Reef Moonshiners V All for Reef

[saltyfins]

This is true that Andre will def help if you message him. Curious though how RMS saved your tank? What was the actual problem?

Here is the Tropic Marin A/K Links.

TM-A
https://www.tropic-marin-smartinfo.com/a-elements?lang=enTM-K
https://www.tropic-marin-smartinfo.com/k-elements?lang=en

well, I did a water change of 30 gallons, with NYOS and within 30 minutes, my tank was sliming, and corals literally dying as I watched! I did an MS test, and there's things in it, that should not be! the water....then I just sent a sample of the salt to him. it killed 3 grocery bags of coral.

 

[TwelveL16]

I understand that RM is much more in depth. Everything is added separately based on an icp test. It looks alluring after I see the results from people using it. It is on the higher end of cost.

All for reef is much more friendly on the budget. Handles a lot of parameters and some trace elements.

I don’t have much coral now. Other than my duncans, everything else is looking good in the tank. Just some basics, leathers, hammers. My main parameters are on point except my phos is a little elevated at .59.

I want to get ready for some sps and some higher end torches.

I’ve seen fantastic tanks using AFR as well as RM.

My tank is a 144g with a 30g sump. I have 2 gyre style and one circular power head and a 1600gph return. I have a fuge with some caulerpa. Simplicity 320dc skimmer. Reef breeders photonv2 48” (will be upgrading in the winter).

I currently use AB+ and I make my own fish food which is a mixture of salmon, shrimp, and clam…. Or some shell animal, and nori. I also feed pellets mid morning.

So my question is, is RM really worth the money or will AFR handle things well? What have been your pros and cons?

well I can tell you this. i was on AFR, sent in an ICP and had elements that were depleted. such as Fluorine, iodine, zinc, and rubidium.

 

[Troylee]

What percentage of kalk/afr do you dose? I’ve been dosing kalk primarily about 80% of demand and 2 part for the rest. I wanted to incorporate afr in place of the 2 part. Thoughts?

Now you’re talking man! That’s what I’m doing exactly! I’m topping off with 3-4 gallons of fully saturated kalk daily then dosing 160ml of all for reef for the rest.. just the last month thou my alk kept dipping all the way down to 6 so I had to incorporate sodium hydroxide to raise the alk back up! My cal is staying stable which is nice at 400 where it used to creep up to 550

 

[saltyfins]

I understand that RM is much more in depth. Everything is added separately based on an icp test. It looks alluring after I see the results from people using it. It is on the higher end of cost.

All for reef is much more friendly on the budget. Handles a lot of parameters and some trace elements.

I don’t have much coral now. Other than my duncans, everything else is looking good in the tank. Just some basics, leathers, hammers. My main parameters are on point except my phos is a little elevated at .59.

I want to get ready for some sps and some higher end torches.

I’ve seen fantastic tanks using AFR as well as RM.

My tank is a 144g with a 30g sump. I have 2 gyre style and one circular power head and a 1600gph return. I have a fuge with some caulerpa. Simplicity 320dc skimmer. Reef breeders photonv2 48” (will be upgrading in the winter).

I currently use AB+ and I make my own fish food which is a mixture of salmon, shrimp, and clam…. Or some shell animal, and nori. I also feed pellets mid morning.

So my question is, is RM really worth the money or will AFR handle things well? What have been your pros and cons?

well I can tell you this. i was on AFR, sent in an ICP and had elements that were depleted. such as Fluorine, iodine, zinc, and rubidium.

Some of the stuff I add on a daily.

 

[TwelveL16]

Some of the stuff I add on a daily.

exactly, I have since switched to RM.

 

[Troylee]

Some of the stuff I add on a daily.

And have you noticed any difference? Dosing them or not dosing them?

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

I found your article very insightful. Correct me if I'm wrong, but it seems to focus primarily on the Iron element.

I'm curious because the broader discussion around food additives often centers on the phosphates introduced rather than other specific elements. It's definitely an important point worth considering.

If you mean the reef chemistry question of the day, yes, it only addressed iron.

I have not explored other elements in any detail, but foods will generally comatin all the elements present in organism tissues, since that is what foods are.

They will not typically offset the sorts of things going into coral skeletons (alk, calcium, magnesium, and fluoride) but will add most trace metals.

 

[saltyfins]

Some of the stuff I add on a daily.

And have you noticed any difference? Dosing them or not dosing them?

I have been on moonshine for four years, and I can honestly tell you yes my colors are good, my growth is ridiculous, and again after seeing my corals coming back to life that I really thought I lost… Including my Oregon grape, I will never not use moonshine! Yes, it’s more expensive, but I have a 300 gallon tank with 99% acro. Those are way more expensive than moonshine is. I replenish my entire deal maybe once a year so in the grand scheme of things, it’s a heck of a lot cheaper than by insult.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

well I can tell you this. i was on AFR, sent in an ICP and had elements that were depleted. such as Fluorine, iodine, zinc, and rubidium.

Dont get me started on that rubidium nonsense. It has no known role in any known organism.

 

[jackson6745]

Now you’re talking man! That’s what I’m doing exactly! I’m topping off with 3-4 gallons of fully saturated kalk daily then dosing 160ml of all for reef for the rest.. just the last month thou my alk kept dipping all the way down to 6 so I had to incorporate sodium hydroxide to raise the alk back up! My cal is staying stable which is nice at 400 where it used to creep up to 550

Wow that’s some serious demand! Thanks! I’m going to try it out. I have my other system (260g ish) running only on AFR (150ml daily) and it’s kicking butt.

 

[TwelveL16]

And have you noticed any difference? Dosing them or not dosing them?

