JoshOsReef Reefer XL 200 Build

[JoshOsReef]

Hi all,

I'm starting a build thread for my new Red Sea Reefer XL 200

1. Gross water volume of your complete system - 200 litres (Display 158l / Sump 42l
2. Net water volume - 175-180l approx
3. Are you using a CaCO2 reactor or other technique? - Kalkwasser Reactor
4. Are you using a PO4 reactor - No
5. Are you using Ozone - No
6. Are you using UV - Yes (26w - 1000lph - Run opposite to light schedule)
7. What skimmer are you using - Tunze DOC 9001 DC (will be upgraded)
8. What are your actual PO4 and NO3 levels - PO4 0.06 NO3 5
9. What are your actual Ca, Alk and Mg levels - Alk 7-7.5 Ca 420-450 Mag 1350-1400
10. What filtration method do you use - Floss, Maxspect Nano Sphere, Skimmer, UV, Reefsnow
11. Type of light - T5 LED Hybrid - GHL Mitras LX 7206 & Aquatic Life 4 bulb 24W (ATI BLUE+ x2, Coral+, Purple+)
12. What corals do you keep - SPS dominant, Few LPS and Zoanthids
13. Tissue color - Normal colour range for the corals presented
14. How long has the tank been running - Newly Started
15. Why do you want to use the ZEOvit system - Control of nutrients and to be able to run a bacterial driven system
16. Any supplemental dosing - Kalkwasser (Dosed at night to 3/4 of evap volume), Tropic Marin All For Reef, Tropic Marin Pro Coral Element, Brightwell CoralAmino, Dr Tim's Eco Balance (occasional)
17. Live rock - Yes - 2.5 years old from previous tank
18. Any present problems - Higher nutrients than preference
19. Problem description - Tissue has browned on some Acropora
20. What test kit do you use - Salinity - Hydrometer / Alk, Cal, Mag, K, PO4, NO3, pH - Salifert
21. Present dosing, amounts and intervals - No zeovit currently but aiming to use Zeobak, Zeofood+, Zeolite and Tropic Marin NP Bacto Balance. See Q16 for current dosing solutions
22. Other water parameters and water stability - Salinity 35ppt, Temp 25.6-25.9°c
23. Which salt brand do you use - Tropic Marin Pro Reef 24. Maintenance - DAILY - Change Floss, Clean Glass / WEEKLY - 10% water change, with sand vacuumed fortnightly.
25. Other notes - Wavemaker turnover 80-100x display volume, Return rate 5x total volume. Dosing liquids topped up when required (notified via Mobius). Fish fed twice daily with a mix of Hikari pellets and every 2 days with a frozen mix. CO2 scrubber attached to skimmer air intake.

Please comment any constructive opinions you have towards my planned set up and how you think my Zeovit products should be utilised

Thanks

Josh O
@joshosreef on Instagram!

[jacky]

I suggest you follow these steps to get started:

1. Put 0.45 liters of zeovit into the Zeo reactor. The water flow is approximately 180 liters per hour. Connect the reaction pump to a clock timer and run the reaction pump at 3 h on/3 h off/3 h intervals. Make sure the zeolite is not exposed to air when the pump is off. Clean materials daily. Leave the zeolite in the filter for 4 weeks until your first replacement. This is the first replacement interval, others may extend to 6-8 weeks.

2. Put 0.18 liters of activated charcoal in the filter bag, then place it in the sink under passive water flow and change every 30 days. Wipe down the carbon daily to keep the surface clean. Most users will achieve perfect results with the korallenzucht carbon.

3. Take 2 drops of ZeoBac daily for the first 2 weeks, 2-3 times a week, 2 drops each time. Take ZeoStart 0.18ml 2 times a day (morning and evening). Place them in front of the Zeo Reactor pump when the Zeo Reactor pump is on.

4. Let's get Zeo SpongePower too - 2 drops every other day

5. BioMate recommends that you also take @ 4 drops every other day for 2 -3 weeks, otherwise 2 times a week.

UV is not compatible with the system, when you do ZeoVit program, turn off UV 2hr after dosing

You can color the coral later with other products and ZeoFood if desired. Adjust your skimmer to skim off the wet, keep it clean to get as much out as possible. Change the water 5-10% weekly with good quality salt.

Kalkwasser is not recommended
When you start your ZeoVit system, make sure the elemental booster does not contain additional trace elements, it is best to get a pure supplement supplement, The kalkwasser will bind PO4 from the water column and this compound will accumulate at the sand and rocks for example

Later on, full ZeoVit products are recommended over other brands, and for now let's stop all nutritional/coloring products as well.

The basic parameters of the water look good, try to stay close to NSW in the following ranges:

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

For malnourished environments, K+ (potassium) appears to be an important element. I suggest you get a test suite for that element too, and post your results

[jacky]

If I understand correctly, the current system doesn't seem to use any additives or methods of nutritional control, is that correct?

[JoshOsReef]

Thanks for the reply Jacky. From reading previously I've seen many say that zeolite should have a constant feed of water, not be on and off sequentially?
I've edited the origimal.post as I do test for potassium, I typed P instead of K.
The reason I run slightly elevated to normal seawater is because it is closer to the salt mix I use and it gives me margin for error

[jacky]

With animals and corals already present in the system, doing it in 3 hour on and off intervals is fine.
1. Accelerated bacterial colonization
2. Slow and gradual pattern of nutrient reduction
3. Acclimatization of animals to environmental changes
4. Gradual changes in biology.

If it is not possible to do it at intervals, reducing the recommended flow rate by 1/2 is another feasible way.

Also make sure the salinity is correct, and the actual base water parameters are correct, adjust as slowly as possible to NSW

the current system doesn't seem to use any additives or methods of nutritional control, is that correct?

[JoshOsReef]

Understood 👍
Coral uptake and TM Reef Actif are the methods to keep nutrients lower. There is no refugium, scrubber, media or other dosing that is used to control nutrients

[jacky]

Thanks, these messages are really important.

Also stop adding TM Reef Actif when you are doing the full ZeoVit system. Take 2 drops of ZeoBac daily for the first 2 weeks, 2-3 times a week, 2 drops each time.

Coral uptake - unfortunately I don't know what it is, I'm sorry.

[G.Alexander]

Hello Josh, as TM Reef Active is a carbon source it would be better to reduce the addition to 50% when you start with ZeoVit, reduce the rest step by step slowly to ZERO over the next 4 – 6 weeks.

This should prevent you from a increase of PO4 as the ZeoVit components will take some time before they begin to process nutrients effective. If you use any additional products which contain bacteria or bacteria nourishing components stop dosing them in the same way.

Make sure to switch off your UV filter when you start with ZeoVit as Jacky has already mention.

G.Alexander

[jacky]

Sorry, I was googling TM Reef Active and it showed as nitrifier (powder) so I suggested to stop it, now I was wrong, it was a carbon source. Thanks G. for fixing the issue.

[jacky]

Hi Josh, since TM Reef Active is a carbon source, it is best to reduce the addition to 50% when you start ZeoVit and gradually taper the remainder to zero over the next 4-6 weeks.

I gave the wrong advice in # 7, I'm really sorry