Coral Nutrition: Dosing Amino Acids in the Reef Aquarium

[@tidalgardens]

Are you guys dosing amino acids in your tank?

[@fadetoblack.-]

What type of amino acids are you using.or as you would say fell into your lap!

[@praveenpulikutti]

Twice weekly with reef energy..

[@skicattx]

Yes, Acro Power, but I’m starting to wonder if too much causes algae blooms.

[@aliceholbert1246]

Yes

[@tarikgul6596]

Just start adding red sea reef nutrition

[@Meldium]

Tidal Gardens University I keep saying it over and over. The amount of info and experience you provide is top notch. Also Than’s Videography is above and beyond anyone else. I know you keep saying that your videography is garbage but Than you just have to realize that nobody can’t even come remotely close to your quality of content, knowledge and expertise you provide. Definitely can tell your 15 years of study in professionalism and you can back it up. Once again, thanks again Than. Stay Reefing!

[@tidalgardens]

Thank you Meldium, I am glad you liked the video. I love my videography, my editing is garbage :)

[@Meldium]

@@tidalgardens ah ok now thats a different story. I agree editing sucks. but still Than, as you rate your videos... your content/videos are still top notch.

[@PaulBlaney]

Plz keep these types of vids comin

[@Joshthereefer]

Love how you dabbled into the chemistry/biology aspect of the hobby.

[@emmanuel8561]

Most impressive from a pure master... Thanks for your wealth of knowledge...

[@tidalgardens]

Thanks Emmanuel!

[@GustavoTokoroRiether]

I really like your videos, your English is easy to understand and you speak very clear! Keep doing this videos, one recommendation is could you share the references of studies you quote on your videos?

[@SparkyHelper]

Such an incredible gift of a video! Thank you! Where do you do your research before starting an experiment?

[@colyvor2283]

Great content, great presentation, great pictures :D

[@northernreefer1614]

Gorgeous footage. Thanks for the information.

[@jluusaltwateraquarium8320]

Super fantastic video sir... Thanks for sharing us... Happy Reef...

[@charlesmorgan3510]

Best vid yet, Than!

[@jonashley9681]

Great video, especially enjoyed the deep dive into the science

[@amermeer3989]

Thanks for the video Than! So much valuable information and articulated in a clear concise manor. You are on a different level bro.

[@adamschaafsma5839]

Thank you so much for this! Great research and information! Yes we started dosing amino acids and saw a big change in color and growth of our corals since we only have a hang on back filter this has been important in leu of perfect water quality. Keep up the excellent work Thein!

[@BorkPlays]

Hi Than, I really enjoy watching your videos...thoroughly relaxing and the information you provide is excellent.

[@tidalgardens]

Many thanks!

[@915Mang]

Great Footage B Roll, and informative. Thanks Brother!

[@tidalgardens]

Thanks 915Mang!

[@2GETHER_22]

Tidal Gardens branded amino acids coming soon? If not I think you're missing a great opportunity. You mentioned Vibrant awhile ago... I suspect they saw a bump in sales.

[@tidalgardens]

I was looking into making some just for my personal use, which might be a pain to make dissolve nicely. If I am ever successful with it, bottling it up and offering it for sale is the easy part.

[@sunnygoold9449]

Super interesting Than! This is the best breakdown on Aminos I've seen (no surprise though as with most topics you do your content is the best. I have recently started to use Fauna Marin's Amin (but it's too early to tell). Based on the dosing instructions though it turns out those are the lost cost per Gallon of tank (well for me anyhow in Europe) - I was VERY surprised by this. I have a small tank (15G) with no skimmer but for a bunch of reasons I am thinking on my bigger build to only run the skimmer intermittently - this is another reason to do this - unless nutrients get too high. I'm actually thinking I may do a super wet skim to do a water change and skim at other times not for export but for oxygen and I may want to run ozone. Anyhow this video is on Aminos and I suspect using them is a smart way to get better color and healthier corals - like you are feeding concentrates instead of just general coral food. So I suspect feeding the fish (not the corals) and dosing aminos may be the best way to feed your corals without overfeeding your tank.

