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I am very new to the ZEOvit system, well in fact, this is my first post. I was wondering if the ZEOvit system would work with an Ecosystem method? If it is not possible please tell me why.
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Greetings All !
Creason228 ...
It's great to see you here!
"When the going gets weird, the weird turn pro."
Hunter S. Thompson -
Greetings All !
I presume we're talking about a Leng Sy "style" MM ecosystem filtration configuration, yes?Originally posted by Creason228
There would be two issues: (1) Macroalgae sustainability; and (2) Potential nutrient release from the substrate.
As a ZEOvit system matures, an oligotrophic condition is produced. This low nutrient condition is typically unable to sustain a nutrient exporting biomass of macroalgae, leading to the biomass' eventual degradation/disintegration. Indeed, if you're utilizing a macroalgae such as Caulerpa prolifera, the drop in available nutrients in the water column produced by the ZEOvit system could stimulate the Caulerpa to sporulate ... i.e., "go sexual." Even a more resilient and less prone to disruptive sporulation macroalgae such as Chaetomorpha will eventually degrade.
Depending upon the substrate that is being utilized, there may or may not be a nutrient release issue. There has been much speculation in cyberspace regarding the potential release of nutrients from miracle mud, biosediment, marine sediment, ... et al. Depending upon what the nutrient is, such a release could disrupt the ratios and "balance" that ZEOvit system supplements produce. This is not to say that there aren't substrate compositions that would not present this problem. For example, a combination of fine grained aragonite "sand" and something like Walt Smith's Fiji Gold "Refugium Booster" ... great stuff for ecosystem configurations, BTW ... shouldn't pose any nutrient release "issues".
JMO ... HTH
"When the going gets weird, the weird turn pro."
Hunter S. ThompsonComment
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Short answer. I tried it, it didn't work. As noted in the previous post. 1) The nutrient sink was enormous. I wound up emptying my ecosystems sump and it is now a wide spot in the line where some sediment settles out and can be conviently vacumed up during water changes. 2) As the nutrients deplete, the health of your caulrpa will deteriorate releasing even more organic waste into your system.
JeffPikemanComment
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Effect of probiotic bacteria on algae nutrient export
I'm using a hybrid system - prodibio instead of the zeo basic 4, Zeo additives skimming and chateo over a mineral mud/aragonite MSB.
I'v noticed that the chateo is now degrading - going grey - which is probably due to not recieving enough nutrients as these are now dealt with by the bacteria instead. Shame in once sense as it provided a great source of micro life for the fish
Previously the chateo was growing very well - but not taking out all the NO3.
I'm not at all sure about the effect of mineral mud - other than being a source of iron - but I'll keep an aragonite msb or dsb in that section of the sump as a bac bed and also a ph buffer as the main tank is BB.
May turn it into LR refugium - or even a frag grow out area.
Interesting stuff.
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