ZEOvit. Lets talk

[G.Alexander]

Thanks for posting those pictures G.Alexander.
What kind of turn over rate do you have going through your sump?

Rob, the water exchange between the tank and the sump is done with a Eheim 1260 an should be with the lost of the piping around 530 gallons per hour.

G.Alexander

 

[Haole]

Rob, the water exchange between the tank and the sump is done with a Eheim 1260 an should be with the lost of the piping around 530 gallons per hour.

G.Alexander

Oh man, G/A! Don’t make me have to go back through this thread to find out how big your tank is. (that is if you even mentioned it)
Let me rephrase.... Is your turn over rate for example like 5 times your tank volume per hour, or.....

Your sump design looks pretty interesting. If you have the time, could you possibly describe the way it’s laid out? Like for instance, from where the water enters into the sump and flows through the various chambers all the way to the return. I don’t want to sound sarcastic, but there are parts on your sump that look like what’s under my own kitchen sink, and I’m just overly curious.

 

[G.Alexander]

Rob, even if you compare my sump with the stuff you keep in your kitchen, here is a short explanation

The total water volume of the system is around 320 gallons and the turn over rate between the sump and the tank is around 530 gallons.

The sump is divided in 4 chambers. The water flow goes from the right to the left side.

Chamber 1 contains the feeder pump of the external skimmer (water enters from above)

Chamber 2 contains the water outlet of the CaCO2 reactor, the carbon and the feeder pump for the zeovit filter

Chamber 3 contains the zeovit filter and the return pipes from the skimmer.

Chamber 4 contains the main pump which pumps back the water through the tank.

The pictures above are not 100 % actual. I had to modify the configuration a little bit, because of the new skimmer.

G.Alexander

 

[scottw]

Here you go guys, to read more about Alexander's tank on wetwebmedia. Here is a great article.

http://www.wetwebmedia.com/ca/cav1i3/zeovit/Zeovit_system/zeovit.htm

 

[Haole]

Thanks for taking the time to do that up G/A! (and having a sense of humor as well)
But I’m not done with you yet! lol
Okay, okay... I looked at your pictures long enough now and I think I understand what I’m seeing. The one picture where you show the return from your calcium reactor being run through a “U” shaped section of pipe... Does this section of pipe contain the coral gravel that you mentioned? If so, what is the purpose? Is it a method to buffer the low ph effluent coming from the reactor? Do you change out the coral gravel at certain intervals?

Hopefully I haven’t derailed this thread too much. I realize I may have inadvertently pushed Mojo and MikeS aside with their question, but my curiosity got the best of me again... Now I’ll just kindly take a seat in the back somewhere until I can no longer control myself again. he he


Btw... Thanks for the “tease” and the link, Scott. Nice skimmer!!

 

[G.Alexander]

Okay, okay... I looked at your pictures long enough now and I think I understand what I’m seeing. The one picture where you show the return from your calcium reactor being run through a “U” shaped section of pipe... Does this section of pipe contain the coral gravel that you mentioned? If so, what is the purpose? Is it a method to buffer the low ph effluent coming from the reactor? Do you change out the coral gravel at certain intervals?

Rob, the U shaped pipe at the outlet of the rector has more to do with collecting the fine duff coming from the reactor. It all will be collected in the U shape which provides crystal clear water in the tank. The U shape pipe is filled with coral gravel also, to collect as much duff as possible.

A side effect is to bring up the PH a little bit also. The coral gravel in the U shape pipe is changed and cleaned regularly every two weeks. You do not believe how much sediment it contains

G.Alexander

 

[NaH2O]

Yes but you have severly reduced the zoox population which in turn has reduced its compacity at producing those.

AA production with in the coral are very small, and additions of AA's to the water column will never make it to the corals directly. To many hungry mouths along the way. This is why I am stating its truely bacteria driven. If AA's are added to the water they will be bound up by bacteria immediately, now will the bacteria be delivered to the coral or live with in the coral?? I would say that is the result.

To be exactly the same I am not sure, depend on the enviroment the coral came from. When dealing with reef top and very low concentrations of nutrients you are dealing with corals that are subject to a lot of inputs of nutrients both organic and inorganic but then are quickly swept away by tides and wave action. Kinda like feeding a bg meal and then quickly cleaning up the table after dinner, lol. I think when relating to the zeovit system and comparing it to this it is more of a function of the skimming capability (carbon maybe to) but that would be a key.

The reason I asked you about the slime on the corals, is that it is a major form of the way they gather food. In the case of the zeosystem you are negating or severly reducing other aspects and reling on the consumption of bacteria, slime netting is the main way they take up bacteria. If your corals are producing good amounts of slime then one can assume that they are making the transistion to actively feed in this manner. Which is what you really want to see.


Mike

I'm not sure if this has been asked already in the thread or not. How would you acclimate a coral coming from a Zeo system to a non Zeo system? If their main source of feeding has changed from zoox to consuming bacteria, and you remove that food source all at once, then wouldn't it stress/shock the coral? I would think you'd want to slowly wean a coral off the system. If you buy a coral from someone using this system, what would be the best way to acclimate it to a non-zeo system? Maybe just regular light acclimation would help to slowly build the zoox population again, but I'm not sure.