[@sunnygoold9449]

On a related topic there is a great video on the science of probiotics by AmroAzulTV - then I saw FM have that exact product. I am a bit of a sucker for supplements in a tank - like Aminos. Probiotics and compounds for energy etc as well as using bacteria (which I am a huge fan of - although I may stop using Vibrant)

[@ToddPerri]

Thank You for your great videos, you help many people in this hobby excel !!!!!!!

[@tidalgardens]

You are welcome!

[@Ravan_Caw]

Really good Than , Very interesting information which I for one am very appreciated for.. Your approach with something that’s technical in this way was spot on. Really enjoy your content 👍🏻

[@tidalgardens]

Thanks Ravan, glad you liked the video. I learned a lot by preparing the script to this one.

[@jluusaltwateraquarium8320]

Super fantastic video sir... Thanks again sir..

[@Esposreef]

Great Video, really useful! Going to start dosing Amino's this week!

[@tidalgardens]

Glad it was helpful!

[@MHoran86]

I started dosing Amino Acids about 3 months ago. Really skeptical at first but I've seen more growth in those 3 months then I saw over all of last year, because of that I now rarely feed coral foods, which keeps my tank cleaner. I'm currently running 3 small tanks to keep my coral growing while I finish the build on my main display tank and because of that don't have alot of hardware, things like protein skimmers because small water changes every few days seems like the best option for export. Glad to hear your thoughts on this topic. All of this is still new to me, so I would definitely be interested in knowing more. What corals take them, and whens the best time to feed them for each species. That way I don't waste time feeding them if they don't take them in, and knowing when is best would allow more of what I'm giving them to be taken in. Thanks again for the video, I've been excited to hear your thoughts since you mentioned the video durning your live sale

[@seanstockford5847]

Thankyou for sharing very informative give me a better understanding now

[@jussless2834]

Very interesting topic and great insight on the subject now I have a better understanding on the topic as I do on all your informative videos keep up the great work nice videos of the corals too 👍👍👍👍

[@mrmused]

Hi Than, I do daily dosing of Red Sea Energy A + B in equal amounts. I switch augmenting that mix with the PolypLab Acids & Plus, and Two Little Fishies AcroPower. I use the augmentation to cover any potential gaps in amino acids. A few drops of Polyp Boost completes the daily dosing. Once or twice a week, I'll also add in a weak dose of Reef Roids or Coral Frenzy. Not enough to jack my nutrients, but I can't argue with the coloration & growth I'm getting from both small and large polyp corals, as well as zoas and palys. If there was a word of advice I could give others, it's to make sure your system is free of nuisance corals like majano and aiptasia. They'll both go into heavy growth mode with regular amino acid dosing.

[@bandrewsonp5379]

Your pronunciation of methionine was spot on.

[@ZokomoTV]

Another great video!

[@someone6reefs]

Great info as always 👍🏽

[@drexistre7364]

Than this is a very amazing video once again you have out done yourself on this one so much information man thanks keep them coming and yes I dose amino acid 3 times a week 👍👍

[@alexandreburkhart]

Fantastic job. Thank you very much! And, of course, we want more 😉

[@AMILLER415]

Really helpful video!! Thanks!!

[@volteface69]

Merci pour ta vidéo !!! 👍👍👍

[@mdowney14]

This was awesome, Than! So I’ve been working up a plan to do a fully dedicated goniopora tank where I can optimize the entire environment for healthy Goni growth. Any suggestions on where to get cysteine, glycine, and lycine and when to dose them? Much appreciated!

[@thingsibuild7534]

It would be nice if you keep us up to date on what you figure out for a formula. Amino acids gets pricey from the normal venders.

