I've used Maracyn II in my QT tank that I generally add a touch of Prodibio to on occassion, but I don't ever test it so not sure effects of it on the bacteria in the water column. I would think it shouldn't be a big issue, but I wouldn't use erythromycin to rid of cyano either.
A2 Club Coordinator
^Why not? Ive had great experiances with it, along with alot of others. Just never used it on a pro biotic tank...
Are the bacterias we are adding to our tanks and driving gram negative or possitive?
Last edited by Sir Patrick; 03-17-2010 at 02:57 PM.
CR Member
Well I'm going into my 3rd week of the "Prodibio Diet" as I call it. So far Im not really noticing much of any change at all.
After first dose I did notice an improved water clarity, but have not noticed any improvement to the random patches of hair algae I have in both tanks. No noticeable improvement to skimmer production either.
I do have two new spots of cyno in the DT that is annoying the **** out of me.
I plan on continuing with the program as I feel it may still be too soon to notice anything remarkable, and hey I already paid for the stuff so why not. As long as there are no other unattractive side effects.
Any advice, suggestions or questions are always welcome!
"We shouldn't think of an environment where livestock can survive, we should ensure an environment where livestock can thrive."-Rabidgoose
"If it's gonna be that kinda party, Ima stick my ........ in the mashed potatoes!"-Beastie Boys
A2 Club Coordinator
Had to cut back on the MB7....
CR Member
Have not seen that yet Patrick (slime). How much are you dosing now?
anacroporamademepoora
--Lifetime member of the "No Mud Club".:
Sorry for dealy, just getting back on this thread...Originally Posted by Sir Patrick
Erythromycin is only a quick fix. It will eliminate cyano (I've used it before while maintaining other tanks for people to get the "ugly stuff" gone quick), but it doesn't eliminate the reason cyano is coming in the first place, so it will come back... eventually.
Rob, did you get the water level in the skimmer section to be constant?
By now I would expect you to see more gunk being pulled out, especially a bit after dosing.
FWIW, I've never strictly adhered to a program or schedule for this. I just kinda toss some in here and there as I feel necessary. I watch the corals and base everything on that, but if I dose the bac portion, I follow with the other the next week. I don't remember the last time I dosed though as I had been doing lots of water changes on my QT, which I pull from my DT, and add fresh SW back to the display.
Keep in mind if your parameters are at a reasonable level, with Prodibio it's not "all important" to stay on top of your dosing regime (IMO/IME). Most people I know that run it take some time off here and there as I mentioned above. It's no snake oil, but it does (can) help
Moderator
I agree with Austin. I don't adhere exactly to the regimen. I watch my corals and dose as needed. The big benefit I have noticed is that I can feed heavily without fouling my water quality.
A2 Club Coordinator
Hows the pro-biotic crowd doing?? Everything cool? Any issues??
I have been maintanance dosing for a while now- and the brownish film went away- and the bubbles trapped into it were long gone for a long time....but now they are slowly comming back....
Think it could be because I went too long w/o a water change?? Thats what I am thinking....pretty sure waterchanges play a bigger roll in the process than I gave credit....
Any thoughts?
CR Member
I was curious of the same thing Chris. I was reading Andy's (werdlone) post last night and he said he was doing water changes every 3-4 weeks. I do 10 gallons weekly on both tanks. Am I doing to much? From a cost perspective, Im gonna go to every two weeks.
Besides that I'm still battling a touch of nuisance algea, and the edges of the glass need to be scrubbed daily. Especially at the sand line. Can't imagine what it would be like with out the Prodibio though. I have 12 fish in a 60 cube that is fed heavily!
"We shouldn't think of an environment where livestock can survive, we should ensure an environment where livestock can thrive."-Rabidgoose
"If it's gonna be that kinda party, Ima stick my ........ in the mashed potatoes!"-Beastie Boys
Glad to hear you're getting more, darker skimmate! If you could make the skimmer chamber constant you'll be even better off (I know, sometimes easier said than done).
Here's a shot of my sump:
There's three baffles past the skimmer. Water dumps into the skimmer section, then under one baffle, over the middle baffle (which is at 8" and keeps skimmer section constant) and under a third baffle into the next "chamber". In this chamber is where the return pump is, along with the ATO effluent (note clear tubing) and sensor. Forgive the crappy skimmate - it was new at the time
I'm proly one of the laziest reefers you knowHeavy feedings every day, rinse filter sock every few days (I use large micron nylon mesh socks), clean skimmer cup every few days. The Prodibio I use is sparingly and takes two seconds every couple weeks... BTW, I like your style
Water changes will always play in big role. In a high light environment with a tight nutrient cycle water changes are what helps keep everything "in line" and helps dissipate anything that's not.
I do water changes every 3-4 weeks. I change anywhere from 20 - 40 gallons out of my ~180 gal TSV. I only clean my glass once every 10-14 days, but keep in mind my reef is very dimly lit, only 2 x 24W T5 bulbs.
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