Extreme Water Clarity and Cyano Eradication, Made Easy!

[twentyleagues]

What kind of bacteria are you referring to? Like brightwell MB7?

Correct. In fact that is what Sonny recommends.

 

[saltienewb]

I think he used zeovit in his original video but I’m sure any will do. I’ve used Microbacter 7, clean, and Dr Tim’s waste away with no ill effects

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

IMO, the addition of calcium carbonate particulates and the dosing of bacteria seem to be largely independent activities that have different functions, and don't see a reason one needs to do both together.

That said, I see substantial reason to dose the coral snow (such as organic export, phosphate reduction, etc.), and little reason to dose bacteria unless its as a coral food, or one is having a problem with a pest that it might outcompete on surfaces.

 

[twentyleagues]

IMO, the addition of calcium carbonate particulates and the dosing of bacteria seem to be largely independent activities that have different functions, and don't see a reason one needs to do both together.

That said, I see substantial reason to dose the coral snow (such as organic export, phosphate reduction, etc.), and little reason to dose bacteria unless its as a coral food, or one is having a problem with a pest that it might outcompete on surfaces.

Yes that is the reasoning of adding mb7 that it will coat surfaces and out compete things like cyano. Like he says You dont have to add it to see it help in the system but if you have cyano it may help.

 

[twentyleagues]

I think he used zeovit in his original video but I’m sure any will do. I’ve used Microbacter 7, clean, and Dr Tim’s waste away with no ill effects

He runs/ ran zeovit on his system. Sonny believes in a bacterial driven system hence the Zeovit. I do believe he did use mb7 specifically in the coral snow recipe there is a link to his website about this somewhere here in this thread.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

Yes that is the reasoning of adding mb7 that it will coat surfaces and out compete things like cyano. Like he says You dont have to add it to see it help in the system but if you have cyano it may help.

I would not be a fan of adding unnatural or harmful bacteria unless there was a clear problem to solve. I think too many people think of MB7 as harmless at worst.

Aquabiomics on microbacter 7??

Has anyone seen James Graham’s (Telegram) instagram posts on microbacter 7? According to my lfs manager James sent pure microbacter 7 in to aquabiomics and it’s over 50% a detrimental strain of bacteria to coral. I can’t remember the name but it only contains like 20% a beneficial bacteria...

www.reef2reef.com

 

[SunnyX]

What kind of bacteria are you referring to? Like brightwell MB7?

Hi! These days, I use Zeobak. MB7 is fine, but my preference is Zeobak as I feel it is more effective.

-Sonny

 

[buttonreefer]

Edit 10/092023:

Note that I have tweaked the formula a bit. You can find an updated video here:




Coral Snow Link: Coral Snow

Hello all!

I have been reefing now for about 25 years, and over those many years I have picked up many tips, tricks, and best habits/practices. From a hobbyist and even a coral vendors perspective, I have gained quite a bit of valuable information. Many of you likely even have a coral that came from company, Pro Corals. The most popular of which being the PC Rainbow Acro.,

Over those years I attempted to pass on as much information and knowledge as possible. Now, I am compiling all the knowledge into one area and will be releasing articles and likely some YouTube guides on a weekly basis.

This is a great hobby and what makes it great is the wonderful community of reefers. Almost all are extremely helpful and it is our duty to aid one another and when we can, impart the little knowledge that we pickup along the way to aid others in their journey. We, and myself included, can easily forget what it was like entering the hobby. Its a minefield and much livestock and funds can be wasted. For someone like myself, books and online forums were my only sanctuary as I did not have any local hobbyist to gather knowledge from. There were many issues, losses and way too much money needlessly spent. Hopefully this series of guides will help those just entering the hobby and perhaps even help some reefing veterans to polish up their game.