[@eraserajm]

You had amazing corals before amino acids When did you switch what where you using before Great video

[@calipsosreefs4843]

Awesome video

[@Airwolf2007]

I had a similar problem. I have a big system and those amino acids are pricey. I buy them directly from the factories which is insanely cheap, or even distributors for smaller amounts which is still cheap. Those BRIGHTWELL’s are only like 1% strength. I couldn’t Fortunately, I am a designer of supplements and have created amino acid products for human consumption. So I just designed and dose my own recipe. Thus, it would be quite simple to dose amino acids to your entire system at insanely low prices. Thanks for all the great videos!

[@drewlong77]

Incredible content...especially the specific aminos for each coral. I thought you were going to say that you bought each in bulk and will be creating & selling special blends for specific coral species. I would Love to see a similar video on vitamins/trace elements as I was wondering if there was anything I could dose or dose more of that would help my aleviopora recover from a nem sting, and like wise with all my zoas melting after that same nem split. (And I presume released something that effected zoas)

[@tidalgardens]

I want to try to do that at some point. You can buy amino acids in bulk ranging from super pure pharma-grade labs or from super cheap bro-science nutritional supplement companies. I think the challenge will be to turn the powdered forms of all these amino acids into a liquid that can be easily stored and dosed.

[@theloneaquarist]

Great Video content.

[@bobbyfraser6792]

If you find the right amino recipe, please start selling it! I would totally buy a tidal gardens brand amino acid that you're using for aquaculture.

[@detaildz]

Execellent video a great help, a question when you are dosing amino acids ( I use Red Sea A&B energy plus) do you still feed the coral with addtional foods i.e. Reef Roids etc? Thanks again. Bob

[@starwindaquariums6309]

Great video

[@tidalgardens]

Thanks!

[@sneakyg1250]

I did not document enough when I started dosing Amino acids but I remeber the corals I had, mainly LPS were more dull and since dosing daily they have become much more vibrant, dosing daily since about march or april 2020

[@flashkan]

I dose KZ lps aminos and brightwell. KZ lps generates a faster and more substantial effect for euphylia and acans. I have altered my feeding process a month ago with great success. My feeding regime is to turn off skimmer and return and leave powerheads on. Melt mysis with brightwell coral aminos, kz lps, splash of reef chili, chroma coral color, and occasionally brightwell recover. I feed this about 5x/week. With powerheads still on, pour a little of the juice into the tank. Coral feeders are extended within 2 minutes even on slow lobos. Cut powerheads and target feed. I leave powerheads of for 10-15, until I see the corals have eaten the target fed amount and start to open back up. Then I turn on powerhead for 20 minutes and let them grab whatever they want. Once the tank water is clear after that 20 minutes or so, turn back on the return. Turn on skimmer after 1 hour. Pod population is still struggling a bit. All corals are now a lot more fluffy and full. Fragged corals generally take 1 week to heal as opposed to 2 weeks before the change. The only corals that don't like my tank are cynarina. Acan, euphylia, duncan, scoly, and elegance growth is fast. Rainbow Pectinia nearly doubled in size in 2 months. Sps are only 2-3 months. Some have fast growth, others are slow, others just basing. Not experienced enough with sps to say if it has helped them. Lastly, nitrate keeps bottoming out, so dosing daily to stay above 5ppm.

[@DeeFromBrooklyn]

Great info. Feel like I learn red something, but it's hard to suppose something you can't treat for. You won't know you've over done it until you see negative results

[@dragonshadow3707]

Hey bud loved the video I like videos that dive a bit deeper into the biology of this hobby instead of just say suff like this is good for your tank so do it lol 😂 anyways thanks for your time and keep them coming all the best. D

[@Waynerock77]

You WILL get cyano with aminos it’s all about moderation as to how much you will get. I use Brightwell 3 times a week about 25 drops on 65 gallons. If I dose every day I do see cyano pop up and my glass needs scraping everyday. It DOES do wonders for the corals though

[@stlreefer174]

Aminos are magic. Can’t wait to try out Red Sea’s Reef Energy Plus AIO. It looks promising.

