I started using the brightwell Coral Amino's in my 24 gallon Aquapod mixed reef and everything's doing great. Everything has brightened up from my acros to my acans. I would recommend using this product.

I saw another thread about this roduct but can't find it now. Went something like 'smells really strong' or something to that effect, but mine does not.
Wonder if I got a bad batch? Mine I got from Marine Depot a couple weeks ago and it does not have a strong odor at all. Kind of vit smelling is all I can think of.

Use it and love it, I have noticed increased growth, since using it. I posted that it smells, mine does any way.

where is the thread/post? I am wondering if I may have gotten a bad batch. What does it smell like to you?

It smells like fat to me. I have been using the same bottle for months on three tanks, with no adverse reactions, just the opposite.
I did not start the thread, but it was about a month ago, that someone posted Dosing with Amnio Acids.

OK, after re-smelling it it does resemble fat. For some reason it had gotten into my mind that it smelled rotten or something foul. This odor is not that bad, not that I would want to walk around smelling it all day though.
How about fatty medicinal smelling?
We should have a contest to best describe its odor. lol

Any of you using this with a 2 part?

Been using it for about 2 weeks now. Approx 5ml daily split up, once in morning and once in evening. Coral growth and coloration is amazing.
New zoanthid polyps are appearing daily and once they spring up it takes no time for them to get to full size.
SPS are coloring nicely too.
Had a new PPE polyp pop up about 2 weeks ago and noticed it is full size tonight.
I'm really happy with this product.
Here is a pic of it. It is the bottom right polyp. Swear it just popped up not 2 weeks ago. Slowest growing zoanthids I have ever seen, but a polyp every 2 weeks is nothing to complain about. Now if more would just appear.

I was wondering how you guys were dosing this? I just picked up a bottle to start using and have started with the spot feeding method. I wasn't sure if anyone had any better or worse results using the broadcast method.

I broadcast feed in my big tank and I have had nothing buy positive results with it. I turn the skimmer off for an hour after I do this.

That's what I was thinking of trying because it seems like more work individually feeding that it would be worth. Thanks for the advice!

The broadcast feeding seems to be working fine. I love the stuff!!! I actually started using it at the beginning of December and so far all of my corals colored up. I bought a few bleached out corals a Sunset Monti and I was given a Rainbow Enchinata frag that was completely bleached out. They're both colored up now and it only took the SM 2 weeks and the Rainbow about a month. Pretty cool, because they looked like they were on their death bed. I'll take some pics and post them

What exactly is it?

just bought a bottle to try out. see if it helps in aiding my SPS recover and grow. its not cheap at 17 bucks a bottle for 30ml which will be gone in 2 weeks if i follow their dosing instructions for broadcast dosing. sure hope this works

I got the 30mL bottle at MarineandReef.com for $10.29 - I don't know what shipping would be, but I ordered a bunch of stuff so I got free shipping (good possible excuse to buy some new stuff? I'm always looking for one...)

The stuff definitely isn't cheap. I only use it in my 24 gallon AP with all of my SPS and higher end corals. It'll be too expensive to do it in my 95 gallon. I've noticed that everything has colored up even more over the last week. My Acro's, Monti's, LPS, everything seems to have been growing like weeds. I bought a ORA Blue Voodoo mini colony a month ago and it's branches have grown over an inch. Polyp extension has increased as well.

I also had a heater malfunction last week and my tank reached almost 90 degrees, which is over 10 degrees higher than normal. I usually keep it at 79-80. Came home on Friday and noticed that my tank looked a little funny and checked my temp. My heater stayed on all day long with the lights on. I brought it down naturally over a 8 hr period, but I was worried because one of my acro colonies started to show some white spots. I added a few more drops of coral amino and let it be over night. The next morning all of the polyps were ready for another dose and I haven't lost a coral yet:) I believe it's a combination of things, but the aminos seem to boost the immune system and increase tissue growth.

I believe it must be similar to how amino acids work in humans. I used to work out 6 days a week in college and I was stuck at 160lbs, but could bench 275lbs. However, I couldn't get past that mark, so I decided to start taking some amino supplements. I increased my muscle mass and it allowed me to work out longer and harder. I got up to 175lbs and was 10 reps with 347lbs. I believe it works the same in corals regarding tissue growth. I've noticed that the tissue on my sps corals seems to be fuller. Anyways, I should start taking some more picks to show a timeline. I've been using the stuff since early December and I've only used a little more than half of a 2oz bottle. Good luck guys and I hope you get the same results as me.

im dosing this in my 100gal system so yes...this will get expensive really fast.

instructions say 1ml for 50gal for 4 weeks, so what happens after 4 weeks?

