zeovit

[littlesilvermax]

I am curious about total cost vs the cost of Reef Refresh system by PolypLabs.

Anybody know?

[Tom R]

I originally looked at the Reef Refresh system and estimated my costs for my 500G setup to be approx $1800 per year. My original estimates for ZEOvit was approx $1400 per year. My first year costs have been approx $900 as once my levels came into check I cut my dosage's to about half. I am using just the basic 4.

Tom R

[albert_dao]

Originally Posted by Tom R

I originally looked at the Reef Refresh system and estimated my costs for my 500G setup to be approx $1800 per year. My original estimates for ZEOvit was approx $1400 per year. My first year costs have been approx $900 as once my levels came into check I cut my dosage's to about half. I am using just the basic 4.

Tom R

Not bad for a 500 (!!!) gallon set up. Actually, I've read that in the larger systems, not only can you cut down to half of your dosing scheme during phase 3, but you can get away with using significantly less product than the recommended volume amount. There's a few tanks on Z-Land that go on this rule.

[scsi]

Is there any point in running Zeo in the initial stages of the tank's life? Or is it best to start the regimen once you have some stock of corals in your tank?

[albert_dao]

There is much merit to starting out with Zeovit if you consider the progression of a Zeovit system:

Different ZeoVit phases by Aged Salt

ZEOvit phases depend on the nutrient level & coral appearance. Nutrients are relatively high[with "pooled-reserves"] & corals are dull in coloration. Polyp-extension may or may not be present.

Consider phase 1 the initiatation of ZEOvit method. The basic 4 are used to reduce nutrients in a balanced manner. As nutrients & "reserves" are depleted, the corals become brighter, lighter in appearance & the quantities of the zeo's dosed becomes less.

Enter phase 2[~3-6mos], the corals continue to colorize more & nutrients are becoming more exhausted. During this phase, however, if dosing is stopped for more than a few days, nutrients again begin to rise, & corals become darker. This is due to "pooled-reserves" still remaining available.


Phase 3[5-10months] is characterized by stable nutrients & color appearance of the corals, ie. if the zeo's are not dosed for many days, the N03's/P04's do not increase & coral colors remain fast. In this phase, the stored nutrients are exhausted, as evidenced by the low quantites of Bak/Food7/Start used, with coral color intensive.

[Tom R]

Originally Posted by scsi

Is there any point in running Zeo in the initial stages of the tank's life? Or is it best to start the regimen once you have some stock of corals in your tank?

My tank had been up and running for 3 1/2 years when I started to use ZEOvit. If you are starting ZEOvit in an established tank you start your dosage at about 50% and progress slowly over the first year.

Tom R

[atcguy]

use fauna marine Ultralith, much more cost effective!!!!!!!!!!!

[michika]

Can someone tell me all the positive results they've seen with zeo?

Do you see more growth, or is it just better quality growth (more color, thicker skeletons, etc.)?

I hear a lot of people say they get better coloration out of their corals, but what kind? Brighter colors, sharper contrasts?

[albert_dao]

Originally Posted by michika

Can someone tell me all the positive results they've seen with zeo?

Do you see more growth, or is it just better quality growth (more color, thicker skeletons, etc.)?

I hear a lot of people say they get better coloration out of their corals, but what kind? Brighter colors, sharper contrasts?

Noticeablye improvements with Zeovit:

- Better water clarity, on par with ozone.
- Increased stability. I feed as much as I want without algae blooms or SPS browning.
- Better colors, brighter with more contrast. Browned out corals regain their coloration in short time frames (1-3 months for a full recovery, IME).
- Better growth because I can feed more.
- Increased vigor due to the supplementary feeding of bacteria to the coral.
- With a super low nutrient system, I now have the option to play with and refine the coloration of my corals by using trace element solutions/combinations. You CANNOT do this in a high nutrient tank. You're just asking for algae problems.

As far as testing goes, I test once every two weeks. Same as when I didn't have Zeovit.

Either way, check this out:

http://zeovit.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=76

All the scientific abstract you can shake a stick at.

[albert_dao]

Ahh, here's a particularily important article to wrap your head around:

http://zeovit.com/forums/showthread.php?t=7671