What Zeo Products Are You Using?

[Buzz1329]

By my count there are more than 20 Zeo additives available plus Zeo media and Zeo Filters. I am confused about which ones I should be using on my two month old 180 Zeo tank.

I am currently using:
ZeoBak – 7 drops 2x a week
Sponge Power – 7 drops a day
ZeoStart – 1.4 ml daily in two separate doses
Pohl’s Xtra Special – 7 drops daily
BioMate – 7 drops 2x a week
ZeoLife – 1 capful (10 ml) 2x a week
K Balance – 1 ml daily (to keep potassium between 380-400 ppm)
ZeoZyme – used 1 tsp once to combat cyano growth on some Marco dryrock.

I also use 1.5 liters of Zeo stones and a ½ liter of Seachem Matrix GAC placed in a zeoreactor that I pump 10-15 times a day to release accumulated mulm and change every 30 days.

I have about 50 SPS frags in the tank – mostly spread out on the bottom. Most seem to be doing well. (2 or 3 have bleached – I moved them into the shade and am hoping they will recover). Transfers from my other tank have definitely brightened up considerably and I see lots of PE.

Fish = 3 juvenile yellow tangs, a juvy Purple Tang, and a yellow tail damsel, which seem to be getting along.

Plus generous snail CUC from Reef Cleaners.

Substrate/Rock Work

One inch of Eden coral sand substrate. About 150# of Marco Dry Rock. 2 small pieces of live rock. (I bought 20# of cured LR from Premium Aquatics but had to dump most of it because it was covered with nasty brown macroalgae and a weird green rod-like macro-algae that I have seen described as indestructible and the destroyer of tanks.) To help seed the tank, I stuck three of the coralline encrusted frag platforms from my older tank behind the rockwork of the new tank.

Filters, Lights, Circulation

Only other filtration is a SRO 3000INT which works great.

Lighting consists of 3 x 400 watt 20,000k Hamilton metal halides on magnetic ballasts. Too white for my tastes and will eventually make some changes there.

Also 4 x 80 watt T5s (Blue Plus, Purple Plus, Actinic, Royal Blue), which are not enough to offset to white light from the MHs.

Circulation: 2 x WP-40 pumps on opposite ends of the tank set on wavemaker function which my RKL controller turns on and off randomly for periods of up to an hour each. I just added a third WP-40 with the new variable speed function to blow over rocks showing cyano growth.
2 pumps (Eheim 3000 compacts) return water from sump through (1) chiller and (2) return overflow plumbing.

Water Parameters

I use KW to maintain Alk at 7.6, Calc at 425, Magnesium at 1400. Potassium is in the 380-400 range. Phosphate on Red Sea kit and Nitrate on API kit still show zero. (I have the Hanna Phosphate Checker and Salifert phosphate and nitrate kits on order to check those results.
Now doing weekly 10% water changes with Instant Ocean salt and RO/DI water.

So what other ZEO additives should I be considering using (if any) and why?

What Zeo products are you using that worked (or did not work) for you?
Thanks.

[chercm]

Any pics ?

[shih87]

Not necessary the right way, but how I used Zeovit can be found at #11 floor of http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/sh....php?t=2308288

[Arkayology]

I use:
Zeolite media-250ml
ZEObak- 1 drop x3 weekly
ZEOstart3- .2ml daily
ZEOfood7- 1drop x2 weekly
Sponge Power- 2 drops daily
Amino Acids-2 drops daily
Coral Vitalizer-1 drop x3 weekly (at night)
Phol's Xtra- 1ml every other day
Flatworm Stop-1ml daily
Coral Booster- 1ml ever other day
K-Balance- 1ml Weekly
Flatworm Stop-1ml daily
2ml Coral Snow with 1 drop Zeobak added weekly or after water change
no carbon or any other filtration methods other than my SRO INT 1000

What are you specifically looking to get with more additives? I would also suggest you up your dosage of pohl's xtra to 1ml per 400L of water. 9 drops daily is not a lot in a 180g system IMO.

[Buzz1329]

Originally Posted by shih87

Not necessary the right way, but how I used Zeovit can be found at #11 floor of http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/sh....php?t=2308288

Wow. Great tank. Fantastic shots of individual corals. So I guess you're almost all in on the Zeovit additives.

Looks like the only ones you're not using are ZeoLife and K Balance. Any reason why you passed on those?

I notice that with some of them, you use them only when you reach ULNS. Ultra Low Nutrient System, right? What's your definition of ULNS?

I'm kinda surprised your using ZeoZym on a regular basis. I thought this product was only used when there's a temporary problem with cyano, etc. Do you find that it's good for preventing problems? The one time I used it, it really clouded up the tank. I guess that's to be expected?

Did you start out using all of the additives from the start of your tank or did you introduce them gradually?

Thanks.

[Buzz1329]

Originally Posted by chercm

Any pics ?

Not much to see yet other than a sandbed full of frags but I'll try to post some pics this weekend.

