Dosing bacteria-based products isn’t as novel a technique as one might think. Despite the recent boom in biopellets and the various dosing systems aimed at improving biological filtration, companies like Prodibio have been doing it for over 13 years. I was first turned onto the world of bacteria dosing when I worked for a local fish store during my years in college. The story behind my first experience with Prodibio can be read below. Seeing as how these particular products come in glass ampoules that have to be broken in order to dose, we decided to do a brief “How To” video showing just how to add the bacteria and carbon source to your aquarium. Dosing is simple, but must be done with caution. The broken glass can cut your fingers, as I have had to find out at least once. A piece of rubber tubing, which is provided, slips over the tips of each ampoule and allows hobbyists to break the tip safely. After breaking the two tips, the solution will pour out of the ampoule freely, though I like to rinse the vial in the water a few times to make sure I get everything.

One particular aquarium at the aquarium store I worked at had become overrun by a dark red algae that had hitch hiked in on a coral prior to me starting there. Despite our best efforts, the algae persisted and choked out countless frags. Water changes did nothing, and urchins and snails ate the algae but it would grow back faster than they could keep pace. So, we decided to expand our search for an answer and stumbled upon Prodibio products.

We started dosing BioDigest and Bioptim on a two week schedule and found amazing results after only the second dosing. For once, the cleanup crew could actually keep pace with the algae growth. The algae was still growing, but seemingly at a much slower pace. Titration test kits indicated a slight drop in both phosphates and nitrates, and the dosing continued. Eventually, the aquarium was completely devoid of the red terror and it could be repopulated with corals.

Seeing as how simple and effective the Prodibio was, I starting using it in my personal aquariums. I didn’t have any excess algae, but occasionally a little patch of cyano would pop up in a couple of low flow spots in the tank. After dosing in my reef for a couple of months, I noticed the cyano stopped showing up and the corals appeared more colorful and grew at a slightly faster pace. I continued to dose the two Prodibio additives until I tore down the aquarium in preparation for a move, at which point I started dosing their StopAMMO in order to remove any available ammonia during the livestock’s transition to the new setup. Not a single fish or coral was lost in the aquarium that was treated with StopAMMO, though I did lose one fish in the nano aquarium that wasn’t treated.

I briefly stopped dosing Prodibio in favor of experimenting with the ZEOvit system. The ZEOvit nutrient control system proved to be more effective, but given the daily dosing, ZEOlite tumbling and extremely high costs to maintain, I switched back to Prodibio. After a short stint without an aquarium, I have started dosing Prodibio once again and couldn’t be happier.

Over the past few weeks, Red Sea has released an entire new lineup of test kits and additives called the Red Sea Reef Care Program. The system is based on testing all of the essentials for your reef, then dosing those elements that your system lacks, as well as controlling excess nitrates and phosphates. The kit is quite extensive, and each portion of the system can be purchased separately as your tank requires. The program focuses on building a solid foundation of coral growth, reducing nutrients like nitrate and phosphate, and enhancing coral colors to give you a more stable reef aquarium.

Reef Foundation

This portion of Red Sea’s complete system covers calcium, alkalinity and magnesium, which serve as the foundation of coral building. Reef Foundation consists of test kits designed to accurately measure each of the previously mentioned elements so that the hobbyist can determine the calcium uptake rate of the system. Once the calcium uptake rate has been determined, the hobbyist can dose Reef Foundation A, B, or C. Reef Foundation A is composed of calcium and strontium, while Reef Foundation B covers alkalinity, and Reef Foundation C focuses on magnesium, potassium, and bromine. Each of these dosing methods contain trace elements as well.

The rest of the Red Sea Reef Care Program is described below.

Reef Energy

From what I’ve been told, the Reef Energy additives are similar to the Korallen-Zucht products. They come bottled as Energy A, which is concentrated lipids and carbohydrates, and Energy B, which are amino acids and vitamins. Each of these save metabolic energy because they are pre-digested and will provide more energy for your corals to focus on growth and reproduction.

