Bacterial Driven System: A Recipe for Success.

[Superlightman]

Anyone done this with Modern Reef products?

Today I'm dosing 200ml kalkwasser over 24/7 and then every morning I'm dosing 10 ml TM all for reef and 10ml aquaforest Nitraphos minus.

Then I come across this product when I was on Facebook

"ONE-4Reef is a super-concentrated pure organic form of our proportional consumption reef-keeping system in one canister. It contains all necessary trace elements in natural seawater, organic micro-nutrients, and amino acids in one product! Ready to use to maintain a thriving and colorful reef aquarium. Highly concentrated (1L contains 50.160 mg/l calcium and 7.000 °dKH/l). Specially designed to be used with our Reef Keeping System (RKS) but can also be used alone or in aquariums with calcium reactors."

ONE-4Reef 2.5L – Modern Reef

modernreef.eu

So I'm thinking and have ask Modern reef about use dose products

C+ (Complex Carbons) 1000ml – Modern Reef

modernreef.eu

BIODiversity 500ml – Modern Reef

modernreef.eu

copy of all for reef with a bit aminos but much more expensive
1600 g AFR give me 10 Liter solutions for 49€
Moderne Reef 2,5 L is 50,67€ so for 10 L=202€ so 4 times more expensive!

 

[officialreefbros]

When running the bacteria driven system, do you still use mechanical filtration? When I tried using redsea nopox for carbon dosing I found my filterfloss would clog within a day. Anyone have tips on this? Or just not run floss/sock?

 

[ncjeepguy75]

I am trying to wrap my head around all of this as I have just started using the TM Bacter-Balance and MicroBacter 7 daily and the ZeoBak twice a week. I have a 120 gallon with a 10 gallon sump so roughly 130 total gallons that has been setup for 4 years.
Here are my current parameters...
Alkalinity = 9.8 dKh
Nitrate = 5.1 ppm (Hanna)
Phosphate = .07 (Hanna)
pH = 8.0
Salinity = 1.026
Calcium = 501ppm
Magnesium = 1230ppm

Before starting this method, I kept my nitrates around 10ppm and phosphates between .07-.09ppm.

Since starting (3weeks ago), my nitrates have dropped to 5.1ppm and phosphates remain .07ppm. I am currently dosing 1.25ml TM BacterBalance and 10 ml MicroBacter7 daily and ZeoBak 6 drops twice a week.

It seems that nitrates are continuing to drop which is understandable but just how low should they go? Am I dosing too much TM BacterBalance? I am just cautious because a while back my levels bottomed out and a severe case of dinos took over and wreaked havoc on the tank and I just don't want to go through that again.

I am also noticing that within a few hours of cleaning/scraping the glass, either a brown or bright green film reappears. Has anyone else experienced this?

@joaocdestro it seems like I am experiencing what you were talking about with phosphates remaining up when doing this method. Have you found anything that helps? @Troylee

 

[Troylee]

I am trying to wrap my head around all of this as I have just started using the TM Bacter-Balance and MicroBacter 7 daily and the ZeoBak twice a week. I have a 120 gallon with a 10 gallon sump so roughly 130 total gallons that has been setup for 4 years.
Here are my current parameters...
Alkalinity = 9.8 dKh
Nitrate = 5.1 ppm (Hanna)
Phosphate = .07 (Hanna)
pH = 8.0
Salinity = 1.026
Calcium = 501ppm
Magnesium = 1230ppm

Before starting this method, I kept my nitrates around 10ppm and phosphates between .07-.09ppm.

Since starting (3weeks ago), my nitrates have dropped to 5.1ppm and phosphates remain .07ppm. I am currently dosing 1.25ml TM BacterBalance and 10 ml MicroBacter7 daily and ZeoBak 6 drops twice a week.

It seems that nitrates are continuing to drop which is understandable but just how low should they go? Am I dosing too much TM BacterBalance? I am just cautious because a while back my levels bottomed out and a severe case of dinos took over and wreaked havoc on the tank and I just don't want to go through that again.

I am also noticing that within a few hours of cleaning/scraping the glass, either a brown or bright green film reappears. Has anyone else experienced this?

