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jimdon IOM
03-03-07, 12:35
This is probably a bit off the wall, but thought I'd share my limited experience.
I've always used zeolite type material ( in this case Kent nitrate sponge).
have it in a open topped perspex box shaped reactor fed by a slow flow (the output from my rowaphos reactor)
initially dosed sparingly with AZno3, took ages to really get going but works, well seems to for me anyway - zero nitrates now for over 8 mths, recently started to add sps and adding kent coral vite and salifiert amino acids.
result - zero phosphate, zero nitrates, sps that go in brown change colour in days - slowly but you can see it-
I know this is not the real thing as i'm not using the specific products but i think I've acidentally hit on a sort of half system. I shake the basket of zeolite every day and the corals extend their polyps even more within minutes. growth rates seem good too 3 to 5 mm in a week and colours are continuing to develop, one frag bought as a blue tip acro which when bought was brown with a tiny bit of blue at the leading tip is now pale pink with lime green tips.
will prob go the next step now and get some of the specific additives and see if it gets even better.
any thoughts on the above welcome, maybe i've just been lucky, like I said its a bit off the wall

Jim

trythechi
03-03-07, 14:48
Sounds like you have mate - nice one. Regular bac additionas are missing from the schedule, but it sound like you have some accross something similar. Any pics pls?

jimdon IOM
03-03-07, 15:01
I'll try and get some later today, most of the frags are still small so don't show up well yet, but will try.
It was my thought in taking it one stage further that it was the bac additions that were missing too.

jimdon IOM
03-03-07, 15:41
well here goes , some pics , not very good, but they show some of it. can't seem to get the real colours to show up.
pic 1 acro frag when added 1 week ago
http://www.ultimatereef.net/uploader/2006Q4/Acro 1.JPG

Pic 2 same frag today

http://www.ultimatereef.net/uploader/2006Q4/Acro 2.JPG

Pic three general view-rear glass apart from what the turbo's do has not been cleaned for 4 months
http://www.ultimatereef.net/uploader/2006Q4/P1010087.JPG

Pic4 acro and zoas, not good colour redition acro is pink and lime green zoas are light purple with a pink eye and green tentacles
http://www.ultimatereef.net/uploader/2006Q4/P1010083.JPG


must find out how to get the cam to see the right colours.:confused:

Jim

jimdon IOM
17-03-07, 15:25
Well ready for the next step now, going to start bac additions and bac feeding.
getting some really nice colours now but can't get the cam to pic them up. will keep trying and will keep this updated with progress.
one question, I've had a couple of Plating monti frags that have seemed to just melt away over 48 hours, they were originally light brown, over two weeks when transferred into my tank they changed to a deep moss green and were showing a lighter growing edge (pinky green) then overnight went a greyish purple then just seemed to dissolve over the next 24 hours leaving the white skeleton? other monti's (digitata etc and the acro's all still doing fine) any ideas?
Jim

jimdon IOM
29-03-07, 18:22
anyone any ideas? its just happened to another one