Algae-Control

The Red Sea Algae-Control comes in two phases. The first of which is a series of test kits designed to measure concentrations of nitrate and phosphate down to 0.02 ppm concentrations. Each test kits comes with enough reagent to run 100 tests.

The second half of the Algae-Control program is nutrient control. Red Sea has a new product called NoPox (derived from NO3PO4-X) which acts much like biopellet media. The NoPox enhances bacteria to essentially eat any available nutrients in the tank.

Color Pro

Once all of the coral growth and color inhibiting nutrients are removed from the aquarium, the hobbyists can now focus on coral color. Four products fill the Color Pro program, with each having been designed to enhance certain pigments in the coral’s tissues. Red Sea Colors A consists of iodine, bromine, and flourine to enhance pink colors, Colors B contains potassium and trace elements to enhance red, Colors C has iron and more trace elements to bring out the greens, and Colors D has bioactive mineral supplements to enhance blues.

Fish Only Additives

If you’re a FOWLR aquarium owner, Red Sea hasn’t forgotten about you. Coralline Gro is a live rock vitalizer that boosts the growth rates of the pink and purple calcareous algae, keeping your fish-only tank beautiful without too much fuss.

The Red Sea Complete Reef Care Program is currently available through online retailers and your local fish store.

I came across a very interesting thread on one of the forums discussing the act of urinating in a newly set up marine aquarium in an attempt to jump start the nitrogen cycle. The basic premise behind the theory is that ammonia in the urine won’t have to come from decaying organic matter typically found on live rock, but will instead come directly from the pee. Long story short, the bacteria will consume the ammonia in the urine, converting it to nitrite, and then on to nitrate, thus completing the cycle. It’s a radical idea to some, but apparently it’s been in use in discus aquariums for quite a long time.

I’m not advocating using this technique, an opinion shared by several of those who commented, but I do find the technique to be intriguing. Several people suggested that by using urine, the tank cycle would actually be prolonged due to the intense amount of ammonia being introduced. Others claimed that phosphates and other chemicals found in the urine would get absorbed into the live rock, presenting problems down the road. An alternative solution presented by a few of the hobbyists was to add bottled ammonia to the aquarium instead. While this would serve as a purer source of ammonia, potential side effects could occur with this route as well.

I’m more for taking a natural approach, but with the increased use of dried rocks which are basically devoid of any life, using a less conventional method might be more ideal. Of course, with this being well off the beaten path, there are probably many drawbacks to this method that have yet to be discovered.

D-D The Aquarium Solution, the company that brings us Deltec products and Giesemann lighting, has joined the solid carbon market with their Nutri-Fix NP Bio Pellets. These bio pellets, much like pellets from other companies, function as a food source for specific strains of nitrate and phosphate reducing bacteria. Also like other pellets, Nutri-Fix is designed to be run in a media reactor to promote rapid bacterial growth. As water passes over the media, nitrates and phosphates are fixed into the bacterial biomass. The media will develop a thin film over its surface as the bacteria consume nutrients in the water, but this film can easily be removed with a little agitation. Once freed from the media, the film will then be filtered by your protein skimmer, which is crucial to the bio media system.

D-D Nutri-Fix will come in three sizes, 250ml, 500ml, and 1000ml. The prices for these sizes will be approximately $30, $55, and $100 respectively. This bio media, though very similar to most other brands, proudly differs from the rest due to the size of each of the pellets. A smaller size should give the Nutri-Fix more surface area, which is obviously great for bacterial growth potential. However, the most important aspect, at least in the views from D-D, is the ability of their pellets to be fluidized. They even tested multiple different brands of bio pellets (see video below), showing just how much more fluid the Nutri-Fix pellets are.

Continue below to see the bio pellet video comparison from D-D The Aquarium Solution.

