Moonshiners method feedback

[Troylee]

My last couple tanks I went a couple years without changing water and moonshiners and all these other programs weren’t around or thought of.. I’ve had success with just vodka dosing and mb7 myself.. I topped off with off with kalk and dosed 2 part back then.. now I got a monster tank again today and water changes are a chore again sooooooo…. My routine is carbon dosing “bacto balance” and all for reef with zero water changes.. top off with kalk and everything is happy just like back in the old days.. Sps dominant then and now.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

The new brs balling. The third part isn’t just magnesium, it has a bunch of trace elements that nobody tests for.
To this day I still use your 3part recipe @Randy Holmes-Farley and think it’s the most simplest of ways to keep a reef tank but I also don’t dose anything without testing for it.

Tropic Marin Balling part C that is part of that hybrid method does almost nothing for trace element concentration boosting (assuming salinity control). It will even lower those that are higher than normal values, just like a tiny water change each day.

That said, I think it is an excellent method.

 

[PygmyReefing]

Personally I have not tried every method in this hobby but I did typical water change schedule and always used quality salt I did briefly try the Red Sea ABC program. I had on and off times with my tank. Some days great some days not for a few years before the switch.

I switched to Moonshiners method after months of lurking in the Facebook chat and it wasn’t to stop water changes. My idea of this program is it brings consistency to your system and I believe the issue with my water changes and ABC method is there was to much inconsistency. Since switching to the shine for almost 6 months now my tank has never looked better. My maintenance is a thousand times easier and I did eventually stop water changes. The upfront cost is expensive there’s no way to swing that but when you think of how much we spend on everything else in this hobby it’s really a fraction. I by no means have the highest end equipment and I’m terrible at changing filter socks. I keep a IMO very nice mixed reef. Very torch,frog spawn ,Goni,Shroom and sps heavy.

The amount of SPS I I keep now I never thought would be an option for me.

I stand behind the method and Andre himself. He is truly the difference maker of this program and the Facebook group truly Makes all the difference.

I see a-lot of really nice tanks that use other methods and they work there’s no doubt. I also see a lot of people who use this method and it works. A lot of Instagram/YouTube reefs surprisingly use this method which I was not aware of before and if I am being honest they don’t give Andre enough credit.

My favorite part about this method personally is I feel a lot better about my tank now I dose everything by hand and it’s all based on testing via ICP-MS/Hannah. It’s 5 minutes a day and maybe an hour or so entering data in the tool. Sounds odd but I feel more connected which helps with husbandry and flipping over snails lol.


Hope this helps! Best of luck to anything you do!

 

[beanman]

I have been using RM method for almost a year now. My tank has about 415 gallons total in the system. I started the method to get in more tune with my tank and because of that stopped doing water changes last October. I send off an icp-ms test once a month and all of my daily stuff is on dosers.

My tank is a mixed reef with mostly sps. Everything looks amazing and I am not afraid to spend the money on expensive coral because of it.

I know the RM method can look expensive but for me it saves me the cost of a lot of salt and it also gives me peace of mind.

I’m sure there are plenty of methods out there that work like others have said but this method is able to give nice details on individual elements and I like that.

I can’t thank Andre enough for all of the help and knowledge that he has given me.

 

[Oldreefer44]

I have toyed with it but found that the testing and elements are much less expensive through reef blueprint than from RM.

 

[Tjm23slo]

Have one box of reef crystals left. I am at the point where I need to decide if I want to try the moonshine method, something else, or keep doing water changes.
180g w 40g sump

Personally, I would start with some water tests and see where you stand. I would collect the sample 24 hours after a WC then again just before your next WC.
A) you understand where you stand post WC and also what is depleted between.
B) you can check your own testing skills against a fairly know entity.

It may be that WC are perfect for you. It could be that if you added some dailies you might get some more color pop and still use the same method.

You could find out that you are really out of whack and WC while working might not keep you as stable as you think.

Once you get your base line, you can make the call if thinks need any corrections. It could be you just get some for corrections monthly.

Unlike the triton method, where there is refugium and using their 2 part(4part), what you are really doing is just slightly altering your current most comfortable method and if you lengthen your WC it might become potentially easier.

I know folks that could never balance nutrient without WC, so they just slightly adjusted their WC method and added needful every 2-3 months. There is no hard and fast rule.

 

[t5Nitro]

I think I'm 3 years from doing an actual water change. AFR is my primary additive with 2 part as a secondary. Will be adding kalkwasser as well by dosing pump.

I've been adding seachem iodide and DIY potassium and the corals have responded very well to those two. I asked in a previous thread which were the most common elements from RM that people tend to go through most quickly. It might be fun to know if the AFR people that also use RM could post their top 3-5 elements from RM based on ICP testing both in groups that water change and those that don't water change.

 

[Lynn N]

Have one box of reef crystals left. I am at the point where I need to decide if I want to try the moonshine method, something else, or keep doing water changes.
180g w 40g sump
Mixed reef atm but would like to get into sticks a bit more.
Medium bioload.
For those of you that Shine do you like it? How long, what other methods have you used.
Pro cons

 

[Lynn N]

Have one box of reef crystals left. I am at the point where I need to decide if I want to try the moonshine method, something else, or keep doing water changes.
180g w 40g sump
Mixed reef atm but would like to get into sticks a bit more.
Medium bioload.
For those of you that Shine do you like it? How long, what other methods have you used.
Pro cons

I couldn’t be happier with the Moonshiner products. I just started my third tank on it. It’s really a system to learn more and do better with your tank. The plus side is I got my weekends back from the dreaded WC’s and purchasing salt by the car loads.