[Buzz1329]

Originally Posted by SoCalDude

I use:
Zeolite media-250ml
ZEObak- 1 drop x3 weekly
ZEOstart3- .2ml daily
ZEOfood7- 1drop x2 weekly
Sponge Power- 2 drops daily
Amino Acids-2 drops daily
Coral Vitalizer-1 drop x3 weekly (at night)
Phol's Xtra- 1ml every other day
Flatworm Stop-1ml daily
Coral Booster- 1ml ever other day
K-Balance- 1ml Weekly
Flatworm Stop-1ml daily
2ml Coral Snow with 1 drop Zeobak added weekly or after water change
no carbon or any other filtration methods other than my SRO INT 1000

What are you specifically looking to get with more additives? I would also suggest you up your dosage of pohl's xtra to 1ml per 400L of water. 9 drops daily is not a lot in a 180g system IMO.

My goal is to get my SPS frags to grow into colonies that look something like shih87's, allmost's and other Zeo users.

You're right about the Xtra. I thought the directions were 1 drop per 25 gallons. Guess I'll start increasing the dose. Yikes, that could get expensive fast.

I have the Amino Acids and the Coral Vitalizer so I think I'll start dosing the CV first (at half strength to begin with) and then move on the AA.

The one product that seems unnecessary at this point is the K Balance. every time I test for potassium it's above NSW. So I've discontinued it for now.

Just out of curiosity, why did you decide to do without the GAC?

On the Zeo site, I was told to start dosing ZeoLife as the next step. I've been dosing it for a few weeks, but can't say I see any impact on the tank yet.

What's your opinion on the trace element type of additives (B Balance, Zeospur)? I've never seen the need for trace elements when I do weekly 10% water changes with IO salt, but I'm thinking of giving them a shot on the theory that "in for a penny, in for a pound."

Anyways, thanks for the help.

[shih87]

Originally Posted by Buzz1329

Wow. Great tank. Fantastic shots of individual corals. So I guess you're almost all in on the Zeovit additives.

Looks like the only ones you're not using are ZeoLife and K Balance. Any reason why you passed on those?

I notice that with some of them, you use them only when you reach ULNS. Ultra Low Nutrient System, right? What's your definition of ULNS?

I'm kinda surprised your using ZeoZym on a regular basis. I thought this product was only used when there's a temporary problem with cyano, etc. Do you find that it's good for preventing problems? The one time I used it, it really clouded up the tank. I guess that's to be expected?

Did you start out using all of the additives from the start of your tank or did you introduce them gradually?

Thanks.

Thanks. ULNS for my definition is N03 and PO4 just above undetectable. I did not use K Balance since I am not sure how it different than using medical grade KCL solution I made by myself, but I could be totally wrong. For ZZ, I don't think I use it correctly in the past. I am now under a treatment of using it daily for one week to reduce cyano on sand bad, so far I have not yet see it work completely but it did grow more algae as I heard some people said algae will wildly grow first and then suddenly all algae and cyano will be gone due to starving them. I will let you know if I see it work.
Yes, I don't think ZZ need to be use regularly, but I also heard use it once a week can prevent brown film happen again!?

Zeolife for my understanding is for non Zeovite reactor system, but again, I maybe wrong.

[Arkayology]

Originally Posted by Buzz1329

Just out of curiosity, why did you decide to do without the GAC?

On the Zeo site, I was told to start dosing ZeoLife as the next step. I've been dosing it for a few weeks, but can't say I see any impact on the tank yet.

What's your opinion on the trace element type of additives (B Balance, Zeospur)? I've never seen the need for trace elements when I do weekly 10% water changes with IO salt, but I'm thinking of giving them a shot on the theory that "in for a penny, in for a pound."

Anyways, thanks for the help.

I stopped using GAC because it was suggested that the bulk reef supply GAC was too aggressive. I want to try a month or so without it to see what the effects are. I am not sure if it contributed to the RTN on some on my colonies, but it may have. This remains to be seen.

As for the B-Balance and Zeospur, I have never used either so I cannot comment on first hand knowledge. However, I have decided to not purchase B-Balance until I feel my corals are too dark and I need them to lighten up.

[ryanrid]

I run full zeovit, if I were to pick only one supp it would be b balance,

[Buzz1329]

Originally Posted by ryanrid

I run full zeovit, if I were to pick only one supp it would be b balance,

That's interesting. Why would you pick B Balance?

I just ordered some yesterday BTW.

According to BRS, it "bring[s] out intense red and pink coloration in SPS corals." Did you find this to be the case?

[ryanrid]

Originally Posted by Buzz1329

That's interesting. Why would you pick B Balance?

I just ordered some yesterday BTW.

According to BRS, it "bring[s] out intense red and pink coloration in SPS corals." Did you find this to be the case?

Yes it does that but it also intensifies all colours and gives SPS an added brightness or shimmer. It is usually all zeoheads favourite including Alexander and bob

[Buzz1329]

Sounds good. Can't wait to start using it.

I started a thread in the Reef Discussion forum about the SPS in my non-Zeo tank browning despite what appear to be ULNS conditions. Do you think that B-Balance could help in a non-Zeo tank?

[Rwpdunne]

Originally Posted by ryanrid

I run full zeovit, if I were to pick only one supp it would be b balance,

How much and how often would you dose B balance?