Zeovit users advice on experiment

[Wyrim79]

I am currently running complete zeovit system. All parameters are good except nitrate is at 5. I have a small reactor I was running carbon in but wanted to play around and try something else. Any ideas of media that can be used to complement my devout system? Maybe bio pellets like I said I just want to experiment a little.

 

[Reefing Madness]

 

[Wyrim79]

No ideas at all?;Jawdrop

 

[lilchris_357]

You should take this over to the zeovit forums. I can tell it will not be beneficial to use something else along with Zeovit. Zeovit system doesn't pay well with others... Can I ask, how long have you been using Zeovit? What's your tank volume, including sump, what zeovit products are you dosing? How old is your tank? Did you use LR or dry rock to start your tank. What type of corals do you have, how many animals are in your tank? What do you dose into your tank?

 

[Wyrim79]

2year old system started with lr
Been using zeovit 18 months
About 190 gallons
Dosing just zeovit products
Calcium reactor with some mag added to maintain basic 3
Zeovit products include
Zeo start
Zeobac
Coral vitalizer
Phols extra
K Balance
Zeomate
Zeospur
Amino acids
Sponge power
Acroglow
Coral snow
Coral booster
Flatform stop
Zeofood7
And no I don't dose them all every day alternate foods coral snow and platform stop 2x a week, zeospur and zeomate and k balance 1x a week tank has 5 shrimp 2 cleaner 2 peppermint and 1 pistol, 4 thangs, 6 barlets, 4 wrasses, 2 gobies, 1lawmower, 1 emerald crab and cuc which is hermits, astrea, margarita, nasarius no new occupants for the last 8 months.

 

[lilchris_357]

I would stop dosing Phols extra and Zeofood immediately. Those 2 products are designed to be used sparingly in a ULN system. They will raise your nitrates quickly. Honestly, I would stop dosing all organic supplements, except for the Zeobak, until you see a drop in your nitrates. If you stick with bak, start, sponge power and zeolites along with the water changes and a good skimmer, I think you will see a decrease in your nitrates. But the biggest culprits are phols extra special and zeofood.
If you want to try something else, I would try a macroalgae reactor. They are cheap to make and if it doesn't work due to the already low phosphate levels, you can take it off line. The Biopellets, I think would be too much for your system ( or any system).
The one thing that gives Zeovit a bad name is all of the options (blue bottles) you have. People start dosing this or dosing that because they are available and they read or see other peoples success with it and their system get out of wack, then they blame Zeovit for it. They don't understand it takes a while to get to that ULN state and the organic products are made to be used when you are at the state. If you take it back to the basic Zeovit system (lites, bak, start and sponge) I think your Nitrates will drop. Once you achieve that ULN state and your corals start to turn pastel ten you manage the colors with the organic supplements (Phols, Zeo Food, AA, CV, AG, CB) . This is just my suggestion.