A little reading: Blue Coral Method

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ReeferPatt

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Thought I'd post a little article of the Blue Coral Method of feeding. The HGH is NOT needed for this to be successful. Just a good source of Amino Acids..




The Blu Coral Method

Many people have been stunned looking at the magnificent tanks managed with this method and many others have been interested to know it. The craftsman of the method was Maurizio Manili, in collaborations with others reefkeepers. Today the BC has been inherited by Valerio Pacetti, actual owner of the Blue Coral shop in Rome. He has brought some modifications to the old method.
In this article it we will try to explain how it works and how it can increase the corals’ growth.
We can manage our tanks in two ways: the first, with the simple ‘pappone’ without GH, and the full BC Method.
The basis of both systems are the same: Berliner classic; great attention for the water chemistry; “pappone”.

Berliner classic:

The Berliner classic is characterized by strong lighting system, great water movement , efficient skimmer and live rocks.

Water Chemistry:

A great attention must be put on this aspect, that has many positive implications in all of the BC method. The water parameters are kept in higher concentrations than in natural seawater. Typical and desired values are: Magnesium 1500 mg/l, Calcium 500 mg/l, Strontium 16-30 mg/l, Kh 12-14 mg/l, Iodine 0,06 mg/l, PO4 and NO3 near to zero. These values form a “reservoir” of chemical elements always available for coral calcification and growth.
“Pappone”:

The term “pappone” stands for a blending of fresh seafood mixed with a carbon source (fructose or simple sugar).
The recipe is this:
5 mussels, 5 shrimps, 5 oysters, 5 clams , (all of these must be fresh!!) 1 fructose or saccarose teaspoon, 250 ml of R.O. Water.
Blend energetically until it takes a creamy consistence. At this point, you can add the GH and achieve the full BC method, or leave it without hormone and have a ‘light’ BC method. You can use the 4 units (1,33 mg) vial. Then, blend again and put the pappone in a freezer container as ice cubes, then freeze it. Pay attention on the cold chain. It’s better use very cold RO water so that the temperature doesn’t become too warm when blending.

The GH, what is it?

The GH or somatotrope hormone, is a protein of small dimensions, with a structure considerably different varying the species. There is an high biological specificity, in the sense that the GH of one species is generally completely inactive in others; in that human, the only that is effective is the GH of the monkey. Viceversa, the human one acts only on the monkeys and on no others.

The sequence of the 191 amino acids are on linear chain, and fundamentally has two important actions in the human organism: the increase of the body mass and the regulation of the cellular metabolism, specially the proteic one.

After all, therefore, GH does not act on other mammals and obviously it does not act on invertebrates. This can simply be demonstrated by the need of specific receptors on the cellular membrane of the cell on wich the hormone acts. Obviously, the corals do not have receivers of this type.

The growth increases...

How can we explain the increased growth, the increase of the coral’s metabolism in relation with the increase of the calcification?

This is what it really happens. Many reefers that use this method, got a growth of A.formosa, cervicornis, nobilis, and various montiporas, of almost 40 cm per year. Also the foliose, the LPSs, and the softies increase their growth in impressive way.

I have made myself an idea on what can succeed in water. I state that that the short explanation that will follow is only fruit of my experiences and mine observations, but it does not mean that it’s the absolute truth!

The explanation must be searched in the typical characteristics, structural and molecular therefore, of the GH. Being a very small protein, it’s very probably, if not sure, that the GH put in the “pappone” is broken off. This is the fulcrum of the argument. It is not the integral GH that acts directly on corals, also because for the reasons said before it is very improbable, but it’s the broken GH that influences the growth and the increase of the metabolism.
When we feed our corals with the “pappone”, in reality we add in water many amino acids. In fact when the protein is broken off it comes exactly cracked in many pieces, everyone of which constituted by amino acids. It will be therefore the abundance of determined and very specific amino acids that involves the increased rate of growth.
This is the sole explanation to which I’ve comed after various observations. In this way it’s effectively possible to explain, from a biological point of view, how the GH can influence corals.

