Maybe quitting Zeovit

[Oceanic]

Originally Posted by albert_dao

I'm also not a huge fan of the silent Jihad that's slowly permeating our society.

[midgetwaiter]

Originally Posted by asmodeus

the ocean doesn't use Zeo and look at what it looks like, yes i know that the ocean has all the proper supplements in to house what ever and the proper lighting and the corals to react to what ever mother nature throws out.

Originally Posted by albert_dao

As far as the ocean not using Zeo? No, not in the way imagine it doesn't, but there are bacterial processes happening there that you will not be able to replicate using GAC, GFO and O3. Trust me, Zeovit is about as close to the Ocean as a reef tank gets, my friend. This keeping in mind that the ocean ISN'T a closed system like our tanks either.

The ocean doesn't look like zeo tanks. For every pastel blue "wonder zippy" acro you see on a reef there are hundreds of dull brown boring ones. The super pastel colours are an aberration, a defensive reaction to photo saturation in a low nutrient environment. Promoting Zeovit as a way to get a "natural" looking reef tank is seriously silly.

However if ULN and bright colours is what you want to achieve these systems are effective. My personal experience is limited as I've never been an SPS lover and for a toadstool loving peon it doesn't seem worth the expense. From the messing about I have done though it is clear to me that this is a complicated balance to achieve, I'm not surprised that so many people have the results Drew has talked about. It's something you have to play with and find out what implementation of "the recipe" is going to work in a given situation, this will take a serious effort. Too many people are disappointed with marginal initial results and give up.

Stick with it Drew and I'll bet you get it to work.

[digital-audiophile]

I feel your pain Drew. I am in the same boat... my poor tank looks like a cesspool right now. Fuilm algae out of control, cyano like you wouldn't imagine.. and on top of it I am starting to lose coral. I keep adjusting my zeo but it is a struggle to find the right balance.

[kwirky]

starting a tank fresh on a probiotic product is different from converting an existing one to a zero nutrient system. the problem is there'll be a longer time (and of course $$) investment before results happen.

Like albert said, throttle back your reactor and dose a little less than recommended. Running the reactor at a trickle works wonders. It's very hard to have too little flow through the reactor but very easy to have too much. Zeostart's the most likely of the basic 3 to cause algae and it may take up to 3 months for proper results to surface.

I don't recommend running phosphate media while using the zeovit because it'll interfere with the bacterial chain. There are about 40 common (and many more uncommon) nitrifying/denitrifying bacterial strains and these probiotic products rely on various strains working in a chain. Think assembly line. If one of those workers isn't present then the rest of the job doesn't get done. Running phosphate media will only hinder the performance of the system.

I agree that probiotic products are the key to getting impossible colours and good tank husbandry is required along with these systems. They aren't crutches. Everyone has their once a year "disaster" and maybe your tank's having it's disaster at the same time you decided to start zeovit. I think it's just coincidence.

Hang in there man! Things'll turn out! At least we're not in a hobby like breeding frontosa where you'll have to raise your fish for 4 years to HOPEFULLY have a breeding family

[Delphinus]

Good gravy. Who would have a hobby like that?!

I switched the rocks out on mine last night as I was overdue for a changeout anyhow. I cranked the flow way back on the reactor (to a slow trickle). One thing that caught me off guard, wow, does that ever put out a lot of heat. I'm tempted to swap out the pump to something else. It raised my tank temp 3 degrees F, the only thing I changed was that I cranked the flow WAY back last night (because of the rock changeout) so I think it might be the Sedra on the reactor that's behind the sudden jump.

[Oceanic]

The super pastel colours are an aberration, a defensive reaction to photo saturation in a low nutrient environment. Promoting Zeovit as a way to get a "natural" looking reef tank is seriously silly.

I completely disagree with this statement, the ocean in its most pristine places is naturaly an Ultra Low Nutrient and naturaly bright enviroment using the power of the sun. Some of the reefs are comprised of miles and miles of shallow ultra clear water with prodominant coral colors that would put most tanks to shame. It is incorrect to think brown is the only "natural" color or the most common color of the natural reef. By using Zeovit or other similar pricipals we are only trying to replicate the fact that our corals are not stuck in an enclosed glass box.

Also remember that the ocean does not have powerfull actinic lights poised over top of it; however, it does have the ultra power of the sun sitting somewhere around the 5500K range. Stick a 5500K rated 1000 watt light over your tank then see what the colors look like! One would be pretty surprised how dull they would look.

[Aquattro]

Well. I agree there are some nice colors in the wild, but honestly, for every blue coral, I've seen 3 brown ones. Just saying brown is a natural color variation for corals.

[Whatigot]

come on guys, it's not ALL about colours.
doesn't anyone just like their reefs for the natural mini microcosms that they are?

[midgetwaiter]

Originally Posted by Oceanic

I completely disagree with this statement, the ocean in its most pristine places is naturaly an Ultra Low Nutrient and naturaly bright enviroment using the power of the sun. Some of the reefs are comprised of miles and miles of shallow ultra clear water with prodominant coral colors that would put most tanks to shame. It is incorrect to think brown is the only "natural" color or the most common color of the natural reef. By using Zeovit or other similar pricipals we are only trying to replicate the fact that our corals are not stuck in an enclosed glass box.

I never said super colourful corals don't exist just that they are in the minority. As a matter of fact your third pic illustrates my point for me.



Compare that to something like this month's TOTM at reefkeeping mag.

http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/20...totm/index.php

Quite a difference no?

Why would an animal dependent on photosynthesis invest some of it's energy in creating so many pigments that block PAR? It must benefit from it in some way and the only way that makes sense is the same reason you tan when you spend time in the sun, protection.

Look up some of Dana Riddle's articles on coral pigments for more explanation.

Originally Posted by Oceanic

Also remember that the ocean does not have powerfull actinic lights poised over top of it; however, it does have the ultra power of the sun sitting somewhere around the 5500K range. Stick a 5500K rated 1000 watt light over your tank then see what the colors look like! One would be pretty surprised how dull they would look.

Well the sun happens to generate plenty of light in the 420nm range. Due to the water this light is moving through, shorter wavelengths are well represented at the depths you find photosynthetic coral.


I never said I disagreed with this methodology or others like it but I don't think the idea of promoting it as "natural" made any sense. If it works for you then great but don't try and tell me it's wonderful because it's "just like nature" or some such BS. Save it for the granola munchers in the smelly sandals. I'm not paying $30 for 2 grams of potassium with a pretty label on it.

[Patrick1]

midgetwaiter you work at a LFS?? by chance