Amino Acid HC versus Amino Acid LPS

[DusanII]

Dear All,

I have started my 250l tank (cca 65 gal) aquarium on Zeovit system about 2 months ago.

Tank is LPS mostly (zoa, acans, lobos, favitas, caulastrea) with few SPS (M. Digitata, Seriatopora, Acropora tricolora) and Soft.

What should I dose – Amino Acid High concentrate or Amino Acid LPS, or both?

Many thanks for your kind recommendation

Dusan

[G.Alexander]

Hello Dusan and welcome to ZeoVoit.com !

Please post some more details about your system:

https://forum.zeovit.com/forum/gener...bout-your-tank

Additional please let us know if the corals which are already in the system are doing fine.

G.Alexander

[DusanII]

Dear Alexander,

many thanks:

so here is more detail about my tank:

Tell us about your tank.
Please give us answers to the following questions in order to get more accurate dosing recommendations.

1. Gross water volume of your complete system (incl. sump etc.) - US gallons / UK gallons / liter - 250 l
2. Net water volume (incl. sump etc.) - US gallons / UK gallons / liter - 190 l
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) Tunze 9004
8. What are your actual PO4 and NO3 levels - PO4 - 0,04, NO3 - 4,7 ppm
9. What are your actual Ca, Alk and Mg levels Ca - 475 ppm, Alk 7,4, Mg - 1260 ppm
10. What filtration method do you use (refugium, DSB, Miracle Mud, etc.) Tank has implemented filtr in back of the aquarium. There is skimmer, Zeovit filter for pumping (DYI done but good one with optimal water flow), active coal and pump.
11. Type of light (Watt, color temp, how old, etc.) Hydra 26 HD - 2 x
12. What corals do you keep 70%LPS (acans, zoas (lot - 15 species), lobo, favitas, favia, euphyllias), 10% soft - leather, 20% sps - one big seriatopora hystrix, frag of stylopora milka, 4 bigger frags of monticora digitata, acropora tri color). From fish - just 2 clowns.


13. Tissue color (light or dark) - nices light
14. How long has the tank been running - tank is for 5 months, on zeovit I started second month
15. Why do you want to use the ZEOvit system - I bought this second hand aquarium and owner recommend me this system. Tank was in moment of sales without corals just live stones.
16. Any supplemental dosing (type, amount, why, etc.) only zeovit - see below, plus live coppods - 1 x 14 day, 3 times a week 50 ml of live phytoplankton (both farm by my own home)
2 times in week feeding with Reefroits.
17. Live rock (how much, how old, etc.) - Hard to say, quite lot - 20-30 kg? All are bought as "second" hand so from longer running tanks.
18. Any present problems, still bit high NO3 (4-5ppm), and braun slime alge on glass - I guess, overdosing some Zeovit products. Also fluctuation of dKH. (from 6,9-7,6) Just yesterday I start to use new automatic dosing system so hope to fix it.
19. Problem description (tissue loss tips, tissue loss base, diatom bloom, algae, etc.), only this slime algea, looks bit as diatom. But not disaster stage.
20. What test kit do you use (how old, recently switched, etc.) Hanna for - PO4, NO3, dKH, Salinafert for Mg, Ca, Potassium
21. Present dosing, amounts and intervals (ZEOvit, ZEObak, ZEOfood, ZEOstart, ZEOspur2, etc.)

this is my new shedule (reduced volumes compare to previous month). Week one is special with Zeofood and zeostart, Week two, three, four are the same.

In 6th week I change the Zevit zeolit. Active coal . passive flow - changing once in month.


Any recommendation what to add?

22. Other water parameters and water stability (salinity, temp, etc.) Salinity 1,025, temp 25C
23. Which salt brand do you use Aquarium System Reef Crystal salt

I know there are a lot of questions. Please be as detailed (and honest) as possible and feel free to elaborate on anything else you think may be important.

Start a new thread and give us as much information as possible.

[Bugger]

Lps is a much more helpful then a few drops of HC.

