Back to KZ again

[NICK0206]

Hello.
After 3 years of failures with Zeovit 1.5 years ago, I switched to Tropic Marine and already after the transition I found a problem (leakage of electric current into the tank).
Now, after 1.5 years, I have an established aquarium with stable parameters and coral growth, but the colors are not the same as those provided by the zeovit system.
About a month before the replacement, on the advice of a friend and dealer of KZ, began to add KZ products in parallel with TM. Zeobak (2 times a week for 4 drops), Zeostart (0.3 ml daily), Zeofood and Sponge Power 3 drops every other day.
The day before yesterday I launched a zeolite reactor from KZ with 700-750 ml of zeolites. Flow according to the recommendation of KZ for Changeover of a stocked tank 50 l / h.
According to the same recommendation
- Zeobak 3 drops 2 times a week
- Zeofood 18 drops daily at the first week
- Sponge Power 3 drops every other day
- Coral Vitalizer - 3 drops every other day
- Amino SPS 3 drops every other day
- Amino LPS 1.5 ml daily

1. Gross water volume of your complete system (incl. sump etc.) - US gallons / UK gallons / liter - 320 liters
2. Net water volume (incl. sump etc.) - US gallons / UK gallons / liter 280-290 liters
3. Are you using a CaCO2 reactor or other technique - No
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) -KZ revolition S
8. What are your actual PO4 and NO3 levels PO4 - 0 (Hanna) NO3 - 1 or less (TM)
9. What are your actual Ca, Alk and Mg levels Ca - 412 Mg - 1340 Alc - 7 (all tests TM)
10. What filtration method do you use (refugium, DSB, Miracle Mud, etc.) - Tripic Marin NP Bacto-ballance and Elimi NP
11. Type of light (Watt, color temp, how old, etc.) T5 Aquatic Life fixture with 4 KZ lamps (2 blue, 1 white 1 fuji purple) Kessil A360UW (color 30 intensity 90 at max) 30 w handmade LED (blue channel 100, white/red chanel 40% at max)
12. What corals do you keep - 70% SPS 30% LPS.
13. Tissue color (light or dark) - hard to say
14. How long has the tank been running - 1 year 6 month
15. Why do you want to use the ZEOvit system - coral coloration
16. Any supplemental dosing (type, amount, why, etc.) - ESV A and B (Ca-Alc)
17. Live rock (how much, how old, etc.) 20 kg 3 y.o.
18. Any present problems - only coloration
19. Problem description (tissue loss tips, tissue loss base, diatom bloom, algae, etc.) - only coloration
20. What test kit do you use (how old, recently switched, etc.) Hanna for PO4, salinity, Ca,Mg,Alc, No2, No3 all Tropic Marin all new.
21. Present dosing, amounts and intervals (ZEOvit, ZEObak, ZEOfood, ZEOstart, ZEOspur2, etc.) - Posted above
22. Other water parameters and water stability (salinity, temp, etc.) Salinity - 1.025 temp. - 26 celcius
23. Which salt brand do you use - TM in the past, last month - KZ.

If you have any comments or suggestions, I will be glad.
Thanks Nick

[jacky]

1. Place 0.7 litre of Zeovit into the Zeo reactor. The water flow is about 280 litres per hour. Connect the reactor pump to the clock timer and run the reaction pump at intervals of 3 hours on / 3 hours on / 3 hours on. When turning off the pump, make sure that the zeolite is not exposed to air. Clean materials daily. Leave the zeolite in the filter for 4 weeks until you make the first replacement. This is the first change interval, other intervals can be extended to 6-8 weeks.

2. Place 0.28 liters of activated carbon in the filter sock and keep it in a passive water flow (replace every 30 days). Knead the carbon every day to keep the surface clean. Most users use korallenzucht toner to get perfect results.

3. During the first 2 weeks, take 3 drops of ZeoBac daily, 2 to 3 times a week, 2 drops each time. Take 0.28ml ZeoStart 2 x every day (morning and evening). The dose before starting the Zeo reactor pump.

Later, you can use other products for coral coloring. Adjust your skimmer so that it is slightly wet and keep it clean for export as much as possible. Change water 5-10% weekly with high-quality salt.

For this system, if you start with zeovit, I recommend removing tripoc marin and elimi products 1/2. Then gradually reduce the remaining to zero in the next 6-8 weeks. If you do this, pay attention to the PO4 level, which should not increase. Since you own Zeo Spong Power and Zeo CV products, the dosage: SpongePower 3 drops every other day. 6 drops of Zeo CV 2 times a week (optional). Zeo Food is temporarily suspended and will be added later. ESV A and B (Ca-Alc), I don't know this product, as long as it does not contain other trace elements, then it can.

The basic water parameters look good. Try to make it as stable as possible to keep NSW stable in the following range:

KH 6.5 – 7.5
Ca 400 – 420 mg
Mg 1250 – 1300 mg
K + ~ 380 mg

For a malnourished environment, it seems that K + (potassium) has become an important element. I suggest you also get a test suite for this element and publish the results.

This is the starting dose and may need to be adjusted later.

[G.Alexander]

Hello Nick, welcome back !

Can you tell what you have done to control nutrients before as both PO4 and NO3 are already very low ?