I’ve been seriously using it for about 7 months and all my tanks that are on it have benefited from it. I had coral wash outs before this point. My corals are steadily improving. I am grateful.

 

[Reefahholic]

FYI, my suggestion is at least experiment with not dosing elements that have no known biological role in any organism, despite being recommended by the proponents of this method.

There is no element that can be listed as definitely no biological role in any organism as that would require sophisticated experiments on every known organism

Couldn’t help it.

 

[Reefahholic]

I left the RM method last October. Went back to semi routine water changes, switched to the BRS balling hybrid method, and my tank looks much better than it ever did on RM.

We should compare colors in a few months since we’re running pretty much the same lighting. You’re still running the Halides or no?

 

[Epic Aquaculture]

We use the shine at Epic Aquaculture. We started on March 28th and have been very happy with the system so far.

 

[rtparty]

We should compare colors in a few months since we’re running pretty much the same lighting. You’re still running the Halides or no?

No. Ditched them over 5 months ago. Need to get them sold now that I know I’m not going back

 

[Reefahholic]

Here we have a frag I recently sold on the RT. Keep in mind I’ve been targeting PO4 at 0.3-0.4 ppm (experiment). So PO4 is up there! NO3 is 20+ too. On the LT side we have the original frag (same frag in both pics) after receiving it locally from a guy that is SPS dominated. You can see just from the frag (RT) that the color and growth are much different from the original even in what many would consider very high Nutrient levels.

One thing I want to mention about the Reef Moonshiner’s method that anybody who has been in the hobby long enough will know. It’s not some magic Unicorn method! Let’s make that clear.

It’s just common sense. We’re all trying to target elements close to what they are in the natural ocean. The difference with Moonshine is that we elevate elements slightly, and pay close attention to the entire Chemistry. This is similar to the Full Triton method, but still different. We’re elevating for color pop, but also trying to avoid elements becoming low or depleted. What makes Reef Moonshiner’s unique is our tools are very quick and simple to use. Even the ICP data is in order as you go down the page entering values. No need to jump around looking for elements/values and where to enter them. Another positive is that Andre is pretty much available 7 days a week answering questions in the group, and helping folks with complex problems. Not only Andre, but we have a good group (Several Pros, Frams, LFS, etc..) who know the method and are willing to help new reefers. As far as I know, there is no other program or method that offers this kind of support. Most can attest to Andre’s Tenacity. He runs on a different octane rating than I do.

We are pretty much the only method out there that is using primarily OCEAMO ICP-MS, and targeting several Metallic’s / “ultra trace” elements down as low as 0.05 ug/L. That sensitivity is insane if you ask me. My lowest “bottom end” target is 0.26 ug/L. I don’t even need to get below 0.2 ug/L, but it’s definitely nice to know you have that kind of sensitivity. I’ve seen it with my own eyes for months. I can tell you, I’ll never run a reef w/o closely monitoring my chemistry ever again. For me…it’s that important based off what I’ve seen in my own system and observations from others.

Reef Moonshiner’s will also be shipping samples to Austria 3x weekly soon (Currently still Monday and Friday I believe)
which will make turnaround times for a quality ICP faster than ever. Mine take about 6 days currently which is pretty good if you ask me.

Lastly, the ability to see so many ICP results and learn from each other in the group is priceless. I’d encourage anybody to come hang out even if you don’t want to use the method. Not everybody is a Reef Junkie, but many like to observe.

For me it’s simple…use any method you want. Test your tank and correct elements that are low or depleted. That’s it. Personally, I find this method the easiest way to do that. I’ve know Andre for about 10 years now, and I know he’s big into purity and doesn’t skip on elements. He’ll take a hit to the wallet before he’ll buy some cheap elements. For me that is another reason why I prefer the Shine (Purity reasons). You ask anybody in the group, and most will tell you that he’s not after money, because he literally gives stuff away all the time. That’s a fact! He’s a Reef Junkie. Lol He’s one of us!

 

[Reefahholic]

No. Ditched them over 5 months ago. Need to get them sold now that I know I’m not going back

What did you go with?

 

[rtparty]

What did you go with?

AI Blades. Started with 3 Blades and left up my 2 XHO bars. Took those off recently and added the last 2 Blades

 

[bobnicaragua]

I’ve been running moonshiners for a year and a half. I dose kalkwasser, BRS 2 part, & tropic Marin Part C. I like the method and regular ICP testing. I also like not messing with water changes.

I plan to continue with moonshiners for the foreseeable future.

This isn’t a magic method, it’s just checking the water quality box. Sort of like putting up really good lights, you know that lighting wont be an issue for you.

 

[Reefahholic]

AI Blades. Started with 3 Blades and left up my 2 XHO bars. Took those off recently and added the last 2 Blades

Are they putting out some good PAR with 5?

 

[rtparty]

Are they putting out some good PAR with 5?

I had enough PAR with just the 3 on my tank. I added the last two for OCD, extra coverage, and to allow full blown SPS anywhere I want. I had better spread and PAR with 3 Blades than I did with the 3 halides and 2 XHOs.

Outside of a few early batch issues, they’ve been even better than I hoped.

 

[Dal-Reef]

It does not matter the size of your tank or what current method you use to maintain it the Moonshine process will make reefing easier, more fun and successful. I ran the shine on my tank from the beginning and turn out amazing results. The support you get from Andre is amazing and he is a wealth of knowledge. I have since tore the tank since we sold the house and building a new one but once the new tank is up will again be running the shine. Here is a link to my build thread https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/r...ars-away-from-the-hobby-but-i-am-back.656273/