Vertex Alpha 170 Cone Skimmer

There’s a never ending debate about protein skimmers raging on in aquarium-related forums across the globe, none of which are backed by anything other than personal experience and faulty logic. Many people claim that inexpensive protein skimmers work just as well, if not better than, the higher end models. On the other end of the spectrum, fanboys of the high end gadgetry say their expensive pumps, bubble plates, and cone shapes fare better at removing dissolved organics from aquarium water. Most people base their opinions on their own experiences, or the experiences of fellow aquarists. Some even base their opinions on theory, claiming that because the skimmers are more expensive, they are intrinsically better.

To help clear the mud, Advanced Aquarist released an article answering this question scientifically. After sorting through all the mind numbing math, their overall conclusion was that, while the more expensive protein skimmers do remove slightly more total organic carbon, the differences between the skimmers weren’t significant. If you factor in the cost of the skimmer, then the less expensive protein skimmers significantly outperform their higher end rivals. Look at it this way. The most expensive protein skimmer tested was a Bubble King Mini 160, which cost approximately $775. The cheapest skimmer used for the study was a Precision Marine ES100 that costs a mere $160. The difference in total organic carbon (TOC) removal was only 13%, in favor of the Bubble King. Does an extra $600 really justify a 13% increase in performance? Keep in mind too that the ES100 also had the greatest rate of TOC removal, meaning it removed the organic carbon faster than any other skimmer in the test.

For some, it boils down to more than just the TOC removed. Many aquarists take energy efficiency, tank capacity, footprint, and quality of the construction into account, and these can all push someone to a much more expensive protein skimmer.

Korallen Zucht ZEOstart3

ZEOvit is a great dosing system for anyone who wants to reduce their nitrate and phosphate levels to super low levels, and Korallen-Zucht is adding two more additives to their lineup. Bio-Mate and ZEOstart3 have just found their way onto the KZ website, and both will function as part of the the “Basic 4″, which is a starter kit for ZEO users. The Bio-Mate is a new product, while ZEOstart3 is an direct replacement for the ZEOstart2.

ZEOvit Bio-Mate

Continue reading below for descriptions of each product.

Bio-Mate

The new Bio-Mate additive aids in mulm, or fish waste, reduction and also cleans substrate and live rock. This reduction also helps reduce phosphates in the aquarium.

From KZ:

Diligent assistant for tanks with mulm

• Cleaning substrate and rock

• Reduction of mulm deposits

• Reduction of phosphates

Dosage: 2 x per week 1 drop /25 gallons

Price starting at: 13,50 € (around $18 US)*

ZEOstart3

The new ZEOstart3, much like it’s predecessor ZEOstart2, promotes the reproduction of nitrifying bacteria, thus reducing nitrates and phosphates and speeding up a new aquarium’s cycling time. It also allows your protein skimmer to produce a more concentrated, or darker, skimmate. Unlike it’s predecessor though, ZEOstart3 is more effective at reducing the cycling time of new aquariums, which is now two weeks instead of three as seen with ZEOstart2.

Be careful when dosing this product though. If done incorrectly, it can harm whatever livestock is already in the aquarium.

ZEOstart 3 was developed for reefers who want optimum water parameters in a biological way. It promotes the reproduction of all nitrifying bacteria in the aquarium and is therefore very effective in reducing phosphate and nitrate, nitrite and several inhibitors. The skimmer removes up to 100 % more concentrated adsorbent. Bacteria dependent slime algae dissappears rapidly and a biological balance is re-established.

To start a new tank it shortens the inital phase enormously to about only 14 days.

This product is not only for the initial phase, it should be dosed every day in all tanks. It enhances the metallic colors on Acropora, Montipora, Poccilopora and Stylophora. Soft corals grow faster and open the polyps wider.

Dose directly into the water. Swich off the skimmer briefly if possible. Do not increase dosage of 2 ml per 250 gallons/1000 L daily – please note that it is highly concentrated. Overdosing is dangerous for all fish!

