Trying Polyp Lab's "System Reef-resh" this weekend.

[Tangman]

Any before and after pics?

[Ruth]

Well they say the lord hates a coward so I might as well weigh in on this one. If I am not mistaken the general idea of this system is to create an environment that is nutrient poor, ie: nitrate and phosphate at zero, through the use of various strains of bacteria. I would also guess that other factors are required in order to see a real benefit from this such as heavy and efficient skimming, appropriate lighting, frequent water changes, and adequate water flow.
I don't think that it is unrealistic to see marked improvement within the first week of using this system just for the fact that presumably you have been successful in reducing the amount of nitrate and phosphate in your water - thus the corals are smiling. I would be a bit nervous of too rapid a change in your system that has the potential of shocking your inhabitants and as has been said it is usually bad things that happen quickly. I would keep a close eye on your corals to make sure that they don't go too quickly even if the direction you think they are heading in is a good one. I know that when I used Pohl's coral vitalizer there was a marked improvement of polyp extension within the first couple of days and I kept dosing at the same levels and pretty soon I started to see tissue sloughing off around the base that allowed a bacteria or some other algea to attach the base of the coral and eventually kill them. Like most things in a reef aquarium good things happen slowly.
I am not using this system but will follow this thread closely as I am curious to see how it progresses. I have tried the zeovit system but have had to stop using it as I was just unable to maintain it properly without a proper zeo reactor that for some reason (supplier!!!!) I was unable to aquire. Without all the pieces of the puzzle in place systems like zeovit and presumably Reef-fresh simply do not work, IMO.
Pictures would be a wonderful tool to track the progress of your system and also for the rest of us that are interested to observe.
Just my opinion and 2 pennies worth.

[Tangman]

Good point Ruth, like Steve also said , It would be nice to see some before and after progress pictures
Also I am very interested on how much it is going to cost on a month to month basis. I talked to Jeff at J&L and they are trying to determine this as well

[Mike Olson]

Originally Posted by Tangman

Any before and after pics?

I have a few before and after pics. Not very good though....my camera will not go into manual focus. I will try to post though...I am hoping to borrow my friends new 8mg digital SLR this comng week.
I am constantly checking my sps for growth since they have never grown that fast in my tank. Thats probably why I have noticed the most changes/occurrences on them.....my Softies have always grown like mad.

[Reefer Rob]

If the Reefresh system is about nutrient export shouldn’t you be posting before and after nitrate readings (or is that too personal) :-) So far only Mike has post his readings. Polyp Lab's website doesn’t specifically say that the product will reduce nitrates or to what level.

[Psyire]

So I started the Reef-Resh system today, how are you guys making out?

[StirCrazy]

I guess this is kind of a question for polyp labs, sorry for the mini hijack.

after reading the info you have on the reef-resh I am left confused and maybe you could give me something else to chew on to help me figure this out.

I was looking at the benifits, quoted next

"• Greatly enhanced colouration of corals
• Increased growth rates of corals
• Marked improvement in water quality
• Decreased nuisance algae outbreaks
• Improved fish health
• Decreased parasite outbreaks"

and then read the info on each part, well the blurbs on what it is and does.

then I read your guide lines for use

"It is very important to follow these guidelines in order to achieve the desired results. Each of these points are equally important to the success of System RF.

● Dose the components of System RF as outlined in these instructions.
● 10% bi-weekly or 25% monthly water changes. These water changes are required. Larger or more frequent water changes are unnecessary.
● Run a 1/4 cup of high quality carbon 24/7 for every 50G in a high flow area. Replace monthly.
● Use only RO/DI water in the aquarium.
● Feed your fish and corals high quality foods that will not rapidly break down.
● Do not overfeed fish and corals.
● Strong skimming that is appropriately rated for your tank size and bioload.
● Appropriately strong lighting for the type of corals you keep in your aquarium.
● Adjust and maintain water parameters to:

SG:
1.023 - 1.024 kg/m3
Temp:
79 - 81˚F
pH:
7.9 - 8.3
Ca:
420 - 450 ppm
Mg
1300 - 1400 ppm
dKH:
8 - 10

"

well after thinking about this by just following your guide lines alone you will get all the benifits you listed above with out using the reef-resh system as you guide lines are the optimal conditions for a reef tank (well except I personaly think the SG is a tad low and the Ca is a little high but still acceptable and I believe you have a typo on your units for SG should be Kg/l3 as a m3 of fresh water is about 1000Kg not 1 )

so I guess what I am asking is how does the reef-resh system enhance a already perfectly balanced and set up tank?

Steve

[Quagmire]

Originally Posted by StirCrazy

so I guess what I am asking is how does the reef-resh system enhance a already perfectly balanced and set up tank?

Steve

Well put I thought the same when I read the instructions.But didn't know how to ask the question, without sounding like I was calling them out.

[Scuba Steve]

.

[Psyire]

The whole idea of Reef-Resh is to create a low nutrient environment that your SPS and other corals can survive in. Keeping your other parameters in check just makes sense.

If you maintain these:

SG:
1.023 - 1.024 kg/m3
Temp:
79 - 81˚F
pH:
7.9 - 8.3
Ca:
420 - 450 ppm
Mg
1300 - 1400 ppm
dKH:
8 - 10

It dosen't automatically guarantee success. There are quite a few more peices to the puzzle.