 

[G.Alexander]

Nikki, I have done this many times in both directions I do not use any special acclimation method.

A coral which comes from a nutrients poor system (zeovit) which is placed in a tank with higher nutrients, will increase its zoox population quick and after this process (about 2 - 3 weeks) the coral will be as every other coral in this system.

In the other direction a similar process takes place. A coral coming from a nutrient higher system to a nutrient poor system will adapt within 4 – 6 weeks by adjusting its zoox population.

What I have observed, I do not believe these corals are stressed.

Another possibility would be a fresh imported coral you place in a nutrient poor system (zeovit). If this coral was not stocked to long under the bad conditions most of the exporters provide or if it is fresh picked up from the sea, the colour will stay and in most cases also the zoox concentration will not be changed if this coral is placed under similar light condition it had in the sea. Browned out corals will slow come back to normal.

As I said in one of my other posts, while I compare fresh imported corals from the upper water level or corals or I have seen in the wild habitat, corals from a zeovit system have a very similar zoox concentration like wild corals.

I am sure the next question will be: Why do the corals react stressed and respond with tissue lost (starting from the tips) if nutrients in a tank are decreased to quick. I do not have any explanation for this question but it was shown many times it causes a problem. Starting slow is the best way to begin with the system if your tank contains “older” corals with a higher zoox concentration.

G.Alexander

 

[mojoreef]

I like that Alexander, you are now predicting questions before they come in, lol

To take a stab at that question, stab being the keyword here. The tips of the corals are a location where new growth occurs, at this point the tissue is the thinnest. With a reduction in nutrients thier will be an initical losse of tssue building elements, I would imagine the tips would feel the greatest impact.


MIke

 

[G.Alexander]

Thanks Mike, could you tell me the meaning of the word Gobie :shock:

Thanks, G.Alexander

 

[Boomer]

Still here "G-Man" just tagging along. A Gobie ?? Some forums automatically give a fish name to a poster based on the number of posts. As the post count grows the fish name changes. I think next it is Basslet and then Blenny and when you are way up their is is like Shark or Tigger fish. So, a Gobie is like a newbie and you can't know anything about reef keeping, so everyone will have to explain things to you :lol: But it appears it is the other way around with you

Mojo

I think that is more than a stab but a good explanation that has merit.

 

[G.Alexander]

Oh, Boomer I see, thanks. I thought it is a special US expression, have not thought about the fish However, I have changed it now :lol:

G.Alexander

 

[Boomer]

:lol::lol:

That will go over big Hey, ZEOvit Reefer

 

[bobgoode]

Hi Mike, the axial coralites are the first area where lower nutrients benefits SPS coral coloration. One notes color changes with the ZEOvit method first in this area with brighter tip-color, than the rest of the coral follows with a "lighter" coloration. IMEWZ, I have not noticed any changes in slime production by the individual corals from when they were placed in my reef originally. When dosing the zeo-components & supplements, no obvious increased slime is noted by the corals as one might see after feeding Cyclop-eeze or raw brine-shrimp. Bob

 

[mojoreef]

Hiya Bob!! about time you jumped in. With the tissue being so thin and transperent it would make sence that the coral would color up from thier, mine usually go the same route. On the slime coat I guess it would depend on the species but it seemed like a logical result. have you noticed anything else??



mike

 

[bobgoode]

Mike, with the low nutrient environment/ZEOvit, there are no SPS brown-outs. The Acro color maintenance scheme probably is the most impressive aspect of using this system, ie. no gradual "fade-out" over time as I have experienced in the past. Bob

 

[sryder]

oh man, a good 3 hours of reading, spinning head. great stuff guys. now for the silly questions from someone who does not know. I know that zeolites are used in other areas(manufacturing) for filtering purposes. If i understand correctly, depending upon the type of zeolite this would determine the size of the crystals cavitys or porosity (spelling). Im understanding the bacteria biofilms and how they seem to work using the zeolites. these are just my thoughts. 1.. is it possible that the zeolites are acting as filters to the nutrients (docs) and once they become plugged that is why they need replaced ? 2.. is it the fact that the with such a low nutrient level that more light is then given to the corals producing the brighter coloration. in filtering operations zeolites are removed and then dried out in some way and then they can be reused. Can the same thing be done with this type?

 

[bobgoode]

Hi Sryder, from what I've seen upon changing the zeolites is that they appear to be clean with some discoloration. There is sludge lining the canister filter but not layered on the stone surfaces. Zeolite regeneration is difficult because as users, we do not know exactly what has been utilized from the zeolites in the ZEOvit process. Thomas Pohl, the method's inventor has tried w/o success to regenerate the stones, but those stones do not perform as the fresh zeolites. Bob

 

[wrightme43]

Still lurking and digging on this topic. Very interesting stuff.

 

[sryder]

hey bob, i have seen some of these zeolites used for ammonia removal and it seems that once they become saturated they must be removed. ive also heard that the salt in the water can displace the ammonia in the zeolites and cause a spike which can be detrimental to the tank. can anyone tell me if this is the truth of the matter? steve