Price starting at: 32,90 € *

ZEOvit Additives

With aquarium filtration becoming more advanced, a lot of reef aquariums are beginning to run extremely low nitrate and phosphate levels. Protein skimmers, bio pellets, chemical additives, and large/frequent water changes are doing what they are intended to do (e.g. remove dissolved organics), but are some aquarists going too far? Natural seawater does have detectable levels of the elements and compounds we strive to remove from our tanks, yet almost every piece of equipment and bottle of additive focuses on completely stripping your water of these substances. Most aquarium keepers will never run into this problem, but the complete lack of nutrients can be somewhat harmful to a full blown reef aquarium.

Continue reading below for my personal experiences with nitrogen and phosphate deprived reef systems.

Tridacna crocea clam among corals

Corals and invertebrates rely on substances in the water, both dissolved and not, as part of their nutritional intake. Some corals ingest large particles, while others filter feed on microscopic organisms suspended in the water. Some animals even consume molecules such as nitrate and phosphate. These are mainly bacteria, but Tridacnid clams and Zooxanthellae algae are also known to take in nitrate. Zooxanthallae, if you’re not familiar, live in coral tissues and give the corals their colors. They also provide about 90% or more of a coral’s food via photosynthesis, depending on the coral species of course. If these animals don’t get enough nutrients, they could potentially starve.

NP BioPellets Closeup

Luckily, most aquarium keepers will never run into this situation. In fact, they have the opposite problem. Uneaten fish food, fish poop, salt mixes, and additives are all sources for the nutrients that feed our reefs. But reef keepers who utilize multiple forms of filtration may encounter these issues. From a personal scenario, I experimented with a full-blown ZEOvit system and noticed that the corals became more sensitive to small changes. Replacing bulbs, a regular task that didn’t normally affect the corals so much, became a very nerve racking ordeal. The corals would instantly respond in a manner that I didn’t feel comfortable with (fading coloration, retracted polyps). Returning the aquarium back to elevated levels of nitrates and phosphates, I noticed the corals became less sensitive to external factors.

In leaving, I wanted to make sure that the readers don’t misunderstand me. I am not advocating that you stop trying to achieve “clean” aquarium water, but do be careful when using multiple forms of aquarium filtration. Sometimes we can overdo things, however it’s unlikely to occur with the standard equipment on the normal reef aquarium.

Brightwell Aquatics Katalyst

Image from Marine Depot

Brightwell Aquatics, a producer of all sorts of aquarium additives, is unveiling their own line of solid carbon source bio pellets called Katalyst. This media from Brightwell Aquatics works very similarly to other bio pellets, in that it serves as a food source to promote the growth of healthy bacteria populations. We’re very curious to see how all of the new pelletized carbon source media stack up to each other, since they are all reported to do the exact same thing. I’m even curious to see if these various media are the same, merely repackaged and re-branded. Hopefully I will be able to do some digging and find out! Until then, continue reading below for the product release information that can also be found on the Marine Depot website.

The Brightwell Aquatics Katalyst will initially come in 600g, retailing for about $50. Katalyst isn’t available at the moment, but you can sign up on Marine Depot’s website to be notified as soon as it is.

Bioactive filtration media, providing an ideal colonization substrate and a suitable source of organic carbon to beneficial microbes responsible for uptake of nitrate and phosphate.

Helps decrease latent organic material, and hence nitrate and phosphate concentrations, in aquaria, greatly simplifying and improving nutrient control relative to methods based solely upon using vodka or other alcohol/sugar solutions as organic carbon sources.

May be used with MicroBacter7 and/or as part of a low-nutrient approach to aquarium husbandry.

Improves water clarity through remineralization of latent dissolved organic compounds present in system.

Safe for use in all freshwater and marine aquaria, including planted and reef systems.

Made in the USA. Sold by mass, not volume; 1 g = ~1.6 ml of competing media.

