Zeo Coral Snow do you use it

RogerWilco357 · Jul 7, 2012

Well I have been reading alot of the threads and it seems alot of people use Coral snow from Zeo and Warner? what brand do you use if any? Also been having a PO4 problem and currently use gfo and carbon in the reactors but still no real improvement going to stir the sand and blow the rocks off again and do a 20% water change or should i do more on the 120 display tank and thinking of cleaning the sump again and skimmer what the heck might as well clean everything the sump is like 35 or 40 gallons ..I see alot of people use bio-pellets can you use the pellets and coral snow together? any intel is appreciated..
Roger

robert · Jul 7, 2012

Its funny how everything old becomes new again when its applied to reef tanks. Coral snow is a flocculant. Flocculants have a long history of use in freshwater. They are nothing more than very fine particles that carry an electric charge and have a high affinity for organic molecules. They collect these organics around themselves and either settle out, are filtered out or are skimmed out. They may also settle on or be ingested by corals. Some use them as "carriers" for aminos, vitamins, fatty acid supplements etc. Their ability to attract and clump suspended particles is how they "clarify" your water.

Some will point out that saltwater and freshwater are very different with respect to ionic content - and suggest that flocculants are ineffective in saltwater. I've used them, and while the results aren't as dramatic as what I've seen in freshwater - I still would say I see a difference. Maybe about the same as fresh carbon - its purely subjective. I've not seen any ill effects.

I don't know if zeo coral snow is some special form of focculant. I don't know its mineral composition although I would venture to guess its calcium based - possibly a volcanic clay - maybe calcium valerite.

I've used calcium bentonite in my reef from time to time - which is an absorbent aluminium phyllosilicate - and no it doesn't cause diatoms. You can get it at the health food store.

Sahin · Jul 7, 2012

I use KZ Coral Snow to combat cyanno and to clear the water. It helps with both aspects. Been using it for about two years so I can say with confidence that it does work.

What is your phosphate level? Anything below 0.03 is good enough to colour up sps. Nitrates below 5ppm is fine too. Keep Alk, Ca and Mg stable and you will see colours will follow.

After all the years of using various carbon dosing systems such a zeo, vodka etc etc, I have come to the conclusion that good sps colours can be obtained with nothing other than a basic system of live rock, sand and regular water changes. Of course dosing of ca, Alk and mg is required.

I have stopped chasing numbers. I have stopped chasing 0ppm phosphates and nitrates.

Do you have a problem with sps colour? If so, just let your system mature and let the corals get used to the captive environment. I noticed from your posts that you buy a fair bit of wild/Maricultrured sps. These are much harder to get coloured up. Once they brown out, they can take upto a year or more to colour up sometimes. Having a mature tank really helps.

Keep the sump spotless, blast your rocks weekly to dislodge detritus and if possible, carry out 10% water changes twice a week for at least 3 months. You will see a big improvement in the tanks health. Hope some of this is useful. Good luck.

Sahin · Jul 7, 2012

I recently bought sps frags from a guy who has been culturing them for years...some of the corals have been in captivity in his tanks for more than 8 years. They frags are so hardy. They colour up really fast and also hold colour much better than wild or Mari pieces which go poop brown as soon as something is not right.

Until recently, I never really bothered too much about cultured frags, but since having a significant number of cultured and Mari cultured frags at the same time, I can clearly see a difference in th health and colour of each type of coral.

RogerWilco357 · Jul 7, 2012

my corals are ok just noticed some cyano starting to form and have been having problems with po4 but those are coming down finally , i blow the rocks off do the 10-15%wc weekly and feed lightly ..but the large tangs love there seaweed and poop alot lol..now I hear that using the snow with the bak can help with the cyano? especially after blowing the rocks off..my tank is 6 years old and stable to date ..lol thanks for the tips any more intel is appreciated
Roger

jpbeen · Jan 28, 2021

Sahin said:
I use KZ Coral Snow to combat cyanno and to clear the water. It helps with both aspects. Been using it for about two years so I can say with confidence that it does work.

What is your phosphate level? Anything below 0.03 is good enough to colour up sps. Nitrates below 5ppm is fine too. Keep Alk, Ca and Mg stable and you will see colours will follow.

After all the years of using various carbon dosing systems such a zeo, vodka etc etc, I have come to the conclusion that good sps colours can be obtained with nothing other than a basic system of live rock, sand and regular water changes. Of course dosing of ca, Alk and mg is required.

I have stopped chasing numbers. I have stopped chasing 0ppm phosphates and nitrates.

Do you have a problem with sps colour? If so, just let your system mature and let the corals get used to the captive environment. I noticed from your posts that you buy a fair bit of wild/Maricultrured sps. These are much harder to get coloured up. Once they brown out, they can take upto a year or more to colour up sometimes. Having a mature tank really helps.

Keep the sump spotless, blast your rocks weekly to dislodge detritus and if possible, carry out 10% water changes twice a week for at least 3 months. You will see a big improvement in the tanks health. Hope some of this is useful. Good luck.

Do you run your skimmer when after adding Coral Snow?