50g Zeovit Tank
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Flameback Pair
started reefing 1999
funkateer, saw this tank on the zeovit forum and loved it there. Now I love it even more here. I want to pick your brain as I also have a 50 gallon and will start the zeovit method this winter when the gist of farming is out of the way. I'm just getting into sps and not doing too well. What's your advice to someone just starting out in sps?
Flameback Pair
started reefing 1999
Oh one thing I forgot to ask, what is the striped fish in the second post, second picture down?
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Funkateer_1
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Abronesis. I've had it for about a month. I broke one of my big rules and picked up a maricultured piece, and it's color is washing out a bit but the polypes are out! I'll take a few when I have a chance
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Funkateer_1
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The striped fish is an Indonesian Harlequin Tusk... just a baby one :bigsmile:
There are alot of things i've learned about keeping SPS over the years, here are some tips i've come to realize.
1) Use only de-ionized water. Simple RO filters will not cut it. Invest in a decent RO/DI filter and check the TDS often. BRS sells them on the cheap.
2) Strive for natural saltwater parameters, especially alkalinity. 6-8 DKH is perfect, anything over 9 affects growth and polyp extension
3) (i'll get flamed for this one).... avoid LED lighting, even the higher end ones. I work in the industry and used pretty much every major LED on the market. Nothing keeps color than T5's, nothing grows better than halides. SPS under LED's just seem to wash out.
4)Dip every new SPS without predjudice. I use Bayer Insectide personally.... Acro-Eating Flatworms will ruin this hobby for you. Trust me on that one.
5)ATO is an essential piece of equipment.... not only does it keep your salinity stable, but prevents water level fluctuations in your sump and keeps your skimmer well-calibrated.
6)Lots and lots and lots of flow!
Zeovit is awesome, I swear by it. I will be honest, it is a lot of constant work. If you travel and cannot find someone to take care of it i'd look into other options. Refugiums and GFO are perfect for SPS and much more forgiving. I would have contemplated going that route on this tank and have on my tanks of the past.... but all the good macroalgae is illegal in Cali.
Flameback Pair
started reefing 1999
Thanks for the advice. Maybe fuges and gfo would be better for me. How expensive is zeostuff? I have little time now between the farming and our health food store. We'll be selling the store soon so I'll have a lot more time there. I'm setting up another 50 gallon with a cpr aquafuge and gfo canister on it. If I don't go zeo I'll have a fuge and gfo. If I do go zeo I'll have a hob cryptic zone and a canister for soda lime. 
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Funkateer_1
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While most zeoproducts are highly concentrated and can last months/years, they can be a little expensive on the start-up. Zeovit media is pretty cheap in and of itself. A liter lasts me about 12 weeks and only costs around $12 for a bag.
Flameback Pair
started reefing 1999
1) Use only de-ionized water. Simple RO filters will not cut it. Invest in a decent RO/DI filter and check the TDS often. BRS sells them on the cheap. I use rodi but can't but can't get 0 tds. I run between 25 and 10.
2) Strive for natural saltwater parameters, especially alkalinity. 6-8 DKH is perfect, anything over 9 affects growth and polyp extension Don't test too much. I just got a hanna calcium tester and it reads 492. can't be.
3) (i'll get flamed for this one).... avoid LED lighting, even the higher end ones. I work in the industry and used pretty much every major LED on the market. Nothing keeps color than T5's, nothing grows better than halides. SPS under LED's just seem to wash out. I use two AI Sols. I have 2 150 watt hqi pendants in storage. Would those be better?
4)Dip every new SPS without predjudice. I use Bayer Insectide personally.... Acro-Eating Flatworms will ruin this hobby for you. Trust me on that one. Where can I get this dip online?
5)ATO is an essential piece of equipment.... not only does it keep your salinity stable, but prevents water level fluctuations in your sump and keeps your skimmer well-calibrated. I've been going without for a few months. I've got one but have to cut the eurobrace on my sump so it will fit.
6)Lots and lots and lots of flow! I have a Tunze 6095 running that I'll put on a sea-sweep.
2) Strive for natural saltwater parameters, especially alkalinity. 6-8 DKH is perfect, anything over 9 affects growth and polyp extension Don't test too much. I just got a hanna calcium tester and it reads 492. can't be.
3) (i'll get flamed for this one).... avoid LED lighting, even the higher end ones. I work in the industry and used pretty much every major LED on the market. Nothing keeps color than T5's, nothing grows better than halides. SPS under LED's just seem to wash out. I use two AI Sols. I have 2 150 watt hqi pendants in storage. Would those be better?
4)Dip every new SPS without predjudice. I use Bayer Insectide personally.... Acro-Eating Flatworms will ruin this hobby for you. Trust me on that one. Where can I get this dip online?
5)ATO is an essential piece of equipment.... not only does it keep your salinity stable, but prevents water level fluctuations in your sump and keeps your skimmer well-calibrated. I've been going without for a few months. I've got one but have to cut the eurobrace on my sump so it will fit.
6)Lots and lots and lots of flow! I have a Tunze 6095 running that I'll put on a sea-sweep.
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Funkateer_1
Community Member
Somethings gotta be wrong with how it's set up. Is it a standard six stage? How old are the filters? What do you use to measure TDS?
It is critical to measure all essential coral-growing parameters (KH, PO4, Ca, Mg, K, Salinity) every few weeks or so. I recommend keeping a log book or whiteboard (I do) with everything on it. It will make this hobby so much easier. If you ever need to troubleshoot and have 6 months of logs to look back in it can really be a lifesaver.
Heres a pic of mine from back in May. Hahah pardon the crappy handwriting ;D
I had old gen 1 Sols on my 150g reef awhile ago. It was a mixed reef, only had one massive bali slimer acro the size of a basketball in it.... growth and color was good. Try the Sols and see what they can do. If all your levels are good and your pest free, but the corals aren't doing super hot, they'd be the first thing i'd change. Your tank is smaller so they could work great, all my experience with LED's comes with working on much larger tanks/systems.
http://www.domyownpestcontrol.com/bayer-advanced-complete-insect-killer-for-soil-turf-concentrate-p-2995.html?zmam=70093104&zmas=1&zmac=2&zmap=2995&gclid=CNnH78SlpLkCFUQ6QgodvDEApw
Do 4mL/L or 16mL/gallon of solution for 15 minutes in aquarium water. Shakes the acros off in a separate bowl for about 20 seconds.
I've been going without for a few months. I've got one but have to cut the eurobrace on my sump so it will fit.
Should be good for flow.
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Funkateer_1
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There was a screw up with the link for the bayer.... this is the one I use. You can pick it up at any walmart or home depot.
Bayer Advanced Complete Insect Killer For Soil & Turf Concentrate
Bayer Advanced Complete Insect Killer For Soil & Turf Concentrate
revhtree
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Tank looks good!
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Funkateer_1
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Ya all the kz products do cool things... especially if you have ULNS water parameters. Coral vitalizer and coral snow are two of my favorites. If you run aggressive skimming, defiantly shut it off for an hour or two after dosing.
revhtree
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Sweet!
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Funkateer_1
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New toy, Vertex Libra 2.5L vessel for dosing KH buffer. If my KH consumption rates stay the same, it should last me about a year before I have to refill. I have a Hanna magnetic stirrer for it as well. That thing makes a serious cyclone at full blast. I will be slowly replacing all of my dosing containers with this over time.
