Ultra Low Nutrient Systems - Fauna Marin or Prodibio or Zeovit

[Serioussnaps]

Anyone using OZONE with any of these bacterioplankton systems?

[DarkLordCoral]

Nope ozone would destroy the bacteria.

[ReefRockerLive]

Neither UltraLith or Zeovit recommends the use of ozone.

[tankslave]

Prodibio sounds too much like Placebo, IMO

[DarkLordCoral]

tankslave... Love the avatar!!!

[reef / aholic]

Zeovit comes with a 30 page manual which is good if you like reading. The Fauna Marin method appears to be a little easier to star and maintain. Fauna Marin seems to combine their elements, as where Zeovit break theirs out. Zeovit has a lot more bacteria strands to enter into your aquarium. I did not see any Amino Acid from Fauna Marin but what I do like is Fauna Marin somewhat tells you what is in their stuff as where Zeovit keeps you guessing.

Does anybody know what’s in Zeospur2, B-Balance, what strains of bacteria are in Zeobac, or which Amino Acid and vitamins are in Zeofood 7, or which carbons are in Start2?

[DarkLordCoral]

Originally posted by RoBolton
Zeovit comes with a 30 page manual which is good if you like reading. The Fauna Marin method appears to be a little easier to star and maintain. Fauna Marin seems to combine their elements, as where Zeovit break theirs out. Zeovit has a lot more bacteria strands to enter into your aquarium. I did not see any Amino Acid from Fauna Marin but what I do like is Fauna Marin somewhat tells you what is in their stuff as where Zeovit keeps you guessing.

Does anybody know what’s in Zeospur2, B-Balance, what strains of bacteria are in Zeobac, or which Amino Acid and vitamins are in Zeofood 7, or which carbons are in Start2?

Fauna Marin has a new product that should be here in a couple of weeks called UltraAMIN. It's an SPS Amino Acid Solution.

[brianbigoats]

Originally posted by RoBolton
Does anybody know what’s in Zeospur2, B-Balance, what strains of bacteria are in Zeobac, or which Amino Acid and vitamins are in Zeofood 7, or which carbons are in Start2?

All of there fourmulas are Propitary it would be like asking the KFC for there secret recipe 11 herbs and spices. dose it really matter as long as it works. You really can't blame them for not wanting to say what is in the if they said exactly what is in it it any other company could under cut them with cheap substanded products.

[ReefRockerLive]

IMO, yes it most definitely matters because with the amount of money that is spent on a tank, it is good to know what is it exactly that is being fed. For all you know one of the products can be simple household products. Knowing things like this can save some money.

[fishfanatic06]

IMO, prodibio and any other bacterial system is a complete waste of money. Snake oil. I have used the prodibio myself so I have experience with it. There are easier and did I mention MUCH CHEAPER ways to achieve a low nutrient reef aquarium. My colors only got worse from using prodibio. The coral's colors really lightened up. I will never waste my money on a product like this again. Keeping it simple is what I have found to work best for me.
JMO, though

[reef / aholic]

If you were going to copy a product you would get it chemically tested, you wouldn't go by what’s on label. So by not saying what’s in it, you have not stopped anyone for copying it. Perhaps there is more to this and that’s why nothing is being disclosed. The problem I have is shouldn’t dose things you can't test for. Fauna Marin does not hide their ingredients!

[tankslave]

Thanks!

[gcarroll]

Originally posted by Serioussnaps
Anyone using OZONE with any of these bacterioplankton systems?

I use ozone also but i turn it off for at least 2 days after dosing. I have seen it recomended to be off for 24 hrs but I ususally gice it 2 days minimum. Sometimes I just forget to turn it on for seveeral days.

[GSMguy]

Originally posted by stony_corals
A bit OT.... You're dosing 30ml of vodka on a 50 gallon? That seems a lot aren't you getting a bacteria bloom?

Funny you say that but i got cloudy tank sydrome for the first time ever with saltwater. took 48 hours too clear up.

vodka dosing suspended temporarily..... i had been using less vodka then i bumped it up to 30ml apparently way too much.

[ycnibrc]

I'm using ultralith and 1 thing I can say for sure is you will not have any algae in your tank. No brown,green,slim,red or any kind. No need to clean your glass for week. As far as corals I notice most of pastel and blue color brighten more than yellow or red. For comparison zeo or ultra are just high end phosphate removing system. Since if your water is clear and no phosphate to retard growth then there is no reason why your corals don't look better. I'm ordering a UV light to try out in my system with carbon reactor and stop dosing ultra for a month and I will see if my theory are correct.

