Brightwell Aquatics Reef Biofuel

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Mannydouhnut

Aquarium Advice Activist
Joined
Sep 26, 2012
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120
So I was really interested in vodka dosing but if my dad were to stumble upon it well let's just say I wouldn't have this wonderful carbon source for much longer...... Anywho I was thinking I would give this a shot I have a very heavily stocked 75 mixed reef. I have perfect parameters but have minor algae issues and I would like to get some better skimade. This tank is heavily over filtered with a huge cone skimmer and a huge ADHI refugium aquamart edition model 45 rated up too 250 gallons. My skimmer is rated up to 180 gallons by the way. I am heavily stocked like I said I have lots of fish and lots of lps. Don't give me crap about the fish I have I like to buy fish small wait for them to out Grow my tank and sell them back to my Lfs. I currently have:

2x small bluejaw triggers male and female pair
1x sailfin tang
1x yellow tang
1x tomini tang
1x blue spotted puffer
1x snowflake eel
1x target mandarin
11x micro blue green chromis .5" my buddy raised them and gave me a few
1x snow onyx clown
2x occelaris
2x gsm clowns
1x clarkii clown

Yes all my clowns get along perfectly the occelaris are in a trio with the snow onyx. And the clarkii isn't a trio with the gems but they do sleep in the same nem at night but as soon as the lights come on he kicks them out. So I am heavily stocked and I want to try this product I was interested in the zeo vit system but thought I would try something cheaper first.
Here's some more info on the product:

Technical Background
The concept of biological filtration is simply to utilize living organisms to remove substances from aquatic systems as a natural result of their respiration and metabolic processes. This mode of filtration is at work in any aquarium system housing live organisms, though microbes (e.g. various types of bacteria) are arguably responsible for the majority of nutrient-remineralization that takes place; oceanographic studies have shown that up to 90% of the dissolved organic carbon present in seawater may be assimilated by planktonic bacteria (bacterioplankton) into new biomass. This nutrient assimilation simultaneously removes nitrogen (as ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate) and phosphorus (as phosphate) from the water, making bacterioplankton a very effective sink of dissolved organic material that would otherwise fuel the growth of organisms such as cyanobacteria and filamentous algae in aquaria.
Bacterioplankton are also an important food source for organisms that are able to capture them from the water column. In a sense, utilizing these microbes to control dissolved organic material and then gradually removing the microbes themselves on a continuous basis through protein skimming and the feeding activities of corals, clams, tube worms, tunicates, sponges, and their respective allies, becomes an effective means of nutrient-harvest. Simultaneously, it promotes the health of these suspension-feeding organisms through constant feeding (encouraging polyp-expansion in many types of corals), and promotes water quality. The entire process requires that adequate carbon be present in a usable form. In aquaria with a tendency towards elevated phosphate and nitrate concentrations, an appropriate source of carbon may quickly become depleted. Reef BioFuel provides a source of bioavailable carbon to ensure that nutrient remineralization is efficient and effective.

Instructions and Guidelines
Shake product well before using. The main goal of using Reef BioFuel is to provide a source of organic carbon to bacterioplankton, enabling them to assimilate available phosphate and nitrate into new biomass (removing these nutrients from the water column and making them unavailable for uptake by cyanobacteria and algae); the resulting increase in bacterioplankton biomass is then removed from the aquarium via protein skimming and through the feeding activities of suspension-feeding invertebrates such as corals, clams, tube worms, tunicates, sponges, and their respective allies. In this fashion, good water quality is maintained, a food source is provided to many aquarium inhabitants, and a large percentage of the assimilated nutrients are directly removed from the system (via protein skimming).

Do not use this product in any aquarium in which active and effective protein skimming is not in use. The skimmer may be turned off for a few (e.g. 2 to 6) hours following addition of Reef BioFuel to the aquarium to enable nutrient uptake and assimilation, whereupon skimming should be resumed; the use of a timer and automated doser to control protein skimming and dosing is a simple and effective means of accomplishing this. Alternately, the product may be effectively employed without turning skimming off at all.

Grossly overdosing Reef BioFuel will not significantly increase the effectiveness of the product, nor the rate at which it enacts changes in aquaria; in fact, it may have a deleterious effect on water quality if not used as directed. The following recommendations are based upon extensive testing and will produce the best results in most aquaria; dosage may be adjusted according to perceived benefit to aquarium with time.

Medium- to High-nutrient Systems: Add 5 ml (1 capful) per 50 US-gallons (189.3 L) [˜2 drops per gallon (3.8 L)] of aquarium water daily. Monitor concentrations of phosphate and nitrate with accurate test kits; phosphate and nitrate should eventually become immeasurable (or nearly so) when a balance is reached between the rates of nutrient-input and nutrient-assimilation. Thereafter, switch to "low-nutrient" dosage (below).

Low-nutrient Systems: Add 5 ml (1 capful) per 100 US-gallons (378.5 L) [˜1 drop per gallon (3.8 L)] of aquarium water daily. With time, hobbyists may determine that decreasing the dosage and/or dosing frequency by up to 50% sufficiently maintains a low-nutrient environment. During changes in biological filtration or when increasing the aquarium bioload, dose 1 drop per 50 US-gallons daily for one week, then resume "low-nutrient" dosage.

Ingredients
Purified Water and Proprietary Blend of ACS Reagent-Grade Organic Carbon Sources.

Sounds legit to me. Is there anyone out there who has tried it yet.
 
I used a similar product called Nitrate Destroyer in my first tank. I do believe it helped lower my nitrate levels that had climbed significantly. But I did use it at the same time as vodka dosing and a new HOB refugium/skimmer unit. Nitrates went from almost 80 to zero in a few weeks (can't remember exactly how many).
Definitely didn't HURT my tank.
 
I got it this morning dosed and my skimmer has already pulled put 2x more than it usually does and even smells worse.
 
Not that anyone really cares yet but I've been dosing for 3 days now and I have a lot less algae in the tank my whole tank was covered in orangish Brown film algae 48 hours ago but now it almost all gone.
 
K so I've been having to drain my cup on a daily basis lately. All if the algae is gone. And its only day 7.
 
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