Best Amino Acids

[BQ5]

What is the most effective, non-refrigerated, Amino Acid supplement you have used specifically for nursing damaged coral tissue (e.g., frag healing/recession) while also supporting vibrant growth and color? Looking for the best budget per-dose option.

 

[painter1982]

Brightwell has a couple. I use Brightwell Restor and Coral Amino. Neither requires refrigeration.

 

[Danjoethepirate]

Restor, the 2 liter is 55ish bucks on amazon. At 20 mils a day i will have it for like 3 months.

 

[BQ5]

Restor, the 2 liter is 55ish bucks on amazon. At 20 mils a day i will have it for like 3 months.

Do you see some good results from this?

 

[Danjoethepirate]

Restor, the 2 liter is 55ish bucks on amazon. At 20 mils a day i will have it for like 3 months.

Do you see some good results from this?

Yes, I've been using it to bring my nutrients up from bottoming them out. Bringing back colors and reversing some STN.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Aside from a low N situation, I'm not sure there is a clear proven benefit from dosing amino acids, and bear in mind that amino acids can also spur cyano growth. :)

 

[BQ5]

Aside from a low N situation, I'm not sure there is a clear proven benefit from dosing amino acids, and bear in mind that amino acids can also spur cyano growth. :)

BRS did this video () a few years ago and the pictures seem to speak for themselves as far as the benefits of amnio acids for coloration and growth. But then again with this coming out so long ago maybe some newer information sends a different message.

 

[BriDroid]

Aside from a low N situation, I'm not sure there is a clear proven benefit from dosing amino acids, and bear in mind that amino acids can also spur cyano growth. :)

I agree. I’ve tried a bunch of them with little to no seen benefits (CoralAmino, AcroPower, Reef Energy AB+, Amino-Organic, and Coral Power Amino Ready). Keeping trace elements available and daily water changes show much better color and growth in my system. Adding aminos didn’t hurt anything, but I also didn’t see any benefits.

 

[BQ5]

I agree. I’ve tried a bunch of them with little to no seen benefits (CoralAmino, AcroPower, Reef Energy AB+, Amino-Organic, and Coral Power Amino Ready). Keeping trace elements available and daily water changes show much better color and growth in my system. Adding aminos didn’t hurt anything, but I also didn’t see any benefits.

Do you have an auto water change system going?

 

[Aheinz]

Currently im focused on wc

 

[BriDroid]

Do you have an auto water change system going?

Yes, and honestly that has helped growth and color more than any additive I’ve used. I’m a huge believer in daily auto water changes.

 

[BQ5]

Yes, and honestly that has helped growth and color more than any additive I’ve used. I’m a huge believer in daily auto water changes.

I’d love to do this myself. Are you rocking a continuous duty pump? Also where do you drain the water to?

 

[BQ5]

I agree. I’ve tried a bunch of them with little to no seen benefits (CoralAmino, AcroPower, Reef Energy AB+, Amino-Organic, and Coral Power Amino Ready). Keeping trace elements available and daily water changes show much better color and growth in my system. Adding aminos didn’t hurt anything, but I also didn’t see any benefits.

I agree. I’ve tried a bunch of them with little to no seen benefits (CoralAmino, AcroPower, Reef Energy AB+, Amino-Organic, and Coral Power Amino Ready). Keeping trace elements available and daily water changes show much better color and growth in my system. Adding aminos didn’t hurt anything, but I also didn’t see any benefits.

Have you watched this?




I’m generally skeptical of amino acid products, but this made me stop and think. That said, BRS has an incentive to sell it.

 

[BriDroid]

I’d love to do this myself. Are you rocking a continuous duty pump? Also where do you drain the water to?

I have a nano that is on a Hydros system, so I utilize that. Since I’m only changing 600ml a day, I is those skinny 1.25 gallon jugs which gives me 1 week of water changes. This gives me just over 1% of the water changed per day. I played around with the amount, and finally settled on 600ml as a happy middle ground.

 

[skey44]

I’ve tried a few and am really starting to think frozen fish food slurries are enough for my tank. Maybe slightly more PE with aminos but you’re also looking for it. And not necessarily more than frozen food or coral foods.

 

[Reginald Reefer III]

I dose RMS aminos 1x-2x 10mL daily. I also dose their vitaminX in conjunction. Dunno if I can pinpoint directly at the aminos, but everything in my system grows like weeds. I think it's a combination of many parts of the whole that creates a thriving system, not just 'aminos'.

 

[skey44]

I dose RMS aminos 1x-2x 10mL daily. I also dose their vitaminX in conjunction. Dunno if I can pinpoint directly at the aminos, but everything in my system grows like weeds. I think it's a combination of many parts of the whole that creates a thriving system, not just 'aminos'.

So that’s the “cat food”
Your corals are definitely growing great. Whatever you’re doing is working!

 

[Reginald Reefer III]

So that’s the “cat food”
Your corals are definitely growing great. Whatever you’re doing is working!

 

[SandNRocks]

I use brightwell coralamino. Not for growth or coloration but I find it helps LPS corals grow flesh. Specifically damaged or recently fragged ones. Only “evidence” I have is that I used to have a 2g pico. No filtration or dosing, just an airpump. I had a hammer coral that was almost killed due to fragging. Like 1-2 weeks after starting dosing aminos, the hammer was starting to grow new tentacles where it had otherwise just been stable. All else aside, it was the only thing I changed during that time period and I did see a noticeable difference. With no filtration, dosing, and a consistent routine up to that point I definitely did see a difference that I correlate to the aminos. Agreed that excess aminos will cause cyano but only at a certain dose and its pretty easy to just dial it back to avoid that. I used to dose right up to the point of cyano, using cyano as an indicator that I had too much.

1/3 head of a cracked hammer coral:

Hammer after a few months:

 

[Reeferbadness]

Aside from a low N situation, I'm not sure there is a clear proven benefit from dosing amino acids, and bear in mind that amino acids can also spur cyano growth. :)

I agree with this. I have 2 mature mixed reef tanks and dosed 1 tank with amino acids for approx 3 months and the other nothing, didn't really see any difference in colors or growth rates