I run a hybrid zeo and ecobak. A little background first; I combined two 28 nanos into a 65 gallon rimless. I have a 27 gallon sump. Both nanos were very successful but corals started to decline. Slow growth and bleaching. I wanted to step up my game and consolidate so that I could focus on one tank and not two. The new tank was running about four months and things were okay. I read a lot about zeo and took the plunge. I started zeo in October 2013. My phosphates were hovering at .1 ppm. My nitrates were 2-4 ppm. I had followed the recommendations by zeo. I dosed the standard three supplements as directed. I cut back on feeding but I couldn't get my phosphates down. I read the zeo website and found a handful of reefers running other filtration with zeo. I liked ecobak so I bought a reactor and started running it about a month or so ago. Nitrates and phosphates are now in line. There is a trick though. If you are relying solely on bacteria as your filtration, you must find a balance between nitrates and phosphates. You can't expect to lower phosphates without nitrates and vice versa. The bacteria consume both. Without both, they will not proliferate. If I test 0 phosphates and 2 nitrates, I feed the corals a little heavier. The uneaten food adds phosphates therefore helps consumes nitrates. If my phosphates are detectable, I feed my fish heavier. Their waste elevates nitrates. I must admit that I struggle with the balance. You must be willing to dedicate time. Due to the addition of the ecobak (carbon source), I am getting cyano. Not a lot but some. I think there may be a lighting issue contributing to this as well but I have read that carbon could be a factor. The best advice, which I will likely take when my zeolite supply runs out, is run ecobak and use zeo supplements. I use a number of zeo supplements but one that blows me away is the coral booster. I immediately saw my acans plump up. Other LPS plumped. I think zeo makes great supplements. Be prepared for an investment of time and money. I do not profess to be an expert but this has been my experience thus far. I am sure there are varying opinions but I would be happy to answer any questions.
