BRS160 two year update: How Zeovit worked for us! | BRStv

randyBRS · Aug 4, 2017

Hey guys!

The long anticipated update of the BRS160 is here! It's hard to believe that we're approaching 2yrs of running the BRS160 and now it's time to make a change.

Check out this final BRS160 before we change from Zeovit to Triton and be sure to share your experiences with the Zeovit system!

-Find all of our reefing videos HERE!

Monkeynaut · Aug 4, 2017

I won't be doing the zeovit system but I have enjoyed the 160 series as well as the updates. It really is great to see the tank looking so nice after 2 years.
I am very interested in seeing the video of the transfer to Triton and the hopefully frequent updates thereafter.

Great work guys!

pdiehm · Aug 4, 2017

The tank looks good. I tried zeovit but the monthly costs were too much.

revhtree · Aug 4, 2017

Tank looks great and that's awesome growth for 15 months! Gives me hope! HA!

dgrigor02 · Aug 4, 2017

One thing missing, I'd like to know of the corals you started with, how many of them you lost or had to replace in the two years as well.

David Cher · Aug 4, 2017

what are the blue bottles do you dose ? do you dose xtra and b balance ?

Berlibee · Aug 4, 2017

You guys mixing different frozen food in a plastic bottle and keep it in the fridge ? Can you give more info about it, how long you can keep it etc. Great info here.

Engloid · Aug 5, 2017

David Cher said:
what are the blue bottles do you dose ? do you dose xtra and b balance ?

Looks like it may be ZeoStart. It's a carbon source that helps keep phosphates and nitrates down. I've started using NOPOX, which I think is a similar product. Surprisingly, even with about 245g in the system, I'm only having to dose about 6ml a day, so it's not very expensive.

snappa1953 · Aug 5, 2017

I'd like to know why 10% weekly water changes are still part of the Zeovit program if the additives and NO3 and PO4 management are so good.

ksfulk · Aug 5, 2017

snappa1953 said:
I'd like to know why 10% weekly water changes are still part of the Zeovit program if the additives and NO3 and PO4 management are so good.

For my system, the WCs give me the opportunity to get the mulm from the ZeoVit reactor out of the tank. While most of it is consumed by the tank inhabitants (Corals, anemones, detritivores, etc), there is some that doesnt make it out of the sump, some that settles in the corners of the tank, etc.

Also, the WCs take care of some of the trace elements in my tank. I dont use many of the KZ additives - in fact I only use the main 3 - ZeoStart, ZeoBak, and SpongePower. But, for me at least, the WC gets the unsightly mulm out of my system.

Nutrient management (concerning NO₃ and PO₄) is different than maintaining Alkalinity and Calcium.

Velcro · Aug 5, 2017

Looks like you guys beat the Dino's!

snappa1953 · Aug 5, 2017

So water is just a medium to remove crap from your system with fringe benefits? Efficiency of physical removal is therefore the key. If you get it out in 3 or 4% volume great. If you've got good filters collecting mulm you wouldn't need to change water eh?

Ryanbrs · Aug 5, 2017

dgrigor02 said:
One thing missing, I'd like to know of the corals you started with, how many of them you lost or had to replace in the two years as well.

Hard to remember exact figures, a lot has happened since then. But in the first month or so after the introduction we lost 2-3 encrusting corals which was almost certainly attributable to poor placement and too much light. We eventually lost the elegance corals. We did loose a wild acro but I don't think we lost a single acro frag and there are a lot of them. Recently we lost a nice scoly as well.

Overall just a few losses and I'd call extremely low mortality for a brand new tank. I will share the monti eating nudis almost had a pretty significant impact but the six line wrasse and potentially the KZ flarworm stop wiped that issue out almost immediately. I am sure they are in there somewhere but you would never know it.

Ryanbrs · Aug 5, 2017

Berlibee said:
You guys mixing different frozen food in a plastic bottle and keep it in the fridge ? Can you give more info about it, how long you can keep it etc. Great info here.

We thaw it before use in a solo cup and pour it in : ) I personally wouldn't keep anything thawed like that in the fridge.

Ryanbrs · Aug 5, 2017

Engloid said:
Looks like it may be ZeoStart. It's a carbon source that helps keep phosphates and nitrates down. I've started using NOPOX, which I think is a similar product. Surprisingly, even with about 245g in the system, I'm only having to dose about 6ml a day, so it's not very expensive.

There are similarities between the systems. The thing about carbon dosing is it's easy to maintain ultra low nitrate and phosphate with any of the solutions. I think the trick becomes how do we maintain appropriate levels of organic nitrogen and phosphorus so we are not starving the corals. Both of these two systems have approaches to that do work.

I am personally willing to try all kinds of methods but when I am recommending something the best advice I can give is follow the results, either your own or others. In this case, Zeo has the longest track record of proven results, particularly with Acro Nuts who are heavily invested in producing the best growth and coloration possible.

Ryanbrs · Aug 5, 2017

snappa1953 said:
So water is just a medium to remove crap from your system with fringe benefits? Efficiency of physical removal is therefore the key. If you get it out in 3 or 4% volume great. If you've got good filters collecting mulm you wouldn't need to change water eh?

I would say weekly 10% changes is just a component of an overall strategy of maintaining some elements and continually exporting some unwanted contaminants. If you are going to cut them out completely, particularly on a SPS dominant tank, there needs to be some real thought put into how some of this is going to be done on a long term basis and a real method of testing would be valuable.

David Cher · Aug 5, 2017

David Cher said:
what are the blue bottles do you dose ? do you dose xtra and b balance ?

Ryan ???

Ryanbrs · Aug 5, 2017

David Cher said:
Ryan ???

Keep in mind I am addicted to these little blue bottles and once we get off them I am probably going to have to go to meetings to stay off them .... I just find the process of reading, selecting, dosing and watching to be enjoyable.

We use the following. To the best of my memory from home.

The big four
LPS aminos on a dosing pump.
coral vitalizer
Phol's Xtra
Potassium iodide fluoride
B- Balence
Amino Acid Concentrate
Coral Booster
Flatworm stop - Dosed after we got the monti eating nudis in hopes it would make the tissue less appealing. Nudis are not an issue any longer but we never stopped.

There have been some questions about cost. I haven't tracked that, partially because I don't want to know... I would say there is no world where zeovit is the lowest cost method of achieving results and that's pretty much end of story there. I think the best analogy I can think of is most of us own a car to get to work and back. However, some people own a car so after work they can spend time tricking it out so they can get to work faster tomorrow : )

KenJ · Aug 5, 2017

Love these video shows keep em coming. Done Zeovit for 3 years its amazing and it works. I agree the carbon dosing sometimes brings in red slime but is brought back under control with lowering the dosing and water changes. New tank tried the trition but was too new and algae was way out of control. WEnt back to water changes and will wait til the fall to move back to triton. Waiting for your review for sure. Thanks for picking up the Triton I always use your store for all my purchases.
Great review Ryan!