Reef Moonshiner Method

fishyfishy

fishyfishy

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Anyone on the Reef Moonshiner program? I started about 2 weeks ago and it’s going well so far.

the basic principal is frequent ICP tests in the beginning to understand where any deficiencies are, and then make corrections with specific elements. It’s nice not having to worry about a blended product, that may raise a certain element higher/lower than desired.

Its pricy in the beginning, but some bottles, I’ll probably never use up... years worth considering I’m at like .03ml and each bottle is 200ml I believe. Though some of them like fluoride needed almost half a bottle to correct.

I’m seeing some growth and slight color enhancement, though I did get results that I have a pretty severe tin problem that hopefully I am working towards resolving.

Wondering what others think, or if anyone else is currently using this method. Andre (the guy who made the program) is really active in answering questions and seems to do his homework, though I think some of his results and reasoning behind certain elements can be more anicdotal (sp?) than based in hard truths... but reef tanks are hard to replicate in science... even BRS may struggle replicating 3 tanks and understanding a true change in a certain variable.
 
It rang a bell the other day when it came up in another thread. I looked at it then and my first thought is the expense. @Brandon G said he's on that method. I'd be interested to see from others how they feel long term.

With the system I'm putting together now being well over 600 total gallons I have a feeling the cost would just be too high for me.
 
I'm 270 total gallons. It was expensive in the beginning doing corrections. However you get more per bottle.

Sent from my SM-G998U using Tapatalk
 
@Adam

I think it was originally made for bigger tanks. Like 300-400, so I think your cost is actually pretty similar to mine at around 100. The big upfront cost is around maybe $300 bucks, but the stuff doesn’t really go bad and I can see only needing a few things yearly. Each bottle is $20.

im currently dosing 5 things daily, and corrections based on icp tests. The daily stuff I’ll get years out of, my iron right now just needs one drop... .03/200ml = 6,666 days... wow...
 
I've got a long way to going before I need to dose anything. I don't even have water yet. In the meantime I'll do more research.

Still interested to see how things go with you guys, good and bad.
 
I think trial and error. I’m sure NSW is basis, then through experimentation some levels were brought up higher than NSW and effects were noted. I’m not smart enough to know what each individual element contributes so I just have to have some trust that it’s all working together right.

it does say in the handbook what effects were noted in higher ranges and when things went wrong and what happened. So it was well documented for the program.
 
I looked it up. It’s similar to the Triton method, but boosts certain elements, some especially in response to changes like tissue necrosis, for example.

The guy’s name is Andre Mueller (German) and he has an Excel spreadsheet you use to keep track of parameters. It’s about $300 for start up chemicals, but also allows you to stop doing water changes. So, there is the payoff. @Adam, you might want to take a closer look at this, as it’s more efficient for larger systems.
 
If you are interested, there is about a 40 page book to read and the calculator is cool too just to check out. All that’s free. And there is a Facebook page with good info as well. “Reef moonshiners support group”

my first ICP test took around 3 weeks, but I had heard the lab was doing some changes so it’s typically a little faster, or you can ship direct to Germany and save another 5 days or so.

You send off ICP tests regularly in the beginning as your tank gets “corrected” then it’s just tests quarterly or so to keep check.

it’s rather simple actually and takes about 2 minutes to dose the daily stuff
 
ichthyoid said:
I looked it up. It’s similar to the Triton method, but boosts certain elements, some especially in response to changes like tissue necrosis, for example.

The guy’s name is Andre Mueller (German) and he has an Excel spreadsheet you use to keep track of parameters. It’s about $300 for start up chemicals, but also allows you to stop doing water changes. So, there is the payoff. @Adam, you might want to take a closer look at this, as it’s more efficient for larger systems.
Click to expand...
At the very end of the initial page he recommends continuing to do 10-15% water changes. That will be over 60-90 gallons for me, still over a box and maybe over 2 boxes a month.

I'll read the hand book as I have time. To me it seems like what I was doing for the last year and a half to two years of my system and could very loosely be considered this method. I dosed iron and bromine along with two other Brightwell trace products and added several drips of lugals or the seachem product. I did quarterly icp tests and have long recommended ATI tests, they are the most comprehensive. The RM just take what I was doing to a whole nother level.