@joaocdestro it seems like I am experiencing what you were talking about with phosphates remaining up when doing this method. Have you found anything that helps? @Troylee

It sounds like you need to back off the bacto balance.. you didn’t mention how much you’re using but to put things into perspective I’m using 6ml daily in 300 gallons and I’m heavily stocked with large fish.. I’ve added a bunch to this over the last 6 months and I only feed my tank twice a week.. I’m using bacto balance as a carbon source 6ml a day…

Twice a week I feed this because my nutrients drop like crazy.

8 drops off zeobak,
5ml of mb7 “cap full”
5ml of acro power “cap full”
1 squirt of zeo coral amino
1 squirt of bio mate
1tsp of zeozyme
1tsp of reef roids
And mix all that Into a cup of diy coral snow and let it marinate for a hour or so..
turn the skimmer and return pump off and pour in my display with just circulation for a hour then kick my return and skimmer back on after feeding and sit back and enjoy my tank.

 

[ncjeepguy75]

It sounds like you need to back off the bacto balance.. you didn’t mention how much you’re using but to put things into perspective I’m using 6ml daily in 300 gallons and I’m heavily stocked with large fish.. I’ve added a bunch to this over the last 6 months and I only feed my tank twice a week.. I’m using bacto balance as a carbon source 6ml a day…

Twice a week I feed this because my nutrients drop like crazy.

8 drops off zeobak,
5ml of mb7 “cap full”
5ml of acro power “cap full”
1 squirt of zeo coral amino
1 squirt of bio mate
1tsp of zeozyme
1tsp of reef roids
And mix all that Into a cup of diy coral snow and let it marinate for a hour or so..
turn the skimmer and return pump off and pour in my display with just circulation for a hour then kick my return and skimmer back on after feeding and sit back and enjoy my tank.

Thanks for the input...I am currently dosing 1.25 ml BacterBalance and 2 capfuls of MB7 daily with 6 drops ZeoBak twice a week...

I will definitely dial down the TM BacterBalance.

I have an Avast Marine Auto Feeder that comes on 3 times a day for a very short feed time...with their reef jerky, reef roids, goniopower, and benereef all mixed in. I also feed frozen food twice a week or so.

Not too heavily stocked with fish--clown and his magnifica anemone, kole tang, royal gramma, cleaner wrasse, pajama cardinal, 3 springer damsels, lawnmower blenny, engineer goby, and clean up crew...Corals I have a fair amount--leathers, torch, hammers, blastos, gonis, and quite a few others..

 

[Troylee]

Thanks for the input...I am currently dosing 1.25 ml BacterBalance and 2 capfuls of MB7 daily with 6 drops ZeoBak twice a week...

I will definitely dial down the TM BacterBalance.

I have an Avast Marine Auto Feeder that comes on 3 times a day for a very short feed time...with their reef jerky, reef roids, goniopower, and benereef all mixed in. I also feed frozen food twice a week or so.

Not too heavily stocked with fish--clown and his magnifica anemone, kole tang, royal gramma, cleaner wrasse, pajama cardinal, 3 springer damsels, lawnmower blenny, engineer goby, and clean up crew...Corals I have a fair amount--leathers, torch, hammers, blastos, gonis, and quite a few others..

That doesn’t seem like much of the bacto balance.. maybe relax on the mb7 and leave the bacto.. just dose the mb7 2 cap fulls on the day you dose the zeobak and see how the tank responds… it would save ya some coin also!

 

[ncjeepguy75]

That doesn’t seem like much of the bacto balance.. maybe relax on the mb7 and leave the bacto.. just dose the mb7 2 cap fulls on the day you dose the zeobak and see how the tank responds… it would save ya some coin also!

ok...yeah...TM's calculator recommended starting dose was that 1.25 ml BactoBalance...I will only dose the MB7 with the ZeoBak twice a week and see what happens...

 

[lubeck]

Sounds like you should pull back on bacto if you’re getting the film. Can you feed more.

I’m dosing 1ml per day of bacto balance on 27 gallons. My trates were at 30 two weeks ago before I started dosing and today at 11.