These amino acids that are supplied with the GH are added to the amino acids that we supply, generally, approximately 2 hours before the “pappone”, in order to favor the assimilation of this last one.

The remaining of the components of the “pappone” (mussels, clams and so on) will go to feeding bacterial cultivations, the sponges and all the benthic organisms, that in this way will go to feed corals. In this way we can have a situation of maximum saturation from the alimentary point of view of the coral, and therefore they have the possibility to calcify, given the abundance of the nutrients and chemical substances.

All this speech obviously does not regard the fishes that are not minimally influenced by the abundance of amino acids in water; in fact the fishes have absolutely normal rates of growth.
Generally one of aspects that characterize the Blue Method Coral is that after a short period of arrangement of the system, we can see a drastic reduction of nutrients, that remain stable generally towards the zero; it is for the phosphates as far as the nitrates. All the system benefits of the amino acid contribution.
Special attention must be given at the beginnig of the method, everyone must find the own doses of “pappone” to feed the tank. A fundamental aspect is in watching our animals and understanding how much food they need.

I hope I have cleared some aspects on this method, that I think one of the best methods of conduction of a reef tank, as if the GH is used, as if we take cue from the method also without the use of the hormone.

Thank you for attention, best regards and see you soon on Reefitalia Magazine!
Fabio Oggiano aka SiR



Neither the author of the article, the reefkeepers mentioned herein, nor reefitalia.net they are responsible of an improper use of the hormone; from the legislative point of view, it is from the use that everyone just makes of it. They are not moreover responsible of
 
I know DonW was experimenting with something like this.. maybe he'll chime in. I'd also like to experiment too, but haven't the first clue what type of GH to get let alone where to purchase. It looks like you can order it online, but based on loohunter's post above, donesn't sound to legal.

http://www.roidstore.com/
 
Do you have any idea what the effects are if you use the "light" method?

The Light method is what I'm using. The HGH is not necessary. It was/is used because of the several different Amino Acids in the hgh. I use L Glutamine AA's. I can tell you it works great. Good growth and color. The AA's are the key to the recipe. The recipe is high source of protiens. My growth has more than doubled, easily. I am documenting with growth pics,and how much I feed. After six months I will show pics of success or failures if any. Right now I'd say it's very successful. SueT is also doing this so she may want to chime in.
 
Are you running your Ca levels that high? I wonder what the reasoning is behind the high levels of Ca and Mg?
 
Are you running your Ca levels that high? I wonder what the reasoning is behind the high levels of Ca and Mg?

I run my levels higher than seawater levels, Ca. 440-450, Mg. 1350 and dKH 10.5-11. I don't have a reactor on the tank so it takes alot of dosing to keep them at that level.
The levels are high (reservoir) for calcium deposit, growth. That way the elements are always in abundance.
May soon add a reactor......
 
Here is a before and after of a ORA A. Tortusa after 6 wks.
I have changed from xm bulb to Reeflux bulb since first pic. was taken.
000_0005.jpg

100_0180.jpg
 
I have been using this method for about 6 weeks now. I can absolutely see very impressive growth and did after 2 weeks. I wanted to try this due to a issue I had with my 120g sps tank where I got some metal accidentally introduced into it. I got that fixed with only 1 casuality and began this to help get my growth started again. Did it ever. I have been feeding every saturday night but now may try 2 times a week. Just due to the fact I have a 120g and want to see if I can still encourage growth a bit better. I wish I had a camera to show some before and after shots. I dose Reef Plus{amina acids} 2 hours before adding a cube melted in maybe a cup of tank water. Remove skimmer collection cup and let er' rip.
 
where can i learn more about this. i have access to all sorts of amino acids as well as bcaa's and possibly some others
 
Here is the recipe. IF you can get "live" shellfish that is the way to go. Not frozen. I would think being in Seattle it shouldn't be a problem.

