Zeovit System

[asylumdown]

Originally Posted by waynemah

I've been using Zeo on my tank (300 gallons total) for a year now. I run the basic system. Zeolites in the reactor, bak, food and start.

How long does a bottle of Zeobak last you? I ask because this weekend I looked at my zeobak under the microscope and didn't see anything that was even remotely alive. There was barely even any debris that could have once been alive. My bottle was a couple of months old, so maybe it was just that it was too old, but even though the bacteria in the other 'no refrigeration necessary' bacteria supplements I've looked at were mostly dead, they at least were filled with plenty of cellular debris. If it was that it was too old and considering how long they last when you're dosing drops at a time... the whole thing makes me so very suspicious.

[waynemah]

50 ml bottle twice per year-ish.

Interesting you say that! I never noticed a difference if I skip bak/food but notice a huge difference when start is missed... Also when zeolites are changed/missed I see no difference.

[sphelps]

I always make sure I purchase Zeobak that came in directly from the supplier as retailers don't usually refrigerate it. Doubt suppliers do as well but the fresher the better I figure. The expiry dates on the bottles seem to disagree with what's written in the guide.

From the guide:

This product has a limited shelf life because it contains cultures of living microorganisms.
Unopened, it will last for at least 6 months if kept refrigerated. After the bottle is
opened, the shelf life is approximately 3 months. Spoiled strains can be identified by a
foul odor. If this is the case, some of the microorganisms are dead and the solution
cannot be used. We recommend purchasing a bottle size that can be used in a 3-month
period. It is better to purchase smaller amounts on a more frequent basis. Please make
sure to avoid any contamination of the solution in the bottle (e.g. with aquarium water).

Yet the last bottle I purchased has an expiry date of 2015.

I wish I had a microscope so I test for certain but for now I rely on the odor test.

[daniella3d]

Do you have a microscope powerfull enough to see bacterias?

Originally Posted by asylumdown

How long does a bottle of Zeobak last you? I ask because this weekend I looked at my zeobak under the microscope and didn't see anything that was even remotely alive. There was barely even any debris that could have once been alive. My bottle was a couple of months old, so maybe it was just that it was too old, but even though the bacteria in the other 'no refrigeration necessary' bacteria supplements I've looked at were mostly dead, they at least were filled with plenty of cellular debris. If it was that it was too old and considering how long they last when you're dosing drops at a time... the whole thing makes me so very suspicious.

[asylumdown]

Originally Posted by daniella3d

Do you have a microscope powerfull enough to see bacterias?

yup. Between the 20X eyepiece I use for everything microbial and the 100X oil immersion stage, max total magnification is 2000X. That's not enough to see viruses, but it's far more than sufficient to see bacteria. To be honest, I find that one stage down (40X) with the 20X eye pieces (so 800X total) is the best to see if anything in there is living and swimming around. You'd really only need the 2000X if you were doing detailed cellular analysis and to honest I don't think the optics on my microscope are good enough enough for that, not without some sophisticated staining at least.

[msjboy]

take at look at the hardcore zeovit setups from their forum:


http://www.zeovit.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=88

Some I have to say are super nice but again, based on people with time and money.

Look at the famous, reef in the sky tank owned by a pilot in Hong Kong... think tank was made in Toronto..... sickly nice sump as well.

msjboy