BioPellets with Vodka Dosing - Your Thoughts

[Myka]

Well jeez, it doesn't sound like you like any of my suggestions!

Originally Posted by globaldesigns

I also want to comment on my sandbed. I don't clean it with a sand vacumm, and if I stirred it you could see alot of brown sludge come out of it.

So now have 8 sand sifting stars, with the snails and a sand sifting shrimp. It can't hurt!!!

Plus with all those stars my sand bed is looking nice and fluffy/puffy with them going in and out of it.

Eep! You will essentially end up with a sterile sandbed with starfish. I'm not a fan of them at all, they are pigs, and eat too many good critters imo. I much prefer small conches like Strawberry, Fighting, or Orange Lip. Small sifting gobies that don't make a mess like Hector's or Randal's are great too.

Originally Posted by globaldesigns

I will go buy the phosphate...ELOS can do both high and low sensitivity, they usually come able to do both.

Elos doesn't compare to Merck. That's like comparing Mercedes to Rolls Royce. The Mercedes is really nice, but not beside the RR!

Nope, no phosphate media, not suppose to with Pellets or with Zeo, so I have never done so. I only use 1L of carbon (Kent Reef Carbon) in a reactor and change it out every month. Again, carbon is part of the Zeo method. 1L is below what my tank is needing, probably should have 1.5L for the water volume, but keeping it at 1L.

Oh, but you're not supposed to used Biopellets with Zeo either! I'm quite familar with the Zeo method as I used it myself for a couple years. I ditched it for the most part several months ago for ease of maintenance and my want to use GFO again. However, I do use Zeolites as well, just not the entire Zeo system anymore. It does fine with GFO and minimal carbon.

Originally Posted by globaldesigns

I see many sps tanks with zoas, like what I have without issue. So not sure this is an issue. Not sure here.

So have I, as have most others. Many are very successfully kept, but trust me when I say there is a difference when you remove chemically aggressive corals from an SPS tank.

Originally Posted by globaldesigns

I was running my lights for 11 hours, now things have been really cut back for the past 2 weeks. I will now say I am seeing polyp extension of SPS that never had any.

So what I am saying is light is very important, and too much light probably isn't good either, which would be my case. I will post on this as the weeks/months progress.

Increased polyp extension is very typical when halides are cut back. It is a reaction that will likely slowly fade over time as the corals get used to the new regime. Do you have supplemental lighting? I find most corals do best with a low light cycle, followed by high light cycle, finished with low light cycle. For example, run T5s for ~12 hours per day, and halides for 6-8 hours per day midday. Corals in general don't like to be blasted by halides for 11 or 12 hours per day, and not so suddenly either, it is stressful.

Originally Posted by globaldesigns

Even if I don't use them. But I do listen, believe me.

Ya, it's frustrating though when people ask for advice, brush it off, and don't follow any of it.

[globaldesigns]

Myka, sorry, its not that I don't like anything, I am just going to see where things go, and in most cases, what I have is working, just things aren't perfect.

I haven't heard of Merck, always used ELOS, so I will look into that.

With Zeo and BioPellets. You can't say you are not suppose to mix both, as there really isn't anything documented to support that, nor is there anything to support that you can. Zeo guru's recommend not mixing, but nothing scientific to prove either circumstances. So as I stated, I am experimenting, and because things are working, I am leaving it all in. If I take out the Zeolites, nothing bad may happen, but it may... So if I am not seeing anything bad, then just leave it for now.

With the lighting, I turn on the actinics at 9am, then at 5pm the halides come on, and then turn off at 10pm (prime viewing time for me and the family). Then the actinics turn off at 11pm. I am always interested in changing the lighting schedule or even the types of bulbs, being brand or Kelvin/Par. So any advice there would be appreciated. I think the hamilton is just proving to be a much better brand fixture than the coralife, I am just finding out the hard way as my corals did well with the old schedule when the coralife was being used.

In regards to your advice, please don't be offended. I do appreciate everything and believe me I may make more changes. But at this time, I am not going to jump and be to aggressive with my changes. Thinking things over, this is the best approach, but as time progresses I may make further changes, and some of your advice and others may come into play. Again, please don't take offense, non was intended, and nothing was brushed off and may be used in future. Also look at this... This thread may also help others, and we all cannot lose scope of what canreef is about... Helping everyone!

Again thanks for the time you took to give me your input.

Rick

[kien]

Originally Posted by globaldesigns

but nothing scientific to prove either circumstances.

I don't think that there is anything "scientific" that proves that any of those zeo bottles actually do anything for our corals. Not sure that there is anything "scientific" that proves that Bio pellets do anything either. Is it not one part theoretical and one part belief system ? That probably sums up the whole hobby actually..

[Myka]

Originally Posted by globaldesigns

I haven't heard of Merck, always used ELOS, so I will look into that.

Elos is still a relatively new brand in the big picture. I can easily remember when Salifert was new to the game and no one wanted to pay for these "expensive" new kits! I do think Elos is definitely a large step up from Salifert for calcium and alkalinity, but I haven't seen a difference when it comes to magnesium and nitrate so I don't pay the extra for the Elos.

I'm actually thinking of switching to a high sensitivity nitrate kit, but I have been wanting to buy a Hanna colorimeter for a long time, so I have been putting it off. I find corals are more sensitive to PO4 than NO3 anyway, so as long as I can't see nitrate on my Salifert kit I'm happy, but there's that little itch in me that really wants a number!

Originally Posted by globaldesigns

With Zeo and BioPellets. You can't say you are not suppose to mix both, as there really isn't anything documented to support that, nor is there anything to support that you can.... So if I am not seeing anything bad, then just leave it for now.

Truth be told, I started using GFO before I cut out the Zeo, and I only saw good changes in my reef. Improved colors, etc. I am actually convinced that using Zeo additives (not "the main four") works better with GFO than Zeolites when you don't use "the main four". That's just my observation on just one tank though...definitely no science there.

Originally Posted by globaldesigns

With the lighting, I turn on the actinics at 9am, then at 5pm the halides come on, and then turn off at 10pm (prime viewing time for me and the family). Then the actinics turn off at 11pm.

I always try to adjust my lighting schedule to the natural light that comes in the windows. Otherwise the tank may end up being lit for many more hours than intended because of natural light sources.

Originally Posted by globaldesigns

I am always interested in changing the lighting schedule or even the types of bulbs, being brand or Kelvin/Par. So any advice there would be appreciated. I think the hamilton is just proving to be a much better brand fixture than the coralife, I am just finding out the hard way as my corals did well with the old schedule when the coralife was being used.

Coralife is like Chev/Dodge/Ford. There are worse fixtures that would be more like Kia though. Hamilton is more like an import like Honda, pretty similar to PFO. They are a decent fixture. What's your fixture's specs? What bulbs are you using now? Are you getting dark coral colors, pale coral colors? Is there brown showing through?

Originally Posted by globaldesigns

In regards to your advice, please don't be offended. I do appreciate everything and believe me I may make more changes. But at this time, I am not going to jump and be to aggressive with my changes.

I was just harassing you. It is always wise to not jump to big changes. Even a bunch of small changes at the same time can cause big problems. I'm sure I would come across the same way as you since I have been in the hobby for 17 years. I do learn something new all the time though, and other times I just need someone to point out the obvious to me, and I can smack myself on the forehead later.