The articles will be posted on my blog and right here on Reef2Reef. I am slowly building up my online presence through FB, Instagram and YouTube. If you'd like to follow along and receive the most up to date information please feel free to follow. I will try and keep the articles and video brief. We all have busy lives so I will attempt to post only the cliff notes.

www.ReefSite.com
Instagram: @Reefsite
Fb: @ReefSites
Twitter: @RimlessReef
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/SonnyM63



Now, enough yammering. Onto the article!


Extreme Water Clarity and Cyano Eradication, Made Easy!

One of the most frequent questions I receive is how do I have such amazing water clarity and an overall clean looking setup. Well, it quite simple and you can easily do the same while also helping rid yourself of cyano or and the very least not allowing it to gain a foothold in your system. While this is not a cure-all, it will help you achieve your goals and help maintain a healthy aquarium.


For a number of years I had purchased branded products of Coral Snow to help achieve water clarity. That is, until I asked around and found that you can simply make you own Coral Snow solution, saving you hundreds of dollars.

What is Coral Snow?

At its simplest, Coral Snow is a Flocculant.

Flocculant’s work by binding small particles together into a larger mass that can be easily removed via filter socks or a proteins skimmer. The Coral Snow can also help to removal yellowing compounds such as phenols while at the same time helping neutralizes some undesirable chemicals in the system.

Personally, I use this powder Coral Snow and one jar should last you years. Creating the solution couldn't be any simpler.

• Select a clean container, one that is resealable and able to be shaken. I use an old creatine bottle.(Yes, I am on the GAIN TRAIN)
• For 500ML of solution, add 10 level tablespoons of powder to roughly 425-450ML of RO/DI water.
• Shake the bottle up, and let it sit for two hours. After which, it will be ready to use.
• Now, I don’t believe that you can overdose with this product, but a good recommended dose is 5ml per 50gl of aquarium volume.
• Be sure to shake up the bottle prior to each use as the powder can settle.

The best time to add the solution to you aquarium is after conducting maintenance such as blowing off the rocks, cleaning the glass, siphoning the sand or conducting a water change. Ideally, you should be doing all of the aforementioned maintenance items during a water change, but that discussion is for another time.

Now, on to my personal favorite use of the product: preventing and getting rid of Cyano!

Cyano Solution

Cyano, in all its forms, has been the bane of many a reefers existence. Nothing can upset or ruin the appearance of an aquarium display like that nasty, slimy cyano! The algae is present in all systems, and dates back to the dawn of planet but you can keep it from taking over your aquarium and causing you heartache.

Ideally, you want to be taking preventative measures to ensure that cyano does not gain any real estate in your reef. Prevention is always easier than treatment, but if you can always treat it too.

To amplify the Coral Snow, you will need a bacterial solution. Most will do, but I like Microbacter7 by Brightwell Aquatics. What we are doing here is mixing the bacteria with the Coral Snow, allowing it to bond and adhere to the surface of sand and rock. Basically, we’re trying to eliminate land for the cyano to stake its claim. While most of the Coral Snow will be removed via filtration, there will be a bit that coats you aquariums surfaces, in this case with bacteria that will out compete algae.

The Mix

Take your measured solution of Coral Snow and add it to a small container.

• A plastic or glass cup will suffice.
• Next, add 10 drops of Microbacter7 per 5ML of Coral Snow.
• Allow 5 minutes for the solution to sit and then dose into your aquarium.

Note that Coral Snow will cloud your aquarium for at least two hours. Filter socks and Protein Skimmer(s) should be left on.

Application

I use a DIY mixture of Calcium Carbonate to clarify the water. The solution acts as a flocculant, helping to export tiny free floating matter.

Now, you could just stop right there, and use this solution simply for water clarity, but, you would be missing out on some of the greatest benefits that the complete formula has to offer.

Combining the Coral Snow with bacteria has an outsized effect on undesirable things such as Cyano slime.

• To get the full effect, you’re going to want to take a turkey baster and manually remove or blow off all cyano and other desirable organisms off of the rockwork and sand.

