Most economical amino acid product or DIY amino acids?

[Jerome Woodward]

Bring this back from the dead.

But does anyone have a link for the bulk powder? I can not find anything on amazon.

 

[Jerome Woodward]

My current recipe is:
100 mL vodka
400 mL R/O water
10 grams of amino acids
1/2 tsp. Sodium Hydroxide (handle powder with care)

It dissolves well and looks shelf stable.

The vodka is a bit of a carbon source, so keep that in mind.

So you would recommend using this recipe the same way you would use brightwell aminos?

 

[csb123]

Yes, but it’s twice the concentration...in my estimation.

 

[biszel]

Just wanted to say I'm starting your DYI Amino Acid will post results

 

[bkhunt]

I have been following CSB123 formulas for almost 2 years now and have nothing bad to say. I only dose 1ml per 50g an hour prior to lights coming on.

 

[chicago]

Do you have anythjng good to say. ??? Kicking his back up. I have a 900 gallon ref system and working to dose amino acids. Need some type of DYII solution. Buying store brought amino acids would be a fortune.

 

[Rimsky]

10 grams of amino acids

So your current recipe is twice as potent as Brightwell CoralAmino? Your original formula had 5 grams of Jo Mar Pure 21 Blend and you said it was as potent as Brightwell's. So your current formula with 10 grams should be twice potent unless I'm missing something. Thank you.

 

[mattdg]

This DIY solution sound very interesting, especially at well under $20 a gallon. I do struggle to understand how amino acids derived for mammalian use, translate to the reef environment. I don't think it is necessarily dangerous, at the very least ineffective. As we all know, observations can be anecdotal in this hobby, even if it seems it is working. At the same time, we have no idea what they are putting in over the counter AA supplements either, which has always been suspect for me.

Not saying I am closed to the idea of a DIY solution, but definitely feel there is some missing information here.

I'd love to hear a marine bio chemists view on using this as a supplement. Perhaps Randy or redfishbluefish will chime in?

 

[lost66]

Yes, but it’s twice the concentration...in my estimation.

I love the idea and I would like to treat my tank the same way.
Just to be clear, how much do you dose? There are multiple brightwellaquatics products with different dosage. Most common is 5ml/50g. If your recipe is double concentration it means - in your opinion - can I use 2-3ml/50g?

 

[sawdonkey]

Is anyone using this Jo Mar DIY amino acid long term?

 

[Nate’sTanks]

After 3 months of using my DIY amino mix, I’m very happy with the results. My corals have much improved coloring. The growth rates, I would say are slightly improved. Unfortunately, I didn’t take before and after pictures.

How many ml per gallon are you doing? Or are you following Brighwells dosing?

 

[Nate’sTanks]

I found this mixture of pure, crystalline amino acids. If you mix 5g in 125 ml vinegar and 375 ml ro water, you get a solution of the same concentration as Brightwell’s product. It’s amino acid ratios are geared to humans, but you can’t hit a home run every time. There’s enough powder in there to buy $7000 worth of commercial products.

I switched to this from Brightwell’s a month ago and my corals continue to do well with no side effects.

The vinegar prevents bacterial/mold growth. It helps to use warm water to dissolve it.

Just regular white distilled vinegar?

 

[lost66]

Is anyone using this Jo Mar DIY amino acid long term?

I do, little bit over a year now. I started 400ml water/100 Vodka, 10g powder. I don't use sodium hydroxide since I don't have it. I dose manually, trying to dose 5ml per day but I forgot about it very often so I don't add much at this point.
I was thinking to utilize jebao doser, I have 2 heads not used but I noticed I have to stir the mixture each time before I use it so at this point I am thinking about magnetic stirrer and stir it 5min before dosing.

Vodka is my concern, I zeroed nitrates at some point. I tried to make a batch without Vodka but it spoiled after few days. The bottle I made almost year ago is still good, smells like vodka
I have to find out what is the minimal amount of vodka to work as a preservative and minimize carbon intake.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

I do, little bit over a year now. I started 400ml water/100 Vodka, 10g powder. I don't use sodium hydroxide since I don't have it. I dose manually, trying to dose 5ml per day but I forgot about it very often so I don't add much at this point.
I was thinking to utilize jebao doser, I have 2 heads not used but I noticed I have to stir the mixture each time before I use it so at this point I am thinking about magnetic stirrer and stir it 5min before dosing.

Vodka is my concern, I zeroed nitrates at some point. I tried to make a batch without Vodka but it spoiled after few days. The bottle I made almost year ago is still good, smells like vodka
I have to find out what is the minimal amount of vodka to work as a preservative and minimize carbon intake.

I do not expect you can appreciably drop it from where you are now, at about 10% ethanol

Inhibition by ethanol of the growth of biofilm and dispersed microcosm dental plaques - PubMed

Inhibition of microcosm plaque biofilm growth by periodic application of ethanol was compared with the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and bactericidal effects of ethanol on liquid cultures of dispersed plaque bacteria. Microcosm plaques were cultured from saliva in a multiplaque...

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

The aerobic and anaerobic MIC of ethanol for growth was 10 percent and 8 percent; 50 percent inhibition of growth rate occurred at 3.7 percent and 2.8 percent. Ethanol (40 percent) was bactericidal within 1-2 min, but 10 percent had almost no effect. It was concluded that, despite the well-known high ethanol sensitivity of dispersed plaque bacteria, prolonged application of ethanol concentrations in the order of 40 percent are necessary to inhibit growth of plaque biofilms.