Some of my Acro Collection

[coral reeftank]

I'm a little confused on the sealed bottle version. Do I still add calcium carbonate up front and if so it settling is no longer an issue? I'm thinking of getting some Mason jars that i can boil to sterolize and maybe make several bottles at once. How long should I let them sit before putting them in the refrigerator? The more I think about this method the more it sounds like a fish poop recipe to me. No complaining, just an observation.

V1 does not utilize constant agitation, you mix everything and shake every now and then. I did not try to store this version long term as it took too much room in my fridge. But others have taken it up to a week. I usually worked it into my weekend routine to make a batch for the oncoming week. I would store the batch in the fridge after the first 24 hours outside.

Not sure what you mean by the fish poop recipe? I guess in a sense we are emulating the nutrient input of a healthy reef. Normally there would be hundreds of fish eating and defecating. This fish poop is loaded with partially digested food particles and bacteria. If your system can’t handle more fish, it only makes sense to feed a more efficient feed.

 

[TruckerAquarist]

Hello everyone!
Are there instructions on how to prepare this concoction?

 

[coral reeftank]

Hello everyone!
Are there instructions on how to prepare this concoction?

Easiest Method is V1, mix all the core ingredients based off their instructions. Use about half of the recommended for your tank volume when you first begin.
From there let the concoction sit for 12 hours before dosing, shaking every few hours. After the first dose, refrigerate. Pull out of the refrigerator, shake, dose when needed and then back in the fridge.
Make only as much as you need, I typically make a 5 days supply. It's best to approach this with a light touch and not to be heavy handed with the ingredients, you can always make it more concentrated the next time as you get a feel on how to make the concoction.

Also to all those who have tried the concoction, it would be great to know how often and how much of it you guys dose. I typically fed at a rate of 1 ml per gallon in a SPS dominant display tank. The tank would be fed 3-5 days out of the week, along with the normal food input.

 

[Stephers]

I'm definitely a believer. I've been dosing 4 days a week for nearly a month now. I had an acro that's been stalled for like 5 months. Comparing it to a picture from just 2 weeks ago is crazy. It's now getting branches along the encrusted area. The PE on EVERYTHING is insane! So hairy! I haven't seen my corals ever looking better or growing as fast in the 6 years this tank has been up. Thanks so much for sharing this!

 

[coral reeftank]

I'm definitely a believer. I've been dosing 4 days a week for nearly a month now. I had an acro that's been stalled for like 5 months. Comparing it to a picture from just 2 weeks ago is crazy. It's now getting branches along the encrusted area. The PE on EVERYTHING is insane! So hairy! I haven't seen my corals ever looking better or growing as fast in the 6 years this tank has been up. Thanks so much for sharing this!

Now that's what I love to hear! Mind sharing your protocol? does it differ from mine? and what else has changed in your system?

 

[Moe K]

I have been on it for about 6 weeks now I think. The first batch was loaded with activity and then most all other were not until I figured out we need to keep the concoction warm. This is just the half of it as I just didnt have any before pictures for comparison on some of them that have even more growth. Most important thing to me is no more torch coral deaths.

I feed about 3x a week 150ml in my 80g tank. I might have skipped a week here or there.

This green slime is one of two that I have in the tank. Each one was from a different vendor but for some reason this one would not grow and had almost no PE until I fed the first concoction. The before pic is actually 1 week after the first feeding when I noticed some white tip which was amazing imo. Before it was just a nub lol.

 

[runetspike]

I added the last portion today.
I'm out of kz color booster, kz flatworm stop, kz Xtra.
I'll have to wait a month for them to come to me again.

 

[dwhanc00]

How critical is it to sanitize everything prior to creating the concoction?

 

[coral reeftank]

How critical is it to sanitize everything prior to creating the concoction?

I would say it is very important, crucial. This is to mitigate any potential contamination.

 

[dwhanc00]

I would say it is very important, crucial. This is to mitigate any potential contamination.

I would say it is very important, crucial. This is to mitigate any potential contamination.

Do you mind sharing what you use to store/make your concoction and how you go about sanitizing each? I am not scientific AT ALL, so I just don't understand why. I guess because most of what I use today is exposed to the same air and many unsanitized items when feeding, water changes, rearranging rock/corals, etc. Does it have to do with the bacteria you are trying to produce?

 

[coral reeftank]

I mention this in the reef therapy podcast on reefbuilders. It is our goal to do our BEST to grow only the beneficial organisms.

For sterilization, an easy way to find a container that can withstand boiling water. Like a glass jar, boil it for 10+ minutes. It should be sterile enough for our use.

 

[drawman]

Is there a post with a condensed version of the three recipes? It seems like this has evolved fast so I'm curious what people are using with the three at the moment.

 

[realreef7]

Would Oyster feast be a viable replacement to min s in the conconction? I ran out of min s and my new bottle won't be here until 5 days.

 

[e34stx]

Regarding the concoction, you mention to follow the ingredients dose, is the dose added to the concoction the amount for the amount made ie 500ml of solution or for the tank amount it’s going to be dosed to? Thanks

 

[davidwillis]

Easiest Method is V1, mix all the core ingredients based off their instructions. Use about half of the recommended for your tank volume when you first begin.
From there let the concoction sit for 12 hours before dosing, shaking every few hours. After the first dose, refrigerate. Pull out of the refrigerator, shake, dose when needed and then back in the fridge.
Make only as much as you need, I typically make a 5 days supply. It's best to approach this with a light touch and not to be heavy handed with the ingredients, you can always make it more concentrated the next time as you get a feel on how to make the concoction.

Also to all those who have tried the concoction, it would be great to know how often and how much of it you guys dose. I typically fed at a rate of 1 ml per gallon in a SPS dominant display tank. The tank would be fed 3-5 days out of the week, along with the normal food input.

I am sorry if I missed this, but is there a list of the ingredients for the different versions? I am still a little confused on how to do this?

 

[EricLille]

I started zeozym mixed with zeobak. how many times a week do you use it? And what benefits have you seen?

 

[rdvab]

How often do you top off concoction?

 

[Luminous74]

First of all, thank you for your inspiration and sharing your experiences. Your animals are very impressive. A question about how often do you add the food version one. Once a day or two three times a week? Haven't you read it clearly anywhere? For the longer-lasting version, you keep it airtight, ripening or not. I was wondering whether this could be a problem for the added bacteria if it is airtight? since not all bacteria appear to be anaerobic. I use reef therapy from fauna. I had positive results with the first version. All my Lps react very positively, they extend their tentacles and puff up. With the Acans I noticed that the structure of the surface changes - it becomes more bumpy.

 

[e34stx]

Would someone kindly post the amounts they add to their culture tub? I have most of the ingredients just want a rough amount to add. I will make 500ml with mb7, reef roids, vinegar or no pox and amino for my 150g. Thanks in advance

 

[pfoxgrover]

First try at version one. I sterolized the seawater and jars in my pressure cooker. Made one batch with calcium carbonate, reef roids, crushed TDO pellets,np bactoballance, molasses, zeobak, zeofood, and zeozym. I put the batch in an insulated cooler to keep it warm a little longer. Made 3 extra qts of sterilized seawater to save time on the next 3 batches.