StonyReef.com » Prodibio

Kicking off the New Year

admin — Mon, 31 Dec 2007 20:27:28 +0000

New Year brings in revised dosing schedule, UltraLith reactor, and new Fauna Marin products to be used. I’ve cut back on the Prodibio, but will continue with it - one Biodigest on the 1st and 15th, and one Bioptim on the alternating weeks. Per an email conversation with Claude, I’ll also cut back my UltraBio doses to every other day, as opposed to daily, and lower my salinity to 33ppt from 35ppt. Within the next week or so, I’ll have finished my UltraLith reactor and will also have received an order of UltraLife and UltraAMIN S. So, updates & photos to come next week. Enjoy the New Year!

Prodibio props, Ultra dosing & Test Results 12/7/07

admin — Sat, 08 Dec 2007 23:15:52 +0000

The last water test was November 1st, just over a month ago. During that time, I’ve re-aquscaped the tank, kicked up tons of crap, didn’t run a skimmer for over a week, and only did one water change. Regardless, my phosphates are down even more, my NO3 is now UNDETECTABLE (compared to 2ppm), and I’m very pleased with my aquascape. Now I can sit back and watch.

kH ~ 115 (LaMotte) (6.5, will bump with 5ml ESV two part solution)

Ca ~ +450

Mg ~ 1400

NO3 ~ undetectable!

PO4 ~ 0.008! (from 0.02)

So, here’s where I’ll finally put stock in Prodibio’s Bioptim / BioDigest. Since the start of the regimen, I have watched PO4, NO3, and crazy nuisance algae disappear from my tank. I made no significant changes to my normal husbandry, other than the use of c-dosing / bacs. It wouldn’t be prudent to attribute all the changes to prodibio, because good husbandry must be maintained, but I will say based on the changes I’ve seen over the last few months, that it is an effective product. It isn’t magic, nor is it a cure-all. However, with the right conditions and proper maintenance, it works.

Started the FM ultra yesterday. Since I haven’t worked on the DIY zeolite reactor yet, I’m just dosing the UltraBak, UltraBio & UltraMin S, no stones yet. I’m starting with 2 drops of the Bio (bacs) each day, and light doses (0.25 ml / day) of Bio and Min S. My water is crystal clear. If it weren’t for bubbles, it would be hard to imagine that there’s even water in the tank. Prodibio / c-dosing also has this effect, sure, but the issue with Prodibio is that since I was dosing bi-weekly, the clear water would return to normal after a couple days. With small daily doses of the Ultra, we’re talking sparkly every day.

Random update, Ushio & Ultralith

admin — Mon, 03 Dec 2007 16:21:20 +0000

Gotta let them burn in. I’m now about 2 weeks into the Ushio 14K bulb, and I am happy with the change. The first week was awful, water color was akin to someone taking a leak in the reef. But, the yellow has faded, much more white, little blue to speak of. The color of the bulb isn’t as pleasing to me as the Reeflux 12K, but the color changes in my coral are enough to make me stick with this for a while.

Now, I have a nice A. millepora that is turning blue, a tri-color acro whose colors are becoming much more pronounced, and a brown M. digitata that is changing slightly back to its original orange w/ purple tips.

I’ve not dosed any ReefBooster since early November. I was getting some cyano and dinos with each dose, so I’m holding off for the time being. I’ve continued with the BioDigest and Bioptim each 2 weeks, and I’m happy with the results. There is no nuisance algae, save for a sprout of two that gets taken care of by snails, my water looks nice and clear, and with the bulb change, my colors are starting to change for the better.

Will continue to dose Prodibio per the 2 week schedule, but I’ll be adding a new daily regimen to the reef this week - Fauna Marin’s Ultralith system. I haven’t tested my water in some time, aside from kH, but a glance at my tank tells me all is well. Just need to finish my re-aquascape, do a water change & adjust parameters, then I’ll start the FM system.

Dinoflagellates and carbon dosing…

admin — Thu, 08 Nov 2007 16:03:28 +0000

I suppose a possible result of any c-dosing is a dinoflagellate bloom, and I am starting to see them. Skinny strands of reddish / brown that grow straight up and trap bubbles. I see just a strand here and there, and do my best to baster them out when I can.I have been feeding (too) heavily as of late, so will likely cut back as much as possible on that, continue to suck it out, and make up some water for a change this weekend.

From an article re: dinoflagellates - ReefKeeping Magazine:

“Dinoflagellates are widespread in nature, and vary considerably in their habits. Some are free floating, photosynthetic organisms and are classic phytoplankton. Others can become symbiotic photosynthetic organisms living inside corals, clams and other marine organisms (i.e., zooxanthallae). Some dinoflagellates are parasites on fish; still others are predators. These are often larger than typical dinoflagellates (up to 2 mm long), and they move through the water consuming smaller organisms. Some dinoflagellates are bioluminescent, and others release toxins (e.g., red tide toxins) that can travel all the way up the food chain to humans. “