Why cant u keep sps?

[Charlie’s Frags]

I love golf. I would not give it up easily. That’s for sure. My next big purchase would be an indoor practice range and simulator to keep me in good motion all winter. If I reefed like I golfed, I’d be growing coral out the water haha

corey

If I golfed liked I reefed
I’d be in Australia right now. I’ve never felt I mastered golf, not even during my best rounds. Reef’n is easy

 

[SeaDweller]

Y’all stupid.

@ycnibrc works for Zeovit. Y’all got played, like @Chaswood79 ’s golf game.





PSYCH. J/k. keep calm, acro on.

 

[Graffiti Spot]

I have always seen bacteria supplements as not needed on a reef tank that’s growing and processing nutrients normally. Unless your using a carbon source. Even then I have never used it when carbon dosing for any decent amount of time. I have tried a lot of bacteria’s by themselves when my tank was running well with no carbon source and I didn’t notice any changes.
I have used a few of them when things weren’t right and a big change has happened and they may have helped but it’s hard to tell if time was what helped or the product.

 

[ycnibrc]

I have always seen bacteria supplements as not needed on a reef tank that’s growing and processing nutrients normally. Unless your using a carbon source. Even then I have never used it when carbon dosing for any decent amount of time. I have tried a lot of bacteria’s by themselves when my tank was running well with no carbon source and I didn’t notice any changes.
I have used a few of them when things weren’t right and a big change has happened and they may have helped but it’s hard to tell if time was what helped or the product.

The carbon bacteria is a different group more specifically to reduce phosphate but not too good at nitrate. Thats why sometime reefer dosing vodka, vinegar and sugar have low phosphate but nitrate level still high. And im sure u have heard of monoculture which mean just 1 type of bacteria multiply. When u dose multi strain bacteria some will reduce phosphate some reduce nitrate some become food so your tank has more bio diversity and your coral will have more food to consume beside fish poop. Everybody say they are rely on fish poop to feed the coral but they only feed 2 to 3x per days so its not enough. I fed 8x a day on pellet n flake on auto feeder and 1x frozen at night, still i feel the coral are consuming the microorganisms produce from the bacteria

 

[Silent]

If you have high nitrates thats a reason to use zeolites. Zeolights remove ammonia before it has a chance to become nitrite before becoming nitrate. Less ammonia = less nitrite = less nitrate.

 

[Surfzone]

I just set up a 30 gallon with all dry rock that I'm going to try a regimen of dosing different bacteria to and see if it makes any difference. Right now I've finished dosing Dr Tim's one and only and think MB7 twice a week is next on the list. After that a continuous dosage of KZ zoebak and Zeostart. I think that my tank would be a good guinea pig for this thought process.

 

[Joedubyk]

I totally agree. Especially since most of us are lead to believe that we need over sized skimmers to keep sps (WRONG), which remove a large portion of the bacteria in our tanks. All I’m saying is I don’t believe using “dry rock” is the common denominator. My rock was 15 years old when I caught the sps bug again, and my common denominator for failure was reading magic potion labels, daily testing chasing “ideal” no3/po4. The lower no3/po4 were, never zero btw, the faster they died. After I reached success I needed a frag tank. Dry rock, no skimmer, no bacteria, no testing, no problems. Just par tested light, fish poop and water changes. Keep it simple ppl. It’s not rocket science

I agree. The more people mess w/ their tanks, for better or for worse they stress out corals. The cost/benefit to chasing perfection is usually never in the reefers favor. As you said. feed the fish , do some water changes, dose/test water, and clean the glass...leave it alone and enjoy

 

[ycnibrc]

I just set up a 30 gallon with all dry rock that I'm going to try a regimen of dosing different bacteria to and see if it makes any difference. Right now I've finished dosing Dr Tim's one and only and think MB7 twice a week is next on the list. After that a continuous dosage of KZ zoebak and Zeostart. I think that my tank would be a good guinea pig for this thought process.

If u want to know more in detail how i dose u can refer to this thread

zeovit and how I dose it

Well I have a lot of inquire lately regarding zeovit and there is not much info on the forum on this topic so I decide to do a brief write up explaining my experience with zeo. First and foremost Im not affiliate with zeo therefore anything I say are just base on my experience with the system...

www.reef2reef.com

 

[Perry]