Technical Background: In all aquaria, it is prudent to establish a stable nutrient budget in which the rate of nutrient export is not greatly exceeded by the rate of nutrient input, and vice versa; in the proper physical and chemical conditions, the former imbalance leads to increased presence of nuisance organisms such as filamentous algae and cyanobacteria, whereas the latter leads to malnourished aquarium inhabitants. The nutrients of greatest concern to most aquarists are nitrate and phosphate, both of which require active removal and/or remineralization in aquatic habitats to ensure that they do not exceed concentrations that are deemed as safe for the ornamental organisms inhabiting those systems, or that would otherwise impact the appearance of the system, itself. KATALYST provides a static surface for colonization by beneficial microbes, while at the same time providing them with a source of organic carbon, which is required for the uptake of nitrogen and phosphorus compounds (including nitrate and phosphate, respectively).

In this fashion, KATALYST improves nutrient-uptake efficiency relative to systems employing only live rock, live sand, and/or inert plastic material as a substrate for microbial colonization. The colonization of KATALYST with the appropriate types of nutrient-remineralizing microorganisms, such as those found in MICROBACTER7, serves to deplete existing concentrations of dissolved organic material from the aquarium. Instructions and Guidelines: KATALYST should be housed in a media reactor, canister filter, or fluidized-bed reactor with a means of controlling water flow through the media bed, and with a pre-filter in place to restrict particulate material from entering the reaction vessel. Moderate water flow will discourage the accumulation of latent organic material in the media bed, itself, and will improve overall results.

Dissolved oxygen concentration and/or pH in the aquarium may temporarily decrease when new media is added; ensure that adequate aeration of water is employed at all times when using KATALYST, and monitor and adjust pH as necessary. In marine aquaria, maintain operation of protein skimmer at all times to ensure that adequate degassing and oxygenation of water is taking place. Systems with [NO3-] and/or [PO43-] <5 ppm and 0.02 ppm, respectively: employ ~1 g of KATALYST per 2 US-gallons of water in aquarium system. Add 1 ml MICROBACTER7 per 20 US-gallons in system daily for first 4 weeks to seed KATALYST media. In systems with elevated concentrations of these nutrients, employ up to twice the afore-mentioned mass and volume, respectively, of KATALYST and MICROBACTER7. Allow at least 4 weeks for media to become adequately colonized for significant changes in nutrient concentrations to become evident. When nutrient concentrations drop below the target values (user-defined), decrease the daily dosage of MICROBACTER7 to maintain these levels. Replenish KATALYST media as necessary to counter gradual dissolution (on the order of months) that is the result of microbial consumption of the material. The rate of media deterioration is largely related to the nutrient load in the system: the higher the rate of nutrient input, the more quickly the media will be consumed by microbes.

NP Reduction Bio Media from SWC

It seems that the nitrate and phosphate reducing media are really gaining traction in the hobby. For years, reef keepers had to rely solely on their live rock and sand bed to house all of their nitrifying bacteria populations and excess nutrients to feed these populations. Now, they’ve got a little boost in the form of a slowly degrading media. The NP Reduction Bio Pellets from Saltwater Connection (aka SWC), a popular protein skimmer manufacturer, will help hobbyists battle excess nutrients. The pelletized carbon source will feed bacterial populations in your tank, allowing for them to grow, thus allowing your aquarium the ability to better handle excess nitrates and phosphates.

To begin using the pellets, it is recommended that you soak them in RO/DI water before adding them to your system. After this is complete, add 50% of the recommended amount to a media reactor, making sure to keep plenty of flow going through the reactor. If the flow is insufficient, a dangerous amount of hydrogen sulfide, a substance that also builds up in anoxic areas of deep sand beds, can be slowly released into your aquarium’s water. After approximately a week use, you can add the remaining amount of the media.