[@JonCherba]

So where would you suggest we purchase amino acids in bulk? I would love to look into this further for my reef tank I'm researching and planning right now. I should have it started in the next few months I'm hoping. Thanks for the great videos!

[@kingreeftank2428]

Hi you’ll! Quick question. Are you still using amino’s and would you share your long term experiences dosing amino’s in a upcoming vid? Like to see that!

[@gbj6581]

Great info. I dose them and have good color. I use acropwer and Aquavitro Fuel (it has trace elements as well).

[@tidalgardens]

That is the one we are using currently. How do you like it so far?

[@gbj6581]

@@tidalgardens i like aquavitro. Colors are totally inproved once i started dosing it. I find the cheapest place to buy it is on ebay. Though for you prob not plausable to buy this stuff as you need sooo much of it. Hope you manage to make some or source cheaper.

[@lagoonreef]

Please share the recipe 🙏

[@DiepBlueC]

Great video. Can you please cite some of your references in the description? I would like to read more about the types each coral need/prefer/are capable of making, and the effects of light/dark on consumption.

[@tidalgardens]

There are a bunch of papers, but a couple nice comprehensive articles were on Advanced Aquarist. The first is by Dana Riddle: www.advancedaquarist.com/2015/5/corals Second was by Tim Wijgerde: www.advancedaquarist.com/2014/3/corals

[@cloud9reefing503]

Now I wish this detail was on the bottle we purchase! Thank you! I use poly lab w/reef roid casher and acropower, different days but evens out to something going in daily. My tank is low nutrient, I need more fish.

[@geraldbellows2977]

Nice scans had good results with brightells product

[@tidalgardens]

I used it before too. I know a lot of people are very happy with brightwell.

[@avishae]

I just had flashbacks of highschool bio class... very informative tho. I'm sold with amino acids!

[@tidalgardens]

It's worth giving it a try. Every system seems to behave differently so if it is not working out, go back to what was doing well before.

[@shih87]

Excellent video, thanks. I think there is one thing will not over dosing easily in this hobby... patience

[@helwrj28]

What specific product do you recommend?

[@theloneaquarist]

What brand are you dosing?

[@jadellreyes4156]

You said at the video that you make your own amino acid how did you do it. Thanks

[@mithunshome815]

Please, can you tell me when Leather and Hammer coral take amino acid at night or day?

[@charlesmorgan3510]

Mithun Shome both

[@tidalgardens]

I don't know. There are not a lot of studies done on most corals specifically. The papers I saw only looked at a handful of corals.

[@EIY_Kumar]

Now, are you dosing any specific brand like brightwells or acropower ? or you're trying your own DIY version again ? you've noticed good result with everything or any specific brand?

[@tidalgardens]

We've tried several brands over the years. Whichever you go with it's good to test to make sure you are getting the effect you want.

[@abuzdream]

Hello sir , excellent info. Could you pls guide on schedule for feeding? Like how many times a week or month ?

[@lonestarpatriot876]

That would depend on your system and the Biomass in it. There is no cookie cutter amount to this.

[@tidalgardens]

It will depend on your tank, but most people that dose amino acids do so daily.

[@jonrude24]

Going to try dosing after watching this. Does anyone know if corals with sweeper tenticals will be more active?

[@pdxreef546]

I chose my amino acid brand based on use : Acropower if i’m using a dosing pump and bright well if I’m dosing by hand (far more concentrated).

[@tidalgardens]

Someone else mentioned they liked Acropower because it was something they could keep at room temperature and dose automatically.

[@bencobb3433]

Why you not done a building update for ages?

[@saurabhdoha]

Which Amino Acid do you recommend

[@marianamator4171]

😀

[@leo11877]

How much to dose? I only have a couple of Acans and few Euphyllia and only 1 SPS frag for now.

