Questions about Amino

[ricwilli]

- When dosing amino, do you dose after feeding the fish and corals and just before the lights go off or just dose it before or after lights go off?

- Is anyone spot feeding amino or just dosing in the DT?

- Do I need to turn off the skimmer so it won't get skimmed out of the water?

- Is the whole purpose of dosing amino to get better PE so that the corals can get fed?

[macreefster]

i dose amino first thing in the morning when i dose the vodka and microbacter 7. the lights are out at that time. i don't turn my skimmer off, i'd end up forgetting to plug it back in! it's probably better to turn off the skimmer for a bit, i just don't. i thought dosing amino's was to obtain better coral color, not sure what it does for PE, but maybe increased PE leads to the corals feeding better which leads to better coloration?

[Shadowramy]

I usually dose about 1 hour before light go off, with the understanding that this prepare the corals to be feed. After about an hour, right before the light go out, I feed the fish and the corals.

[Compguy]

I dose amino in the morning when dosing my other stuff, all lights are off and I just keep the skimmer running.

[bogg]

This article explains more in detail that during the light cycle is best.
http://jeb.biologists.org/cgi/reprint/211/6/860

[Dejavu]

As for when to dose, IMO it doesn't make a difference. I never turned my skimmer off either.

AA's have the biggest effect when your running ULN. PE and color will inprove, but with that said you can get the same results by with adding more fish. If you are not running ULN, AA's can bring on cycno blooms.

[Compguy]

What is ULN?

[bertoni]

I bought a countdown timer to shut off my skimmer for an hour or two after feeding, but it was expensive. The article indicates that feeding during the day might be more useful.

ULN probably indicates Ultra Low Nutrients, or an attempt at a very clean water column.