An additional warning for NP Bio Media usage: be sure to use a quality protein skimmer. Not only will this help keep nutrients low, but the primary concern is oxygenation. Bacteria consume oxygen, and when their populations climb rapidly, they can use up too much of the oxygen in the system. This can cause fish and corals to die. To prevent any issues, adhere to dosing issues strictly and your system should adapt to the increase

Here’s a little more information from Saltwater Connection

SWC Xtreme NP Reduction Bio Media is the most effective filtration used for the control of nitrates and phosphates within the aquarium ecosystem, while also providing a continuous bacterial food source for the health and well being of the aquarium ecosystem.  SWC Xtreme NP Reduction Bio Media is best utilized with SWC Xtreme NP Reduction Reactors.  These reactors are designed with SWC Xtreme NP Reduction Bio Media in mind.  Media should be kept fluidized for optimum results.  The SWC Xtreme NP Reduction Bio Media cannot be overdosed.  However if your aquarium ecosystem is high in nutrients, you may experience a brief bacterial bloom.  This will give your aquarium water a white cloudy appearance.  If this occurs monitor and maintain an appropriate pH level.  For optimum results utilize the following amount of SWC Xtreme NP Reduction Bio Media 250ml per 50 gallons/500ml per 100 gallons/1000ml per 200 gallons.  Dosage may be increased depending on your unique bio load requirements.  The first step to enhancing a healthy aquarium ecosystem begins with pre soaking the SWC Xtreme NP Reduction Bio Media in Reverse osmosis water for 24 hours. Then introduce 50% of the recommended dosage of the SWC Xtreme NP Reduction Bio Media into a SWC NP Reduction Reactor and introducing the remaining 50% of the recommended dosage to the SWC NP Reduction Reactor after a 1 week period.  Make sure you are utilizing a powerful protein skimmer to prevent oxygen depletion.  The use of the appropriately sized model of SWC Xtreme Protein Skimmer will help improve your ability to maintain optimal oxygen levels.  Direct the output of the SWC Xtreme NP Reduction Reactor towards the input of the SWC Xtreme Protein Skimmer.  SWC Xtreme NP Reduction Bio Media may need to be replenished as the bio media are consumed by the NP Reduction process. This will need to be addressed at approximately the 8-12 month period of time, depending on your unique bio load.

IMPORTANT:  Maintain a high enough water flow through the SWC Xtreme NP Reduction Reactor to maintain a fluidized column.  Too slow of a flow and you may produce a toxic hydrogen sulfide gas.  This is detrimental to your aquarium ecosystem.  Using a UV Sterilizer or Ozone Generator will slow the growth of bacteria in the reactor and increase the cycling time of the SWC Xtreme NP Reduction Bio Media.  SWC Xtreme NP Reduction Bio Media is ecologically friendly and is totally bio degradable.  Does not contain harmful PCL resins.

I changed the sediment filter and carbon on my RO/DI unit recently, and I’m always amazed at how gross they can get. These are the cheapest cartridges in the water filtration sequence, about half the cost of DI resin or an RO membrane. Looking at the state of this filter, I know I definitely should do it more often. While it is usually recommended to replace these every 4 to 6 months, I had let mine go 8 months since I don’t go through very much water. Yuck!

Clean, new sediment cartridge on the left, compared with cartridge after 8 months (approx. 1500 gallons production) on the right.

The carbon filter was less obvious visually, but because they protect the RO membrane from chlorine damage, I like to change it whenever I do the sediment filter. Also, remember that the micron rating on the sediment filter should be at least as fine as the rating of the carbon.

After I made the change, water pressure coming into the membrane went up instantly, and production of filtered water accelerated. Thanks to the in-line TDS monitors on my Spectrapure unit, I also notice that water coming out of the first two stages and coming out of the RO stage is lower in TDS than before.  And, this will also further the life of the expensive DI resins, which equates to additional cost savings.

Maybe most exciting, my wife claimed to notice a sudden difference in the taste of our drinking water (we get that out of the RO stage but before the DI). She even brought this up without me telling her I’d made the change. This ancillary benefit helps with continuing efforts to keep my spouse on board with the two reef aquariums in the living room, which is, of course, always day-to-day.