The recommendation on the bottle is much lower then other amino acids on the market.

You really can't overdose at the low recommendation

[G.Alexander]

Thank you Dusan for the additional details. PO4 and NO3 levels are slightly elevated but really not a issue at the moment, I expect they will decrease slowly over the next couple of weeks.

Would suggest to run 0.5 liters ZeoVit with a reactor flow of ~ 200 liters per hour constant flow, replaced every 6 weeks. Additional use 0.2 liters activated carbon passively flown in the sump, replaced every 4 weeks on a alternate date to the ZeoVit exchange.

Other water parameters are fine except Ca which is a little bit high. Let the level slowly decrease to ~ 400 mg and keep it than stabile in the range of 380 – 400 mg. Additional please check the potassium level of the system, the element is important especially in nutrient poor systems and it should be ~ 380 mg.

The brown film you have mention is not really a issue and might get reduced by some changes of the dosage. Would recommend you to continue as follows:

ZeoBac – 2 drops 2-3 x weekly
ZeoStart – 0.2 ml 2 x daily (morning / evening)
SpongePower – 2 drops every other day
B-Balance – 4 ml 2 x weekly
XTra – 2 ml 2 x weekly
CoralSnow – 4ml 2 x weekly
A-Balance – 2 ml 1 x weekly

Skip dosing AminoAcid, Iron and Iodine at the moment until the brown film has gone completely.

Than you can continue to dose them as follows additional:

AminoAcid – 4 drops 2 x weekly
Iron – 2 drops 1 – 2 x weekly
Iodine 2 drops 2 x weekly

I would also recommend you to stop dosing the phytoplankton at the moment.

To answer your first question, both the AminoAcid Standard and the LPS version do contain different Amino Acids so they do not replace each other so if you keep different kind of corals it might make sense to use both but most people just use the Standard version as much as I know.

G.Alexander

[DusanII]

Dear Aleksander,

Thank you so much!!!

I am very happy to find somebody who understands this amazing system. Unfortunately, the guy who sold me the tank did not send me his dosing overview, so I am learning everything from zero.

One point – sorry I did not mention that I have exactly Zeovit in the filter (about 0,6 l now) and active coal 0,2l. I thought it is the basics you have to have J

Many thanks for updating my dosing.

I dare to ask for your kind recommendation for some other KZ products to introduce later to my tank, which I miss now?

I was thinking of Zeospur, and maybe Stylo-Poccy glow? Or something more you find important? The tank is not so big, so the costs are not high, and I can add some more… but I would like to avoid the beginner's mistake of putting it there in the way : more-better.

I apologize – two more questions:

1, There is no Zeofood mentioned in your recommendation. Should I skip it completely?
2, if I decided to add both amino products should I keep your recommended amount for AminoAcid – 4 drops 2 x weekly, and do the same AminoAcid LPS – 4 drops 2 times weekly? If yes, then I guess to dose it different days?

Thank you very much for you kind recommendation

Dusan

Dušan

[jacky]

I think:

1. I will not be taking ZeoFood at the moment, because of the current nutrients, you may see a brown film on sand/rocks etc.

2. Depending on coral appearance and biological signs, in nutrient-poor conditions, basically twice a week. 4 doses of AminoAcid in a week dosing schedule, I don't think it's a problem, but as far as I think and the dosage (coral appearance and biological signs) please also pay attention to the brown film you mentioned (it shouldn't be a problem)

[G.Alexander]

With the next ZeoVit exchange just reduce the quantity to 0.5 liters.

At the moment I would recommend you to stay with the products I have listed in the dosing recommendation in my last post, as Jacky said it is the same with ZeoFood. You can start to use additional products once the system runs nutrient poor solid and corals start to get a lighter tissue because of the nutrient reduction.

In the case you plan to use ZeoSpur2 make sure to just use it if all your corals are doing fine and start slow with 50% of the recommended quantity. StyloPociGlow can be used as recommended on the products label.

In the case of AminoAcid LPS dose 1 ml 1-2 x weekly additional.

