Need info....

[amuruges]

1. Gross water volume of your complete system (incl. sump etc.) 100gal with 30gal Sump
2. Net water volume (incl. sump etc.) Approx 100
3. Are you using a CaCO2 reactor or other technique- No reactor - techA - Tech B supplement only
4. Are you using a PO4 reactor (how long, how long ago, etc.) - No
5. Are you using Ozone- No
6. Are you using UV - No
7. What skimmer are you using (type, rated water volume) Tunze Doc 9010
8. What are your actual PO4 and NO3 levels - No3 - 10ppm Po4 not detectable
9. What are your actual Ca, Alk and Mg levels - Ca: 420, Alk: 3meq, Mg: 1400
10. What filtration method do you use (refugium, DSB, Miracle Mud, etc.) SUMP DSB, tank Barebottom
11. Type of light (Watt, color temp, how old, etc.) 2 x 250W 20K XM,
12. What corals do you keep? Just started with a few SPS frag and will be adding more acros.
13. Tissue color (light or dark) light....
14. How long has the tank been running- 10 months but just added lights and frags a month ago
15. Why do you want to use the ZEOvit system - Seen some good results by others so wanted to try it out.
16. Any supplemental dosing (type, amount, why, etc.) Tach A - Tech B for calcium and alk supplement.
17. Live rock (how much, how old, etc.) 130lbs 10 months old.
18. Any present problems - None
19. Problem description (tissue loss tips, tissue loss base, diatom bloom, algae, etc.)
20. What test kit do you use (how old, recently switched, etc.) Ca/ALk/Mg/Nitrate/Posphate/Ph-Meter/ All slifert testkits.
21. Present dosing, amounts and intervals (ZEOvit, ZEObak, ZEOfood, ZEOstart, ZEOspur2, etc.) None
22. Other water parameters and water stability (salinity, temp, etc.) Salinity is 1.026, Temp is kept between 78-80. also do 15% w/c weekly with tropic marin reef salt.




I don;t have a zeo-reator, but have an old phoban reactor with a 150gph submersible pump, will this work, I have ordered zeo-basics and zeoCV and zeo-amino acid... what would be a good wayt o start things going? Thanks for the help in advance.

[gqjeff]

Yea the old reactor will work if you can shake the stones and maybe put something on the pump to slow the flow to around 75 gph until after the first changeout. Start off with .75 liters zeoliths at a flow of 100 gallons per hr per liter zeoliths and shake stones 2x daily. If you can cycle the reactor 3 on 3 off with the stones staying under water do that for the first few change outs. After your fist changeout at 4 weeks you can go with 1 liter zeoliths at a flow of 100 gph per liter. You have corals so lets take it slow for them to adapt. Start off with 1 ml daily of start 2 over 2-3 doses if possible so roughly .3-.4 ml 3x daily. For bac and food dose 4 drops daily for the first 2 weeks then 2x weekly until the first changeout at 4 weeks. After the first changeout you will start with bac and food every other day for 2 weeks then 2x weekly... Carbon should be used at 1 cup per 100 gallons so start off with 1 cup in passive flow and knead the bag daily if posssible.. If you have any other questions feel free to ask. Also PCV and AAHC can be used at startup. Dose PVC at 1-3 drops per 25 gallons daily and AAHC at 3 drops daily.

Jeff

[amuruges]

Thanks. Jeff.

Another question, I will be gone for a weekend (2days) during the 4 week period, will that be ok or should I just wait and start it after I get back.

[gqjeff]

You will be fine, no reason to wait.. Best of luck and ask questions as they arise...

Jeff

[amuruges]

Okay, all the stuff came in today, I went with 50% instead of 75% hope that is okay, just being a little more conservative...... Added the bac & food7 at 4drops and start2 1/2ml will add another 1/2ml later this evening.

I don't have a timer yet to start and stop every 3hrs for 3hrs interval, so it is not in place... also looks like some of the rocks will be exposed during stop so until I get a check valve I need to run the reactor all the time, is that okay?

Is there a specific time CV and AAHC need to be added for better results or anytime during the day is ok.

Also, I have 1 purple tang, 1 powder blue tang, 6 anthias and one maroon clown in the tank, I feed them mysis and marine cusine (3 cubes each) a day at several intervals and the tangs get one sheet of nori every day (6"x2"). Is this too much or can I continue with this routine with zeo inplace.