• If you’re able to, run some filter socks in the sump to help capture any large free floating waste.

Now, your going to want to add the Coral Snow solution in a cup and then add the bacteria. You can go a little on the bacteria, slightly more than the manufacturers recommendation.

• Allow the solution to sit for five minutes and then administer it to the aquarium.

• For the full effect, I will turn off the main system pump and allow the solution to have time to coat the surfaces of the aquarium. Generally, I will let process play out for an hour before turning on my main pump and filtration.

• After the hour is up, the main pump is turned on, filter socks setup, and skimmer turned on. The skimmer is going to play a key roll here in helping to remove the particles that have bonded to the coral snow.

Enhancing Coral Snow to Feed Corals

After some weeks, and the system is clean and clear you can then move on to some more advanced methods and mixtures.

I like to add bacteria, Zeofood, and Selcon to my mix.

The Coral Snow will help to distribute the nutrition directly to the corals. When dosed correctly, you should see a feeding response from corals, especially SPS who will extend feeding tentacles.

Now, not all corals will immediately go into feeding mode during the day. It will take some time but eventually they will be conditioned to do so. All things considered, the feeding mix has done very to aid with growth of corals in my system.

Final Thoughts

Hopefully, you find this Coral Snow solution to be advantageous. I have used it for years with great results. My aquariums are devoid of cyano and nuisance algae. The fish look like their floating in mid air and the true colors of the corals are allowed to shine through.

I dose once a week but there is no issue dosing it daily if you are dealing with a particularly bad breakout of cyano. For best results, siphon out as much cyano as possible before dosing Coral Snow.

Good luck and if you need any additional help please feel free to reach out.

Sonny [email protected]

This is awesome, thanks!
I was thinking about buying a new UV sterilizer, since my old bulb is out...but now I think I want to try this. I'm probably not going to do anything on my main display yet (thought I might love it), but I think a cool start would be to try on the new nano I set up which is perfect because it is also currently battling some cyano. What amount of the carbonate/rodi water would you dose for an innovative marine 15g cube? I'll also add some MB7 to the mix (following the label I presume?) that I have laying around for that pesky cyano.
Really looking forward to trying this out!!

 

[twentyleagues]

This is awesome, thanks!
I was thinking about buying a new UV sterilizer, since my old bulb is out...but now I think I want to try this. I'm probably not going to do anything on my main display yet (thought I might love it), but I think a cool start would be to try on the new nano I set up which is perfect because it is also currently battling some cyano. What amount of the carbonate/rodi water would you dose for an innovative marine 15g cube? I'll also add some MB7 to the mix (following the label I presume?) that I have laying around for that pesky cyano.
Really looking forward to trying this out!!

The recommended dose is 5ml/50g. So in your 15g I would at most dose 1 maybe 2 ml. This works better with a skimmer or good mechanical filtration. I did use it on a "nano" without a skimmer and it was fine just took a little longer to clear up. Typically you add like 10 drops of mb7 to the 5ml/50g of snow you are going to use and let that sit for 5 min before use. Since 10 drops is probably less than the dosage on the bottle, I would just stick to a few drops in whatever amount of snow you are going to use.

 

[brandon429]

Amazing how on page 41, after four years and hundreds of tanks showing positivity, we get an analysis report showing mb7 is bad, on paper. But functionally we can see it's not harmful in the real world

Showing up on page 41 to give counter advice, and aquabiomics links as a proof, having no 41 page counter thread to show real world harm by mb7, comes from the comfort of not having to produce a counter proof work thread using other people's tanks

On paper, who could debate ab's report showing pathogens?


It'd take a real world context study to counter it. And we would see harm in pattern, by page 41. I love work threads, they humble chemists.