G.Alexander

[DusanII]

Dear Jacky, Alexander,

many thanks for your kind advices - I will follow your recommendation!

Important for me will be to recognize the right time of "lighter tissues" as newbe. :-). But I spend daily hour and more to watch every detail so I hope I will recognize when something will become different. :-)

Dušan

[jacky]

From a regular guideline planning program, my understanding occurs after the first exchange of zeolite, which is hard to say, depending on the accumulation of nutrients in the system. Coral Lighter appearance, white tissue, more body extension, coral looks unrestrained/polyp expansion

[DusanII]

[SIZE=14px][FONT=Arial]Thank you Dusan for the additional details. PO4 and NO3 levels are slightly elevated but really not a issue at the moment, I expect they will decrease slowly over the next couple of weeks.

Would suggest to run 0.5 liters ZeoVit with a reactor flow of ~ 200 liters per hour constant flow, replaced every 6 weeks. Additional use 0.2 liters activated carbon passively flown in the sump, replaced every 4 weeks on a alternate date to the ZeoVit exchange.

Other water parameters are fine except Ca which is a little bit high. Let the level slowly decrease to ~ 400 mg and keep it than stabile in the range of 380 – 400 mg. Additional please check the potassium level of the system, the element is important especially in nutrient poor systems and it should be ~ 380 mg.

The brown film you have mention is not really a issue and might get reduced by some changes of the dosage. Would recommend you to continue as follows:

ZeoBac – 2 drops 2-3 x weekly
ZeoStart – 0.2 ml 2 x daily (morning / evening)
SpongePower – 2 drops every other day
B-Balance – 4 ml 2 x weekly
XTra – 2 ml 2 x weekly
CoralSnow – 4ml 2 x weekly
A-Balance – 2 ml 1 x weekly

Dear Alexander,

All is running good - the brown film is better. I have two more questoin:

1, just for sure - ZeoStart recommendatoin is to dose 2x 0,2ml a day (morning/evening) - total 0,4 ml per day, correct?
2, KZ recommend one week in month to make special, and dose Zeofood in bigger voluem without Zeostart. Shold I follow this instruction or it is not necessary?

Many thanks!

Dušan

[G.Alexander]

Hello Dušan, glad to hear things are looking better again !

To answer your additional questions, you are correct, dose ZeoStart two times per day split to morning / evening so total 0.4 ml per day.

I have always dosed ZeoFood just tow times per week without a problem but basically the recommended higher dosage once per month will not cause any issues. I would suggest to give it a try for two or three month to see if you notice anything positive from it.

G.Alexander

[DusanII]

Dear Alexander,

many thanks for your kind support!

Dušan

[DusanII]

With the next ZeoVit exchange just reduce the quantity to 0.5 liters.


G.Alexander

Dear Alexander, I have two more questions for your kind support - for Zeovit filter material exchange - should I use e.g. 400 g of new and 100 g of actual/matured one?

Should I change the dosing plan for one week after replacement somehow?

The second question is about holidays - how long can I let the tank without dosing and daily manual pumping of the filter?

I will have holidays for 10 days and to find somebody responsible for coming to my home every day is a bit difficult. :-)

Maybe some recommendation what to dose if somebody will come every third day?

Many thanks

Dušan

[G.Alexander]

Hello Dušan, the ZeoVit material is a natural material so the weight can differ, it is better to measure the necessary quantity by volume while a little bit more or less does not play a role. After each ZeoVit exchange dose ZeoBac daily for 10 days, otherwise 2 x weekly. Always keep about 10% of the old material in the reactor and add about 90% fresh material, this will speed up the process to colonize the new material with bacteria.

For your holiday trip 10 days should not cause much issues as long as you are able to keep the KH solid to let it not drop to the minimum or rise to the maximum. If I where you I would get a automatic dosing system for ZeoStart which does add the necessary quantity daily, the other products can be hold while you are away, same with cleaning the ZeoVit. Just continue dosing and cleaning the material if you return as usual.

G.Alexander