish & shrimps (i learned thier limit there),however it has been working for me ,after 2months of feeding heavy with various things(cyclo,oystereggs,napoli,daphnia,mushed clam,krill,etc)i noticed amazing poly extention& the sps were starting to glow again & slowly regain thier color,it has been alot of extra work feeding like this but it has been showing me results &nit. & phos. RE still @ 0(salifert & seacham)about a couple of months ago i thought feeding this much maybe i try a couple of azooxanthallate species,which i actualy been very successful with aswell(still in short period of time i mean),basicly heavy feeding & heavy nutrient export with algae & fiteration

[reeftec]

i have read the basic theory &a few other articles on zeovit& these are my questions:
1-is there a difference between the zeo bak & the naturaly occuring nitrobacter?
2-if there is a difference could this strain be housed in aquaria without use of zeoliths?
3-the additives that comes with this system,could they be used without use of the bacteria,or the zeolith?
4-would these additives harm any of my nonphotosynthetics,in any way?
5-has anyone kept dendros or any aposymbiotic gorgs with this method successfuly?
6-considering my system do you think using the bacteria(if it is a different strain)or other additives would help my system ,without the use of zeolith?
7- any recomandations wellcome& thanx in advance

[Aged Salt]

Hi Reeftec, welcome to ZEOvit.com & thnx. for the interesting narrative on your reef I'll answer the above questions with a caveat:

1)yes, the zeo-bacteria are specialized for their ability to reduce both N03's & P04's in a balanced manner
2)yes, but these specialized bacteria have an affinity to the zeolites to densely populate the stones for efficient function. Without the zeolites the zeo's will not function properly & one will not obtain the goal of nutrient-poor waters which is a prerequisite for SPS color & health.
3)yes, all the zeo-supplements can be used in a non-ZEOvit system
4)No
5)yes, apparently many European's zeo-reefs have been able to accomplish this.
6)no, not w/o the specific carbon source & hosting zeolites, but using zeo-supplements such as Aminoacids/Phol's Coral-Vitalizer, PIF/Fe/Spurs/P-S-G/K-Balance can benefit a non-ZEOvit reef.
7)do not begin the complete ZEOvit method[if you decide] w/o stopping 03/ reducing KH to 6-8, & KW drip [if you are using KW]. Bob

[reeftec]

thanx for your reply & sorry for the long post,
so what do you recomand i start with?i am not going to use the zeolith,what supplements do you recommand i start with,with what dosage?
(i will not be changing my alk or filteration method for now,i just want to test the additives first)also i was wondering if you could tell me about styloglow,also would you tell me what combination of products do i start with? thanx bob

[Aged Salt]

Reeftec, thnx. for your reply What salt are you using? What brand of carbon? Nutrient-detectables[Salifert's] must become undetectable for SPS 100% color. Until then all zeo-supplements will have a less profound effect. I suggest starting with AAHC at 2 drops 3x's/wk;PIF 3 drops 2'x/wk;C-V 4 drops daily; Spur2 as per the ZEOvit guidelines. Bob

[reeftec]

thanx bob
i just switched from io to crystal sea marine mix,[email protected] 0(according to salifert & seacham),20% waterchange weekly,marineland carbon

[reeftec]

sorry bob i am just a zeohead @ training(lol),
AHHC ?
PIF ?
i am assuming cv is coral vitalizer,thanx,

[Aged Salt]

I'm not too familar with Crystal Seasalt--what's been your experience thus far? Try switching to K-Z's carbon for a couple of months, as it will help bring back SPS color. PIF=Potassium-Iodide-Flouride;AAHC=Aminoacid High Concentrate. BTW, if you have Stylo, pocci's or seratioporas, Pocci-Stylo-Glow as per the ZEOvit guidelines will improve their coloration. Bob

[reeftec]

i was having some problems with io, was agood salt,however once in a while i got a bad batch(makes all the mixing resorvoir go white,oily film on the top,different junk in there)so i switched to crystalsea marinemix,it supposed to have the least amount of heavy metals,i only started with it last week,very clean mix &@ 1.025 sg alk was 10.2 & ca was 430 (mixed @78 f),i did not have time to test for anything else,i will next week ,how about the zeospur?

[reeftec]

what is the difference between k-z's carbon & marineland or any other brand,in that respect?i change a liter/week in 100 gal system

[Aged Salt]

Hi Reeftec, ZeoSpur2 would be a benefit in your system--dose as per ZEOvit guidelines. Most carbons have two disadvantages in a nutrient-poor environment--too absorptive, darkening SPS quickly & P04-leaching. Bob

[mesocosm]

Greetings All !

what is the difference between k-z's carbon & marineland or any other brand,in that respect?i change a liter/week in 100 gal system

I can't speak to the difference between KZ vs. Marineland ... of the two I've only used Marineland's Black Diamond.

Generally speaking, there are potentially three basic differences between activated carbons:

1. The source material that is carbonized.
2. The technique with which the source material is heated (carbonized).
3. Whether or not the material is chemically washed, and with what solution, before and/or after heating.

The combination of these three things generally determines (i) the chemical composition of the resultant activated carbon (whether or not it will leach phosphate into solution, for example); (ii) the density and pore size (... very critical in terms of absorption characteristics ...) of the resultant activated carbon; and (iii) the potential for residual chemicals in the activated carbon.

HTH

[reeftec]

thanx for your help guys,i just ordered a whole bunch of the additives,i will ask you guys more questions as soon as i get them
ps.thanx god i can read alittle german,there seems to be a big difference in price,between,our sites& the german ones
this is where i ordered from,i hope they are good
KN-aquaristik

[reeftec]

http://www.meerwasser-aquaristik.de/...t.php?cPath=73