G.Alexander

[NICK0206]

All my dosages and flow according to recommendations from the site Korallen-zucht.
https://cms.korallen-zucht.de/files/...efing_engl.pdf
on the second page.
I myself was surprised, but decided to trust Thomas.
As I already wrote, I achieved zero parameters of nutrients with two additives from TM, "NP-Bacto-balance" reduces nitrates and phosphates in cases where nitrate and phosphate are in balance or when proportionally more nitrate.
If the balance in favor of phosphates, then instead of the "NP-Bacto-balance", "Elimi-NP" is added.
That's all.
So far has stopped supplements from Tropic Marine. The next day, the levels of nitrate and phosphate did not rise.
Today I will do the tests again. If I see an increase, I will try to put the reactor on the timer.
Thanks Nick

[NICK0206]

OK,
I made tests
Phosphate 0.06
Nitrate between 1 and 2
Already connected the reactor to a 3-hour on-off mode.
Questions
- how long to stay in this mode?
- Is it worth continuing to introduce TM supplements and for how long?
Thanks Nick

[G.Alexander]

Hello Nick, as ZeoVit is a bacteria driven system it does take some time until it does process nutrients effective, if you completely stop dosing what you have used before to control nutrients I would expect the especially PO4 will increase. I have no experience with the TM products however it might be a good idea to continue dosing them furthermore for some time. Lets reduce the dosage of the TM products to 50% and than start to slowly decrease the quantity step by step to zero over the next 4 – 6 weeks.

I would also recommend to reduce the AminoAcid dosage for both products from daily or every other day to 2 x weekly.

About 2 weeks after the first ZeoVit exchange, which will be in 4 weeks, you can switch the reactor to continuous flow if all the corals are doing well.

G.Alexander

[NICK0206]

Thanks.
Yesterday I continued to add TM supplements of 50% of my usual dose.
Did I understand you correctly that the first change of zeolites is made 4 weeks after the start?
Thanks Nick

[G.Alexander]

Exactly, the I would recommend to do the first exchange after 4 weeks, the following changes can be lengthen to 6 or 8 weeks depending to the nutrient concentrations.

G.Alexander

[NICK0206]

Hello.
At the end of this week I will change the zeolites for the first time.
I am still continuing TM supplements to control nitrate and phosphate, but the dosage has decreased markedly.
Everything in the aquarium looks fine so far. The only thing that bothers me is that my calcium intake dropped sharply.
If before the upgrade I added A and B from ESV of 30 ml. per day to maintain the level of calcium 420 and alkalinity 8, I have been adding sodium bicarbonate for 2 weeks already. 2 weeks ago, the calcium level rose to 460, the alkalinity was 8. Now calcium has decreased without additives to 430. The alkalinity is falling and I try to maintain it at 7. If a week ago one teaspoon was enough, then at the end of the week I reached 2 spoons per day.
What could that mean?
Thank you in advance for your advice.

[jacky]

It looks good if I understand what you mean. This indicates that the water quality is close to low malnutrition and the elements are consumed. Great.

[G.Alexander]

The KH consumption does increase if coral growth does increase, have you noticed a higher growth rate ?

G.Alexander

[NICK0206]

Hello.
I am at the stage when I monitor the status of the parameters almost daily.
Full test every 2 days, KH daily.
In the evening after my last post he did tests. Calcium dropped to 380, alkalinity 6.
I resumed supplements, but so far carefully, half the usual dose.
I’m still adding products from Tropic Marine, but I have reached the third of the usual dose, I feel that the KZ system has started its work.
Before the transition to Korallenzucht, polyps were not visible on the part of the SPS, for example, on all 4 milleporas.
Polyps began to appear, although in the case of Millepora, they are not yet long, but an improvement is noticeable.
Tomorrow I will change the zeolites for the first time and increase the flow through the reactor (I'm still at 50 liters per hour).
Thank you very much for your help and support.

[G.Alexander]

Hello Nick, lets wait about one week after the ZeoVit exchange before increasing the reactor flow. Also keep in mind to dose ZeoBac daily for 10 days after each ZeoVit exchange. Keep about 10% of the old material in the reactor and add about 90% fresh material.

G.Alexander

[NICK0206]

Hello.
I saw your recommendation about the flow only today.
I left 10% of the zeolites and added new ones.
On Friday, after replaced zeolites and increased flow to 100 liters per hour.
Increased dosage of calcium and alkalinity.
Did tests on friday
Ph - 0
No3 - 1
Ca - 410
Mg - 1300
Alc - 7
Slightly increased the dosage of tropic marin from nitrates

Yesterday did the test again
Ph - 0.02
No3 - 0
Ca - 416
Mg - 1300
Alc - 7
Yesterday I again reduced the dosage of TM.
thank you

[NICK0206]

I continue to monitor the water parameters.
Phosphates stably 0
Nitrates went to 0, but reducing the dosage of NP-Bactoballans from 3 ml to 2 ml per day raised the level of nitrates to 1-1.5.
Flow through the reactor while 100-120 liters per hour. With each change of zeolites I increase by 50 liters per hour according to the recommendations of Thomas Paul from the site. Can nitrates begin to decrease more with increasing flow?
Magnesium stably shows 1300
Salinity 1,025
But calcium and alkalinity began to fall again. Which means that their consumption of corals has increased.
Increase the dosage of ESV 9calcium and alcalinity) from 30 ml to 40 ml.
So far I'm dosing the basic components
1, Zeostart - 0.3 ml X 2 times a day. With a break of a week, when I dose Zeofood daily.
2, Zeobak - 3 drops 2 times a week. After changing zeolites daily for 10 days.
3, Zeofood - the first week of each month 18 drops, then 2 times a week for 6 drops
4, Sponge Power - 3 drops every other day.
5, Amino SPS - 3 drops 2 - 3 times a week.
6, Amino LPS - 1.5 ml 2 - 3 times a week.
7, Soral Vitelizer - 3 drops 2 - 3 times a week.

Water change once a week 19 liters. (280 liter tank)
Do you recommend any other supplements at this stage?
thank