Phos has stayed the same.

 

[ncjeepguy75]

@Troylee so I have been dosing BactoBalance at 1 ml daily. Nitrates tend to stay around 10 ppm but phosphates are climbing currently .15ppm…annd only the mb7 twice a week … Any insight?

 

[Troylee]

@Troylee so I have been dosing BactoBalance at 1 ml daily. Nitrates tend to stay around 10 ppm but phosphates are climbing currently .15ppm…annd only the mb7 twice a week … Any insight?

Depending on the age of the tank the rocks could be releasing it to come to an equilibrium with the water column… or you’re adding it with the foods you use to feed your fish or corals. Bacto does contain n&p to keep them from bottoming out.

 

[ncjeepguy75]

Depending on the age of the tank the rocks could be releasing it to come to an equilibrium with the water column… or you’re adding it with the foods you use to feed your fish or corals. Bacto does contain n&p to keep them from bottoming out.

Tank is 4 years old…may use a little gfo just to get phosphate down to try to avoid any algae issues…Corals are doing pretty well I will admit.

 

[Troylee]

Tank is 4 years old…may use a little gfo just to get phosphate down to try to avoid any algae issues…Corals are doing pretty well I will admit.

Sounds good… yeah the tank is mature.. I’ve used phosphate e myself if you have a skimmer that’s an option it doesn’t take much.. I used to use rawaphos and still have some but I’ve had problems with my sticks when I use it! I think it strips the water to clean.

 

[code4]

I have a newer 100 gallon system. I admit to not testing hardly ever. Tank has been going for 3 months. Started with some live rock and about 1/3 dry. No fish. I ghost feed some, not much. Did the start up Zeo method but using NP Bacto for the carbon. Noticed I am getting fuzzy rocks. Is this just the ugly phase or should I dial back on the NP? I am using .2 NP, a KZ Zeovit reactor, Zeo Bak 5 drops 2 X weekly, Zeofood 5 drops 2X weekly. Nothing much in the tank. No fish as of yet. Several SPS, don't shake your heads, they are actually doing good. And I have duplicates and can move them if needed. One very large puple sps is actually getting nubs for new branches. I have not done a water change. Been a bit busy. I work and have 5 other tanks set up that have fish so they get the changes. Just curious about the fuzz and what it is trying to tell me. I just got in my activated carbon to add this weekend.

Shelley

 

[code4]

I decreased the NP Bacto. Will see in a week or so if that helps.

 

[UtahReefer]

I have been reefing a long time (more years than this old geezer would admit). Over those years your try all sorts of thing as your "education" continues. To date, I have found that the best method of running a reef system is bacteria driven / carbon dosing. It just enables you to provide what can seem like a limitless supply of selected nutrients to your corals without major spikes and hard downfalls. In my experience it will take you about a year to get to that point, but that level of stability will come. I have Anthias, so I feed my tank 5 times per day. In addition, I feed the corals every night 6 out of 7 days of the week. My nutrient levels? NO3 5ppm - 11ppm, PO4 .01 - .03. To this point I have not found any other type of method that allows me to do this consistently.

 

[code4]

@UtahReefer thank you so much for that. To know that it may take a bit and to stick to it really helps. I really appreciate the thoughts.

Shelley

 

[code4]

Seems the fuzzy stuff on the rocks is clearing some. So will not do farther changes for another week and see whete I am at. Hubby surprised me with a Wooly Mammoth acropora today. Fingers crossed. Slow and steady

 

[JMaccaz]

Hello I have a quick question.

I want to go down the route of using bacteria and carbon dosing but unfortunately I can’t easily get access to bacto balance in Australia and was wondering what the next best thing would be to use.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

Hello I have a quick question.

I want to go down the route of using bacteria and carbon dosing but unfortunately I can’t easily get access to bacto balance in Australia and was wondering what the next best thing would be to use.

What are you wanting to accomplish?

 

[JMaccaz]

What are you wanting to accomplish?

Just want to be able to control nutrients in my tank and provide food for filter feeders essentially.

I tried macro algae but just can’t seem to keep it alive in my tank for some reason.