What is in Amino Acid Supplements

[Suohhen]

Very few companies choose to share what they put in these supplements. Seachem and Aquaforrest do provide some insight into their compositions. They both list 4 aminos, 2 overlap and AF says "among others" rather than giving a guaranteed analysis. Red Sea does no say which aminos but does say that they include "4 carbohydrates from which the coral can synthesize 16 out of 20 essential amino acids." And then we have the two products that sit on either end of the cost spectrum, TLF Acropower is the cheapest and has been around for the longest and Brightwell/KX are the most expensive and Brightwell is receiving all the hype, none provide information on the specific blend. Brightwell says "closely approximates ratios of amino acids present in many species of stony corals."
And then we have the hype, many professional coral farmers claim to use Brightwell and BRS is happy to assert that claim at every opportunity, at least that is what I have noticed. Why professionals would use the the most expensive product is beyond me, 14x the cost of Acropower based on recommended dose. But I would have to guess they are being given the product as a promotional ploy because I can't see another reason why BRS has been so biased towards them. They are typically more scientific about these things but apparently they are currently running a test with Brightwell against a control, no other aminos?
Am I off base here, maybe I am about BRS because I don't religiously watch all of their videos. Also the narrative that is clearly being painted is that Brightwell's product is just that much better than the rest. Is their any evidence to back that up?

 

[Kenneth Wingerter]

amino feast is relatively new, it's expertly formulated by dr. gerdes of capital coral to provide specifically the aminos corals need and in the proper proportions. https://willowsreef.com/product/amino-feast-8ozz/

 

[Azedenkae]

Red Sea does no say which aminos but does say that they include "4 carbohydrates from which the coral can synthesize 16 out of 20 essential amino acids."

Ooh ooh.

MetaCyc: Metabolic Pathways From all Domains of Life

MetaCyc is a highly curated metabolic database that contains metabolic pathways, enzymes, metabolites, and reactions from all domains of life.

metacyc.org

I am too lazy to do this right now, but if you search up the different pathways for the biosynthesis of the 20 essential amino acids here, you could probably figure out which 4 carbohydrates these would be. :3

 

[Oscar47f]

Not that I’ve seen... so here’s the thing I use brightwell coral amino because it’s just what my LFS has and I’ve used it for years... in the BRS video they did specifically use brightwell amino acids but that doesn’t mean other brands won’t have the same effects... at the store I work at I always highly recommend any amino acids because they help they don’t increase nitrates and phosphates much or at all, as far as what’s in the bottle who knows but I would use the TLF aminos not because of price but many many people use it and have amazing tanks so it’s partially anecdotal tbh

 

[Suohhen]

amino feast is relatively new, it's expertly formulated by dr. gerdes of capital coral to provide specifically the aminos corals need and in the proper proportions. https://willowsreef.com/product/amino-feast-8ozz/

Thanks for the recommendation. This product comes in at half the weekly cost of Brightwell if you dose once a day but they say dose once or twice. I like that they actually do say what is in it and afaik asparitic acid and glutamine acid are used more heavily and in a much greater variety of coral so it seems like they put some thought into what they put in vs the other products maybe playing it safe with a less varied mix of aminos proven to have less risk of adverse reactions. This dose beg the question however whether one should trust a new product that is out of line with what the rest of the industry is doing.
I have been dosing reef plus for months with no apparent increase in color, and I plan to add acropower to the mix since it is cheap and I can put it in a doser. I will add a 3rd to the mix if I see no improvement with acropower and right now I am on the fence between Brightwell and Redsea but Aminofeast is a compelling 3rd option.

 

[Suohhen]

Ooh ooh.

MetaCyc: Metabolic Pathways From all Domains of Life

MetaCyc is a highly curated metabolic database that contains metabolic pathways, enzymes, metabolites, and reactions from all domains of life.

metacyc.org

I am too lazy to do this right now, but if you search up the different pathways for the biosynthesis of the 20 essential amino acids here, you could probably figure out which 4 carbohydrates these would be. :3

Yeah I debated adding this bit. Sugar is cheap and easy and food is not really the perview of this topic. I just find it funny that they include that bit but don't say anything about what aminos they put in and the 20 has more to do with what is essential to humans, while the number is more in the 30s with coral iirc.

 

[Suohhen]

Not that I’ve seen... so here’s the thing I use brightwell coral amino because it’s just what my LFS has and I’ve used it for years... in the BRS video they did specifically use brightwell amino acids but that doesn’t mean other brands won’t have the same effects... at the store I work at I always highly recommend any amino acids because they help they don’t increase nitrates and phosphates much or at all, as far as what’s in the bottle who knows but I would use the TLF aminos not because of price but many many people use it and have amazing tanks so it’s partially anecdotal tbh

Thanks for your insight. That is certainly the way I see it, acropower has been around forever and is dirt cheap which obviously has more to do with the scale of demand since tlf products are generally not even close to being the cheapest option.

 

[Suohhen]

I don't er maybe didn't mean for this to be a criticism of BRS's content but thinking about it I have been unhappy with them for a while. What happened to the days of testing the life of t5s and being willing to share the results even though it could ultimately mean they sell far less of the massively overpriced bulbs. Now I see less and less in the way of unbiased content coming from them, which honestly it is what should be expected as a retail company, and I guess I am going to have to adjust my expectations.

 

[AutumnReefs]

I don't er maybe didn't mean for this to be a criticism of BRS's content but thinking about it I have been unhappy with them for a while. What happened to the days of testing the life of t5s and being willing to share the results even though it could ultimately mean they sell far less of the massively overpriced bulbs. Now I see less and less in the way of unbiased content coming from them, which honestly it is what should be expected as a retail company, and I guess I am going to have to adjust my expectations.

T5's are on their way out as a technology so they focus on LED's more. If you watch the videos you will see they don't hold back when it comes to grilling companies for their lights. Their podcast style videos are the ones to watch. They do infact tell you cost per par of the lights and say which are giving you the best value based on that.

 

[Suohhen]

T5's are on their way out as a technology so they focus on LED's more. If you watch the videos you will see they don't hold back when it comes to grilling companies for their lights. Their podcast style videos are the ones to watch. They do infact tell you cost per par of the lights and say which are giving you the best value based on that.

True but there isn't a 14x difference in the price of leds based on nothing but a statement. In fact the numbers are proving that it is worth it to buy the newest Ecotech and Kessils which are incredibly expensive so isn't so much out of their interest to advertise such just as is the case when they tested the kessil h380 and showed a drastic difference from available alternatives at that time but it also happens to be a $400 light.
I trust BRS where our interests are shared. Just as I trust and use a number of Kent and Seachem products and yet Brightwell (owned by Kent) amino is 14x the cost of Acropower so I need a little more than faith to take that step.