I never wanted to get into dosing some of the more obscure elements. I did dose strontium and it also had molybdenum in it. But once I switched to LA salt those levels stayed up on their own. LA also has K in it so I never worried about that one.

Later in the day when I'm on a computer I will post up the last four icp tests I had done. When I get home tonight I'll also post what products I was dosing. I'd also love to see the tests of those doing the RM method with some detail on the elements dosed.

Again I will read more and may refine my methods or switch to it over time. I just don't think it is the best idea to start right off with a brand new system doing this. A year to 18 months was my target to start looking at things closer. A system goes through so many changes during that time you could end up chasing your tail. I'll let the system find its natural balance first. There won't even be coral in the display for 3 to 4 months after startup. I will test out some pieces in the attached 60 frag and may even try some stuff in the frag system. But everything will be going through a very strict QT protocol, and that takes time as well.
 
ichthyoid said:
Just curious, what are the correct parameters (levels) based on?
Click to expand...
Im not actually sure. but if you see Andre's frag packs you wont ask questions....absurd color and growth. anyone can saturate a pic to make it look nice but you see the color intensity when u get it.
 
Adam said:
At the very end of the initial page he recommends continuing to do 10-15% water changes. That will be over 60-90 gallons for me, still over a box and maybe over 2 boxes a month.

I'll read the hand book as I have time. To me it seems like what I was doing for the last year and a half to two years of my system and could very loosely be considered this method. I dosed iron and bromine along with two other Brightwell trace products and added several drips of lugals or the seachem product. I did quarterly icp tests and have long recommended ATI tests, they are the most comprehensive. The RM just take what I was doing to a whole nother level.

I never wanted to get into dosing some of the more obscure elements. I did dose strontium and it also had molybdenum in it. But once I switched to LA salt those levels stayed up on their own. LA also has K in it so I never worried about that one.

Later in the day when I'm on a computer I will post up the last four icp tests I had done. When I get home tonight I'll also post what products I was dosing. I'd also love to see the tests of those doing the RM method with some detail on the elements dosed.

Again I will read more and may refine my methods or switch to it over time. I just don't think it is the best idea to start right off with a brand new system doing this. A year to 18 months was my target to start looking at things closer. A system goes through so many changes during that time you could end up chasing your tail. I'll let the system find its natural balance first. There won't even be coral in the display for 3 to 4 months after startup. I will test out some pieces in the attached 60 frag and may even try some stuff in the frag system. But everything will be going through a very strict QT protocol, and that takes time as well.
Click to expand...
Andre has a fb group where you can post
 
I haven't done wc since starting my 220. i did one the other day to clean detritus out of the sump....it pissed all my coral off for sure. its been running for upwards of 6 month's.
 
Brandon G said:
stupid computer wanted me to send that last response before i was finished. you can post your results there and all ppl will chime in and Andre is very helpful.
Click to expand...
Here's my last tests. They are meaningless at this point to go forward with as the system has been down for over a year now. I was dosing ATI's Bromine, Brightwell KoralColor, Replenish & Ferrion. I had occasionally dosed Kent Marine Strontium & Molybdenum but after switching to LA salt the Moly was climbing too high and I switched to Brightwell Strontion. In addition to that I would drip Lugal's a couple times a week.

I can see that a few of the elements covered in RMM were off some but not too bad over all. I will do more research.

I just calculated my total system volume to be around 605 gallons. In addition to that I will have a 300ish gallon Frag system. It will only be 185 to start and later on I will bring the second trough online. I will have to carefully look at the costs though. The elements themselves will be useable on both systems and I will probably move water from the display to the frag system during water changes but the cost of the icp tests to do both could be staggering with that kind of initial testing.

Like I said I have a lot more reading to do. I'll look into it more as the systems cycle and go coral-less for several months. I hope this threads stays active in the mean time and you guys post up detailed information about your progress. It's an interesting topic to say the least.
 

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