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Trying something new - Prodibio
Written by Sam   
Tuesday, 12 February 2008

Image
Two months worth of nitrate and phosphate eating bacteria, bacteria food, a coral food, strontium and iodine all in one little box!
I have decided to try Prodibio on my 125g reef tank. Prodibio is probiotic style reefing additive set that uses certain strains of bacteria along with a bacteria food, an overall coral broadcast food, strontium and iodine. These additives come packed in little glass vials in a plastic case so they are unique in they way they are packaged. The glass vials are sealed and nitrogen flushed to preserve the liquids inside from contaminants.

This method is not unlike Zeovit or Polyp Labs Reefresh or Ultralith or even DIY method with vodka dosing or even using bio-spira/cycle. These methods seek to reduce nutrients in the form of dissolved organics, nitrate, phosphate to very low levels. These methods introduce beneficial bacteria into the system or introduce a fuel source for the bacteria presently in the system to consume nitrates, phosphates and organics. These create a water born bio-mass that can be removed by your skimmer. This allows increased feedings and hopefully results in better coral coloration with a cleaner environment for your reef animals.

 So how much of this stuff do I need to use and what do I hope it accomplishes?

Prodibio Overview
Prodibio for saltwater reef tanks is a range of products that is almost a system or method for maintaining aspects of the chemisty in your saltwater. The BioKit Reef I started with comes with the following:

  • BioDigest (bacterias)
  • BiOptim (trace element - bac food)
  • ReefBooster (phospholipids, amino acids, omega-3 marine fatty acids, vitamins, carotenoids)
  • Stront+ (stontium - coral supplement)
  • Iodi+(iodine/iodide - coral supplement)

Here are my dosing rates for each:

 

Dose in amps

Per tank size ltr

Tank size gallon

Every X Days

My dose/amps

 Amps/month 

$/month 

BioDigest

1

1,000

265

15

0.6

 2

2.98

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bioptim

1

200

52

15

2.9

 6

 9.18

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Iodi+

1

400

104

15

1.4

 2

 2.66

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

ReefBooster

1

400

104

7

1.4

 4

 5.32

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Stronti+

1

400

104

7

1.4

 4

 6.79

Total cost per month: $26.94
This seems cheaper than using Zoevit? I think that prodibio is also more gentle than some of the other methods. I am actually starting slow and only using a partial doses of the Bioptim as it seems to fuel the bacteria. The first dose I only used one amp, next dose two weeks later I will use two and then finally the full dose of three amps on the following doses.

My Goals with Prodibio
I have read results from hobbyists on various message board threads about their experiences with Prodibio. One of the recurring themes was a virtual wipeout of macro algae and other algaes in the aquarium because of the lowered nutrients. They even complained that their attached refugiums were depleted of macro algae "like it just starved". This is exciting news! This is exactly what I hope to accomplish!

I have also been lowering my CA and Alk to around NSW levels at 400ppm CA and 8dKH Alk. This seems to be the popular values for use along with the probiotic methods. The lower Alk seems to be easier to maintain at a steady rate. This stabiility is key I think in terms of success especially with SPS coloration. I am still using my two part B-ionic for calcium and alkalinity supplementation. This is done automatically with the reefdoser every 12 hours. This cycle seems to keep the tank at the most even course in terms of stable Alk, CA and even pH. Less fluctuations than I have experienced with reactors.

I also hope to gain some better coloration from the use of Prodibio. I have seen some improvement mostly from my lighting upgrade and hope to gain even nicer colors by gaining better control of the organics, nitrates and phosphates in this system. A reduction or even a wipeout of the nuissance algae in the display would be the ultimate though!

Last Updated ( Friday, 14 March 2008 )
 

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