[ReefRockerLive]

For comparison zeo or ultra are just high end phosphate removing system. Since if your water is clear and no phosphate to retard growth then there is no reason why your corals don't look better.

Neither Zeo or UL are "high-end phosphate removing systems" because there is more to the system than simply removing phosphate. These systems involve carbon sources that aid in the reduction of nutrients starting from NH4 to NO3 then to Nitrogen Gas. By removing PO4 from your tank, you are not guaranteed colorful corals. There is much more to consider than simply PO4 when SPS coloration is involved. The tank's water chemistry must be stable and kept at or near NSW levels. The flow in a tank is another factor which will help in SPS coloration and lighting is another. Just because the clarity of the water is superb does not mean that no PO4 or NO3 are present.

As a suggestion, re-read the UltraLith or Zeo manual so you can understand why it or zeo is not simply a high-end PO4 removal system.

Also, by adding the UV light you risk killing the benefitcial bacteria that is helping to reduce nutrients. IMO, adding carbon will help in maintaining water clarity, but not as much as running the lith rocks. IMO,there are many other methods for having a nutrient-poor system, but simply adding a UV sterilizer and running carbon hoping to have a nutrient-poor tank is not one of them.

[smalltime]

I would like to see a month by month cost of running a Fauna Marin or Prodibio or Zeovit system. Anyone out there willing to share initial start up cost and month to month expenses please.

[PSam]

Depends on the tank size. I dropped ~$100 on Prodibio for a 25 gallon, will easily last, I'm guessing, 6 - 8 months, possibly more, maybe a year. That was an attraction to the product, no daily additions, and cheap for a small tank...

Now, if it works, that has yet to be seen...

[ReefRockerLive]

I cost about $120 to start up the UltraLith system on my 75g. I am still on the initial bottles after 9 months of using it and if I had to guess I probably have another 4-6 months worth left. The only thing I had to change was the UltraLith every 6 weeks. So for me it costs roughly $10 a month only including the UltraLith since the 2500ml container is good for 4 uses on my tank.

[einsteins]

I am using a hybrid method of Prodibio baks and Zeo additives.

It is working well for me. I travel a lot and I am not always home to shake the zeolith rocks or add additives in the morning and evening.

I use COral Vitalizer, Amino Acids and Potassium Iodide Flouride from Zeo as a daily additive.

Tank is responding well and growth/color is very good.

einsteins

[kkris]

Einsteins,
Are you adding any carbon source to your hybrid system?
Which Prodibio products are you using?

[Canarygirl]

Question, have any of you Fauna Marin users tried the new Kalium test yet? What is it like, and how easy is it to read the results? I have trouble reading the the KZ Kalium test (as do most Zeo users, I think...)

[uhuru]

Originally posted by ReefRockerLive
I cost about $120 to start up the UltraLith system on my 75g. I am still on the initial bottles after 9 months of using it and if I had to guess I probably have another 4-6 months worth left. The only thing I had to change was the UltraLith every 6 weeks. So for me it costs roughly $10 a month only including the UltraLith since the 2500ml container is good for 4 uses on my tank.

Are you using a zeolith reactor or just a regular fluidized media reactor? Both systems require daily shaking of the rocks correct?

One more thing - zeovit has a dedicated forum for support, does ultralith have one? Who do you go to for questions?

[DarkLordCoral]

Originally posted by Canarygirl
Question, have any of you Fauna Marin users tried the new Kalium test yet? What is it like, and how easy is it to read the results? I have trouble reading the the KZ Kalium test (as do most Zeo users, I think...)

We will let you know, we are waiting for the shipment to arrive.

Mike

[ReefRockerLive]

uhuru, yes I am using an ultralith reactor, but not the ones that Fauna Marin makes. Instead I built one myself which ended up costing about $15-$20. If I'm not mistaken, the UltraLith system recommends that the rocks get stirred up a couple times a week, but I do it twice a day to make sure that any mulm created is fed to the corals. When ever I have questions I either go to the AquariumObsessed forums and either AO or the owner of FM, Claude will help me out. I personally prefer to use email, he's very quick at responding!

Canarygirl, I've tried the FM Kalium test and I like it alot. Although it does have more steps to take than I'm use to, I found it very easy to understand and easy to read. If you don't mind me asking, what makes the Zeo Kalium test so difficult to read?