Have been using many products in past tanks with pretty much every UNLS system out there. What in particular that I have noticed is how many people are setting up a ULNS using dead rock. In fact, when I used Zeovit in 2007, user instructions called specifically for "live rock" and dead sand. Now, from a sustainable approach, and some of the bans in the industry, I get it, real "live rock" today is simply mature dry rock. From a micro diversity standpoint, corals get no additional feedings, other than what we put in the tank. This can bring on major algae problems, and in many cases cause starvation for corals, as the nasties simply out compete corals for food. Adding carbon source during these periods could cause cyano, or do I dare say....Dinos. In a mature reef, or at least mature rock, this enables constant food source, as pods, dusters, worms, micro stars, sponges, and obviously many more, sort of balance the water, and I do believe bacteria in turn. In fact, one of my favorite zeo products, sponge power helps to feed those very micro life, that in turn help in keeping water pristine. A well balanced tank, helps to induce spawnings, I love it when stomatella snails spawn, my corals did to, but why did this happen, balance in my opinion.
So to summarize a problem I see, including myself recently, is rushing things, and trying to push cycle quickly, to quickly add fish and corals, only to use products to simulate a mature tank. This would be where I would caution. I also believe that well established tanks meeting most of what agree are signs of a mature stable tank, could stand a much better approach to using these supplements, and programs. Another word, a new tank, should benefit by going through cycling stages, bacteria balancing, and specifically in a situation devoid of life with dead rock. Perhaps installing a micro fauna kit, sourcing sand, and rock rubble from mature reefs, sponges, coraline scrapings, etc. Of course, doing all of this before fish and corals, this is why I emphasize "live rock"/ mature tank. Now, there are some out there that setup using dead rock, push the cycle with bacteria products, quickly add fish and corals, and have success, just wonder if we don't always hear about the fails, as much as the successes. All programs require a different level of daily drops and monitoring, and perhaps many, if they completely studied user guides, and did the research may be turned off by what goes in to what you have achieved with your tank
Cheers

 

[ycnibrc]

May be we are drifting from my main objective of this thread. First im not here to advocate using zeovit people ask what i use and i answer their question. Second im not saying bacteria is a must for sps successful. My main objective is to find the answer “why cant u keep sps”.
Every thread on the forum the 10 most ask question regarding a tank with sps problems are

1)Whats your parameters
2)what kind of light/light schedule?
3)what kind of pump and flow?
4)keep alk, ca and mag stable
5) ICP test
6)nitrate/phosphate level not zero
7)water change
8)feeding
9)copper/iron over dose aka magnet rust
10)salt
So what if everything above are good but u cant still keeping sps then what is the next question will be?

 

[Daddy-o]

Some of the people who get frags from me and have issues either over dip them or expose them to air for a longer period of time than the coral can handle.

 

[ycnibrc]

If im a company example like ecotech and i browse the forum and i see reefers quit because they cant keep sps and the numbers are rising should i invest millions of dollars to make radion g5 lol whos going to buy it? For everyone to have a successful reef tank is the only way to prolong the hobby and advance in to the future. For those vendors and corals farmers out there if you dont help the reefers to successfully keeping sps whos going to buy your corals.
Im not afraid to be wrong because thats my way to advance my reefing skill but if im just sitting and dont do nothing then i dont learn anything

 

[LARedstickreefer]

Man is my head spinning...Feels like my engineering days back in college.

 

[LARedstickreefer]

If only there was an “icp” test for bacteria...

 

[ycnibrc]

If only there was an “icp” test for bacteria...

Lol icp test listed 50 test and u can only relate to 5 the rest nobody know what the correct level should be

 

[LARedstickreefer]

Lol icp test listed 50 test and u can only relate to 5 the rest nobody know what the correct level should be

Yeah, I see all those other things and I’m like “great!?”.

I only use the icp tests to make sure I’m measuring my vitals right...Vitals and anything that I decide to experiment with, like iodine and potassium dosing...

It would be interesting for a company to get something setup that compares our tanks to actual reefs as far as bacteria go.

My latest icp clued me in on the fact that I had the wrong reagent for my Hannah ULR phosphorus test! I was measuring 0.06ppm and it was actually 0.22ppm. Iodine was way off the charts too, so I cut that out.

 

[Daddy-o]

I think it would be cool if a reefer with a microscope took a look at some bottles of bacteria to see if they were actually alive.

 

[biecacka]

If I golfed liked I reefed
I’d be in Australia right now. I’ve never felt I mastered golf, not even during my best rounds. Reef’n is easy

even my best rounds in college I don’t know if I felt like I mastered the game. Not sure anyone has ever felt that way, I’ve had some decent rounds but nothing masterful by any means.
and reef’n ain’t that easy!

corey

 

[SeaDweller]

If only there was an “icp” test for bacteria...

there is...

This is what I've dreamed of for so long! Testing for microbes in our tanks!

Finally someone has done it. To be able to test for microbes strains in our tanks! This could be very helpful! https://aquabiomics.com/articles/core-aquarium-microbiome#The_Core_Microbiome_of_a_Saltwater_Aquarium

www.reef2reef.com

 

[Gogi]

Curios to see if @brandon429 has an opinion on this