[@imgoduknow]

Leo Brightwell recommends 1ml per 50 gallons (20 drops) and says maximum dose is 5ml per 50 gallons but that is just for Brightwell, I imagine it varies from brand to brand.

[@WB25Penn]

I am about to start in with amino acids on my reef. Do you recommend doing the weekly dose at once or split up over 7 days?

[@leo11877]

Does dosing Amino raise PO4/NO3? I have been dosing on and off but I suspect large rises in nutrients when I feed. I am not 100% sure. However there is a noticeable difference.

[@siggyincr7447]

It would be interesting to see if mixing the amino acids into some sort of coral food would work better than just maintaining a certain level of dissolved amino acids in the water. As Than already said, in natural seawater the levels are exceedingly low. My guess is that you could get far higher uptake efficiency by mixing the amino acids into a coral food than by just dumping them into the water and hoping the corals get some before the skimmer removes it.

[@dowphantom3792]

do fish and inversts benefit all all from dosing Aminos also?

[@Ruffles206]

My tank is 40G and I start dosing Brightwell aquatics Coral Amino,10 drops every day I’m week 3 and I still don’t see any difference yet. I ready take pictures from the firths day so I’m gonna check 3 more weeks and see the different, any tips from any other people?

[@UltimateAPBTS]

Which brand of amino acids did you use?

[@tnipp1285]

👍👍

[@GazuntaiWorld]

I simply dose pharmaceutical grade Aminos. Tank inhabitants look great

[@gabesreef]

👍🏽

[@ganapety]

How much do you dose, in grams of dry matter per 100 liters of water?

[@skbennett7014]

But is it better to try to target feed aminos or just broadcast? Or does it make a difference? Right now I’m just dozing 3mL of aminos in my nano tanks return chamber once a week

[@lN3Fl]

I have a 25 long frag tank. When I dose aminos I conentrate the formula so less aminos but I directly dose them to the corals and polyps. I mix the aminos 3 or 4 drops with reef roids and mysis that has been sitting in the fridge for an hour or two. The corals go absolutely nuts.

[@mattdiscus]

Would bubble tip anemones benefit from amino acids?

[@tidalgardens]

It is possible. I don't know for sure because I don't think there are any studies on bubble tips specifically.

[@imgoduknow]

Curious to this as well.. I would imagine they would. IME my BTAs respond strong to meaty foods (protein) and proteins are made of amino acids. So it makes sense. I just started dosing my BTA tank though so I will find out with in the next couple of months hopefully.

[@stevenmoomey2115]

I have AquaForest Powdered Amino Acid. It’s hard to get the Powder to Dissolve. I have to mix hours ahead of time, then remember to add it to aquarium. Often it is forgotten in the evening rush. Also I have multiple Aquariums. I would like to make a large batch up, and Store it in the Refrigerator. Does anyone know how to do this?

[@goaski474]

What is the coral at 5:40? thanks

[@MicrobiusBlue]

A Gorgonian 😎

[@LightSearch]

The big question is, what's the impact of dosing aminoacids in a tank with an adequate and well fed fish population? Isn't it redundant?

[@CJSAQUARIUMS]

two diff types of nutrition.... id still do both

[@LightSearch]

@@CJSAQUARIUMS Fish have notoriously inefficient digestive systems and if the fish are well fed, I I don't think that the corals will have any deficiency in their nutrition. Between the poo particles and the bacteria that it feeds, I think it's enough nutrition for the corals. I believe the reason Than sees a big impact is because his systems are not heavily populated by fish. I would use them if I had a tank where nitrates and phosphates were normally depleted.

[@CJSAQUARIUMS]

I keep heavy stocking in my tanks and noticed a difference with aminos in addition to the fish waste. You may be right regarding thans light stocking list in his particular case. Ether way it’s a interesting question that I doubt anyone can really prove without some lab testing...