 

[brandon429]

So Sunny I'll offer this take


Since you have a roughly 99% happy outcome rate across the tanks you worked, and you couldn't control outcomes since all these jobs were independently ran, you used patten science to beat links that actually don't factor much in the real world

In additional news, someone brought a frag today that had vibrio on it, a known human pathogen also found in lots of wet materials at reef shops
We've been handling pathogens all this time

There's no possible way for someone to lessen your accomplishment without them linking a thread where 100+ reefs aligned behind a certain cause and tested it.

It's always easy to make evals from the sidelines.

 

[brandon429]

I reminded Randy and 20 leagues of this thread when the topic came up recently that adding extra bottle bac is bad or risky

So there's no way you're going to get acknowledgement, even if you drove this thread out to 500 pages of happy tanks with four year updates. The goal is to prove adding extra bacteria is bad, not neutral or actually positive, which i think your results may show


Once a method is in the crosshairs it'll never be validated, notice above how in the evaluations nobody commented on your ability to align hundreds of reefs to a positive outcome. You get no acknowledge, just move the carrot of proof out further.

That doesn't factor, the big picture here

The only factor is that your giant hard work thread doesn't align with someone's aquabiomics report.

I don't see this thread that way. It's why I brought them back here to look at your data. At some point, 41 pages of positivity has to factor. They have to give a statement on how something claimed bad, keeps turning out as good in real world tests.

 

[twentyleagues]

I reminded Randy and 20 leagues of this thread when the topic came up recently that adding extra bottle bac is bad or risky

So there's no way you're going to get acknowledgement, even if you drove this thread out to 500 pages of happy tanks with four year updates. The goal is to prove adding extra bacteria is bad, not neutral or actually positive, which i think your results may show


Once a method is in the crosshairs it'll never be validated, notice above how in the evaluations nobody commented on your ability to align hundreds of reefs to a positive outcome. You get no acknowledge, just move the carrot of proof out further.

That doesn't factor, the big picture here

The only factor is that your giant hard work thread doesn't align with someone's aquabiomics report.

I don't see this thread that way. It's why I brought them back here to look at your data. At some point, 41 pages of positivity has to factor. They have to give a statement on how something claimed bad, keeps turning out as good in real world tests.

I am a bottle bac user! what the heck are you even talking about. You need to read the posts you reply to. Where did you even get that idea? Slow down on the weird spout offs and read. I use Sonny's recipe for coral snow. When I first started I used it with mb7 all the time I have stopped using it like that regularly but every once in a while go back to it.
I also regularly post answers to peoples questions on this thread hopefully @SunnyX doesnt mind.

 

[brandon429]

I had read you advices above before I replied. If you're now saying those are in support of adding mb7, OK.

What I took from your posts was that you didn't agree adding extra bottle bac as feed for the system got these results shown here in Sunnys thread, though that's what they're doing.

 

[twentyleagues]

I had read you advices above before I replied. If you're now saying those are in support of adding mb7, OK.

What I took from your posts was that you didn't agree adding extra bottle bac as feed for the system got these results shown here in Sunnys thread, though that's what they're doing.

No you got it wrong. I dont run a bacteria driven system like Sonny does but I agree it can and does work. I have followed Sonny's tanks for years and am always in awe. Maybe someday I will switch to a system like that. But I will still use the snow laced with aminos and bacteria from time to time.

 

[twentyleagues]

I had read you advices above before I replied. If you're now saying those are in support of adding mb7, OK.

What I took from your posts was that you didn't agree adding extra bottle bac as feed for the system got these results shown here in Sunnys thread, though that's what they're doing.

Can you quote my post that gave you that idea? Please. Not sure where I would have sounded like I was against bottle bac.

 

[Troylee]

This works great! I’ve done it on my display from day one! I will say this much thou! Lots of people just use the calcium carbonate and don’t experience the crystal clear water so I tried it myself.. just plain old snow works okay but the bacteria we add to it mb7 and zeobak myself make your tank sparkle without a doubt! I tried just the shot of bacteria without the snow and my water clears up like crazy!