Hard to say right now. My tank seemed healthy on the AFR, no complaints however things weren't growing very quickly, sepcifically SPS. I upgraded from a 90g to a 150g, used all the old stuff and added a couple of rocks that had been cycled however they depleted my phosphates and I got Dinos. I just got it cleared up and corals are looking happy again. Ill be able to tell you in a couple months. I have only been on the RM for a couple weeks and some of that time I was fighting Dinos.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

I have been on moonshine for four years, and I can honestly tell you yes my colors are good, my growth is ridiculous, and again after seeing my corals coming back to life that I really thought I lost… Including my Oregon grape, I will never not use moonshine! Yes, it’s more expensive, but I have a 300 gallon tank with 99% acro. Those are way more expensive than moonshine is. I replenish my entire deal maybe once a year so in the grand scheme of things, it’s a heck of a lot cheaper than by insult.

What are you comparing it to?

 

[Troylee]

Wow that’s some serious demand! Thanks! I’m going to try it out. I have my other system (260g ish) running only on AFR (150ml daily) and it’s kicking butt.

Yeah I can’t afford the 5 gallon buckets of all for reef to dose a gallon a day so I do what I do!

 

[saltyfins]

well I can tell you this. i was on AFR, sent in an ICP and had elements that were depleted. such as Fluorine, iodine, zinc, and rubidium.

I have been on moonshine for four years, and I can honestly tell you yes my colors are good, my growth is ridiculous, and again after seeing my corals coming back to life that I really thought I lost… Including my Oregon grape, I will never not use moonshine! Yes, it’s more expensive, but I have a 300 gallon tank with 99% acro. Those are way more expensive than moonshine is. I replenish my entire deal maybe once a year so in the grand scheme of things, it’s a heck of a lot cheaper than by insult.

What are you comparing it to?

I am comparing it to not using moonshine. I am comparing it to two other tanks that are on a FR, so there’s that. In fact, one of my smaller tanks, which is a 32 red Sea, is using Aqua forest all in one and that’s a nightmare. My bio cube is using all for reef, and it’s doing fairly well except I cannot for the life of me, keep my alkalinity or calcium in check. Not even close. All of the corals do look good but, I have very little Coreen algae growth whereas my 300. It is in flakes, the way it grows. It’s insane. Everything is coded in it. Which, I do not like… I hate the stuff. Lol! All I can say, is try it for yourself and if you don’t agree, then don’t use it. But I can honestly tell you with the three products I use reef moonshine wins, hands-down.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

well I can tell you this. i was on AFR, sent in an ICP and had elements that were depleted. such as Fluorine, iodine, zinc, and rubidium.

FWIW, AFR is not a perfect answer for elements not depleted by calcification, such as iodine. Those may need to be dosed separately if you want a higher level.

I dose iodine (don’t know if it is actually useful), iron, and manganese in addition to AFR because my refugium grows a lot of macroalgae that will take these up.

 

[Troylee]

I have been on moonshine for four years, and I can honestly tell you yes my colors are good, my growth is ridiculous, and again after seeing my corals coming back to life that I really thought I lost… Including my Oregon grape, I will never not use moonshine! Yes, it’s more expensive, but I have a 300 gallon tank with 99% acro. Those are way more expensive than moonshine is. I replenish my entire deal maybe once a year so in the grand scheme of things, it’s a heck of a lot cheaper than by insult.

I get it! A million ways to do this! I have the same size tank with crazy growth and great colors and never sent a icp test in, in my life.. I don’t dose elements I don’t test them lol.. what process did you use before rms that failed you?

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

I am comparing it to not using moonshine. I am comparing it to two other tanks that are on a FR, so there’s that. In fact, one of my smaller tanks, which is a 32 red Sea, is using Aqua forest all in one and that’s a nightmare. My bio cube is using all for reef, and it’s doing fairly well except I cannot for the life of me, keep my alkalinity or calcium in check. Not even close. All of the corals do look good but, I have very little Coreen algae growth whereas my 300. It is in flakes, the way it grows. It’s insane. Everything is coded in it. Which, I do not like… I hate the stuff. Lol! All I can say, is try it for yourself and if you don’t agree, then don’t use it. But I can honestly tell you with the three products I use reef moonshine wins, hands-down.

Ok.

I was mainly asking if you were comparing now on RM to some other method that claimed to add a full set of trace elements.

How are you dosing calcium and alk now?

 

[TwelveL16]

Dont get me started on that rubidium nonsense. It has no known role in any known organism.

We may not know its role, but id say it exists for something? RM says this "its a very influencing element with very positive effects to shrooms, zoa, torches, all soft corals as well as SPS."

Im no expert. Just following the advice of people who have incredible SPS tanks.

and if it doesnt... well we all know this hobby is a money pit, whats another 30 dollars for a bottle of it??

 

[Troylee]

We may not know its role, but id say it exists for something? RM says this "its a very influencing element with very positive effects to shrooms, zoa, torches, all soft corals as well as SPS."

Im no expert. Just following the advice of people who have incredible SPS tanks.

and if it doesnt... well we all know this hobby is a money pit, whats another 30 dollars for a bottle of it??

Sounds like a sales gimmick…

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

We may not know its role, but id say it exists for something? RM says this "its a very influencing element with very positive effects to shrooms, zoa, torches, all soft corals as well as SPS."

Im no expert. Just following the advice of people who have incredible SPS tanks.

I’m not by any means suggesting rm leads to poor tanks. I’m certain those great tanks would be just as nice if they simply stopped dosing rubidium. Same for barium.

Have you or ANYONE using RM ever seen evidence of those rubidium claims?