[@lonestarpatriot876]

We don't know if it is because we don't know how much aminos may be in that well fed system, nor do we know the exact amount corals need. What we do know is that corals use amino acids. It can not hurt to dose aminos and if you see a positive effect, keep dosing. If you see no effect, your tank was probably getting enough as is. My thoughts are that if some of the best reefkeepers and tanks in the industry are using it, it can't be bad and I know World Wide Corals and BRS use them on their tanks.

[@LightSearch]

@@lonestarpatriot876 I don't doubt they're good for tanks with lots of corals and just a few fish, but I question the bennefits in more balanced systems. There have always been amazing tanks (I mean with corals growing well and with good colors, because 99.9999% of all reef tanks are ugly) without them since the 90's.

[@mime454]

Can you tell us where to buy the amino acids in bulk that you're using?

[@tidalgardens]

You can find super expensive pharma grade stuff from suppliers that work with drug development companies. You can also find super cheap amino acids from places that make nutritional supplements. I think they are all in powder form though and I haven't tried making solutions with them.

[@Wissperwind]

Which amino acid product did you dose? AB+? Nutrition N?

[@tidalgardens]

We are currently using Aquavitro Fuel

[@Wissperwind]

@@tidalgardens Thanks for the answer. Interesting brand. Never heard of them before. Would you consider one or both of the products mentioned by me as similar?

[@dantheman9616]

Would you recommend turning my skimmer off while broadcast feeding Amino acids?

[@SpaghettiKillah]

Yes. He said so in the video. Pumps on...skimmer off.

[@DesertRider760]

How often do you reccomend dosing amino acids?

[@tidalgardens]

That I don't know. Each system is going to be a little different there. I plan on doing one dose in the morning and one in the late afternoon.

[@DesertRider760]

@@tidalgardens If you have a light bioad of just softies and some LSP would you reccomend every day, or a few times a week?

[@lagoonreef]

What's the brand recommendation Than

[@lonestarpatriot876]

Brightwell Coral Amino is used by World Wide Corals on their tanks as well as BRS.

[@tidalgardens]

No recommendation from me, but the only three I've used up to this point are brightwell, acropower, and aquavitro fuel.

[@garrettross3351]

What time of day do you dose?

[@tidalgardens]

About 11am.

[@garrettross3351]

Thank you!

[@KlimovArtem1]

I don't get it. Just dosing them in the water - will they really stay there and be bioavalable for a while or quickly decompose by bacteria? Also, shouldn't zooxanthellae and any other plant-like cells just build their own amino acids from nitrates and phosphates available in the water?

[@serg9427]

So when’s the ideal time to dose SPS?

[@tidalgardens]

Not sure an ideal time exists. If I was to set up a schedule for my tank, I would dose once in the morning and again in the late afternoon.

[@serg9427]

@Phillyfishguy same.

[@serg9427]

@@tidalgardens right now i dose acropower at night. cant really tell if it works

[@dowphantom3792]

Im dosing Aquaforest Amino , Vitality and Build

[@lonestarpatriot876]

I don't understand the debate in the hobby about this. On one hand you have those that say they generally get it from the foods that go into the tank and that there is no need to dose because of this and that is probably true. On the other side are those that say your corals may not be getting enough from regular feedings of normal food and that may be true as well. My thought is, try it, if you see no results, stop dosing. If you see results, dose. It is that simple. Some tanks may need it and others may not. My guess is that this would depend on how much and what each reef keeper is already feeding in their normal feedings. I have learned in this hobby that you have to test things yourself instead of always asking others or listening to the advice of others blindly. By the way, Coral Amino by Brightwell is my go to Coral Amino. I believe WWC and BRS use it as well on their tanks.

[@ax7397]

When you will make your own amino can you please share with us as well Than ?

[@tidalgardens]

I want to try making my own, but it might be a challenge to figure out how to make it mix nicely. If I ever am successful, the easy part is bottling it up and selling it :)

[@janinesnyder8250]

I swear to god, your videos are giving me “bloodworm rash” on my feeding wrist.