Also a lot of people seem to be confused. This recipe here was physically given to me by Bisck of ReefItalia when visited his tank in Florence last month. This is the backbone of the Blu Coral method--and it is not necessary to use the HGH. Only a few tanks over there are even using HGH and the second anyone mentions some type of steroid or growth enhancement, it of course gets dwelled upon (think Barry Bonds, McGwire, etc.)

“Pappone” Recipe – Italian Coral Food (Updated 1/14/2007)

Materials:
5 Oysters
5 Mussels
5 Clams
5 Shrimp (NOT cocktail shrimp, the big scampi type w/o the head and the shell)
1 Tablespoon of Sugar (not corn syrup, etc.)
200 mL of RO/DI water
10 g of Red Algae (Palmaria palmata; Bisck uses Julian Sprung's brand)
and/or 10 g of Spirulina, 10 g of Nori (spirulina is what Bisck prefers)

Methods: Make SURE that all ingredients are the freshest possible and DO NOT use frozen foods (unless it is impossible for you). Make sure everything "live" is rinsed and cleaned before putting it into the blender. Put all the ingredients into the blender and blend for 5 min, wait 2 min for it to cool, 5 more min blending, 2 min of waiting again, then finally another 5 min of blending (the pausing is so that the solution doesn't get too hot and "cook" from the heat of the blender/blades). Pour into cube forms (approx 10 mL each). Then freeze it all—you want to minimize how long everything is at room temperature.

Procedure: One hour prior to turning off your lights, you have the option of adding Amino acids to the tank*. (For example, 11pm Halides off, add AA’s, 12am, actinics off, then add pappone). Take off the cup of your skimmer, but leave the skimmer running (so you don’t have a massive drop in O2 levels overnight). After the lights are off, start with only a ¼ of a cube per WEEK for every 400 L of tank water (approx 100 gallons). Be sure to measure NO3 and PO4 the next morning so that these parameters don't spike after feeding. You can reduce the amount fed if you are having nutrient problems. Also don’t forget to put the skimmer cup back on the next morning before the lights go back on.

*If everything is going well. It is good to wait and see how the tank is doing for awhile before trying this. The whole point here is that you don't want to change anything too fast, because nothing good happens quickly in this hobby. (Another method to grind up amino acid pills in the next batch of food; however Bisck found that
 
Using AA's twice a week. Added the L Glutamine in with the recipe. I dose Reefplus AA's about 2 hrs. before lights out and feed right at or just before lights out. Remember to remove skimmer cup for the night and lower water level so skimmate can't overflow. If you have a skimmer that's stand alone, not in sump just adjust water level so it can't skim into cup.
 
Using AA's twice a week. Added the L Glutamine in with the recipe. I dose Reefplus AA's about 2 hrs. before lights out and feed right at or just before lights out. Remember to remove skimmer cup for the night and lower water level so skimmate can't overflow. If you have a skimmer that's stand alone, not in sump just adjust water level so it can't skim into cup.

awesome thanks! I'm going to give it a try too
 
Question: do you use the recomended dose/per gallon of reefplus? Or have you experimented using higher than recomended doses?

Recomended dosage = Use 1 capful (5 mL) for each 80 L (20 gallons*) twice a week or as required to maintain coral growth.
 
Question: do you use the recomended dose/per gallon of reefplus? Or have you experimented using higher than recomended doses?

Recomended dosage = Use 1 capful (5 mL) for each 80 L (20 gallons*) twice a week or as required to maintain coral growth.

Recommended only. You don't want to overdose. Same with the feeding, follow the instructions to the T. Try not to substitute anything if you can help it.
 
It never ceases to amaze me at the extent some hobbyists will go as to finding that magic formula, with no regard to the long term heatlh of their pets.

Chuck
 

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