Tank parameters as of today

Ca - 430
Alk - 3.5 meq
Mg - 1400
pH 8.2
No3 10ppm
Po4 undetectable. maybe a little.

Thks

[gqjeff]

You will be fine not cycling the reactor until you get a check valve... The CV and AAHC I always add in the morning and then another dose of CV when the lights are off at night.. CV and Bac both require refrigeration. I dose in the morning with lights off also.. The corals have better polyp extension then so thats the reason I do it... Your feeding should be fine and if you can get a hanna and check PO4 that will be your best indicator. Also you Alk is a bit high around 9.8 dKH.. Its recommended to be 6-8 dKH with this system or 2.15-2.85 Alk.. .. I recommend bringing the Alk down over a few days to the desired level.. You can turn your Ca Rx off and let it lower naturally but make sure to check it daily..

Jeff

[amuruges]

I wasn't using Ca-Reactor yet, I was using tech CB supplements I will stop it, but I picked up a new testkit and it showed 3meq's. Got the check valve and cranked up the zeovit today. Wish me luck.

[Aged Salt]

Amurges, watch the water clear You'll do fine, just keep close check on all the good advise Jeff's given you Bob

[amuruges]

one week update.....

The tank water looks much clearer, two of te frags did RTN, but think they were gonna RTN anyways, as I never saw any polyp extension since the day I got them a week before I started ZEO. I am waiting on new test kits for nitrate and phosphate should be here in a few days.

The phos reactor only hold .75l so I ordered a zeo reactor for the next change out.

I do have a question, a few times I added a couple of extra drops of zeobak inadvertantly, is that ok? do I skip a day inbetween to compensate it?

Also, there is one frag which was very brown when I started zeo, now it has lightened up a little but looks like it is dried out, very few polyp extension any adjustmenet I should try? Tks.

[Aged Salt]

Hi amuruges, no need to adjust your Bak dosage or any other zeo-component if the remainder of your corals look healthy. If all are becoming too light, then that's another story & adjustments will need to be made. I'd slow down the zeo-reactor to 50 gph for the remainder of this 1st zeolite period. Be sure to cycle the zeolite reactor at 3hr. intervals. Plz. do update us on your nutrient levels when the new test kits are used. Bob

[amuruges]

Tks Bob, The rest of the corals are doing fine, polyp xtension is normal as usual if not better... I wouldn't say they are lightening, the coloration is getting prominent and looking much healthier. The encrusting is certainly more evident than the last few weeks.
I am running the reactor at about 1/2 opened on a 150gph pump 3hrs off and 3hrs on, I will turn it to 1/3 so it should be about aprox. 50-60gph... I will have the test kits tomorrow. will post the levels then.

[amuruges]

Nutrient levels are pretty much the same as before....


Nitrate is at 10ppm and PO4 on the new kit measures .4 - .5ppm

Do I stay the course?

[Aged Salt]

Yes, the main thing with any method & it's so true with ZEOvit, is to be patient & stay the course. Your zeo-dosages look fine. The "stored"-nutrients leech back into our waters so that at first there might not be any actual measureable decrease in nutrients even though the "sequestered" ones are being depleted. Bob

[amuruges]

Cool will stay the course, couple of small questions, jeff mentioned first change out at 4weeks, but for most part I have read first change out at 6 weeks, can you clarify, also, I have seen on most of your post to turn off skimmer during bak and food dosing, I wasn't doing that, is that absolutly necessary to do this? as I was feeding those in the mornings before leaving for work and wasn't really turning the skimmer off.... Tks.

[Aged Salt]

Yes, it's helpful to turn off the skimmer for 60min after dosing Bak/Food7 to strengthen the bacterial chains[utilize them more efficiently]. I'm sure this point is a matter of degree, but this will result in less excess signs when dosing these components. One can dose Bak/Food7 anytime, day or night. The guide recommends 4 wks. with the 1st set of zeolites but it easier to give new users less variably/confusion, thus the 6wk. change-out. I've also experienced that some users on their 1st exchange do not ask for recommendations on the next stone-period & have continued to change their zeolites every 4wks. which is too often & more expensive to use. Bob