I just started brodcast dosing this yesterday. Hopefully I can see a change in my SPS and it's not some witch oil.

I just started the same! we will see!! I just hope it doesnt bring my crazy algae back!

Has anyone had an increase growth in Nuisance Algae since using this?
For the ppl that are using this, how long have your tanks been set up?

no bad algae at all in my tank, so no change in growth of it :-P
tanks been up 6months but transferred from a 1 year old tank.

Still have yet to see anything worth the price tag, nothing changed in my tank.
two weeks in i would say

Very little algae increase and it's only on my powerheads.

My 24 gallon has been setup for 10 months, but it was a previously established system that was up for 2 years before I bought it. I just got into SPS 3 months ago and that's why I started dosing the stuff. My LFS swears by it and they dose it regularly in all of their display tanks, which are very nice and grow like crazy. You could check out their site their called Aqua Life in Rocklin,CA. I also trust them because they've talked me out of buying corals if they weren't sure they were healthy. Honesty goes a long way for me.

So how many drops do you dose (broadcast) in a 34 solana?

bottle say 1ml for 50gal...around 20 drops is 1ml. you need 0.68ml for a 34g tank so 14 drops

so last night after i got home, i checked my tank to see how everything is going. i find the few sticks of acro milli isnt this pale pink anymore, but the color got darker. seems like it gained some color. my mind instantly tells me its the amino stuff thats working...but improvements after 1 day? that seems a bit extreme.

one other explanation i can come up with is because my Mg level was extremely low (900ppm), i got some brightwell aquatics Mg powder supplement (great product also btw, might write a review for it later) and added 1/3 the amount needed to raise my mg up to 1300ppm and the Mg level in my tank is already at 1230ppm. so it could be that my corals are reacting to the increase of Mg levels as well

I was doing the same exact thing. My acro seems to have better polyp extensions after dosing this for about 1 week. I started dosing magnesium at the same time to bring the levels up so I can't tell for sure which is doing it for sure. My magnesium was around 1100 so I am thinking it's more the amino doing the work.

I am up to 2 ml per 30gls myself. That is what I started with and cut back to one for about 2 weeks, but found the colors fading somewhat.
I guess 2ml is overdosing, but no neg results from it.
need to get some more ordered.

5 days so far no difference whatsoever in my SPS colors.

thats cause your colors are already at epic status

Nah I have some typical T5 color fading going on. I hate the way SPS look when they get that pastel color from being in an ULN tank, especially when running T5's

+1 I've been checking out your pics. Your expectations are much higher.. It's easier to go from a 7 to a 9 vs. your tank a 9.8 to 10:) It'll be interesting to see if there's a difference eventually in your tank.

man, if you hate it, I'll gladly pay shipping for them.

How do you guys dose this? Do you just drop the number of drops into your tank or do you measure it out? I just picked up a bottle as it seemed pretty interesting and worth a shot, I have dosed once 10 Drops for a NC24, I also turned off the skimmer for an hour but I did dose this during feeding time so would that effect the outcome?

How do you guys dose this? Do you just drop the number of drops into your tank or do you measure it out? I just picked up a bottle as it seemed pretty interesting and worth a shot, I have dosed once 10 Drops for a NC24, I also turned off the skimmer for an hour but I did dose this during feeding time so would that effect the outcome?

I have a 24 gallon as well and just drop 10 drops a day.

I stopped dosing for now. This stuff is giving me bad cyano on my sandbed. The colors on some of my acros have darkened a little though. So I would say this stuff works but it does increase your nutrient level. IMO it's easier to add another fish or two and feed them.

Started dosing 3 weeks ago.....Can't see a difference.

thanks podpimp, thats the experience i was looking for. looks like its somewhat of a dud depending on the system.

I think it must vary depending on the systems. I've been using this for a little over two weeks. The first week there was a little bit of change, but not a whole lot. During the second week I really noticed colors "popping" a lot more in the tank. The biggest difference I noticed was that my zoa's are spreading about twice as fast now. I'm very pleased with the results so far and haven't had any algae growth. I'm just starting the mb7 and biofuel this week to see how this works in my system as well.

It really seems to work well for some and do nothing for others. I guess if you really want to know just get the small bottle and try it out. If it doesn't work sell it to someone else wanting to try it out.

Agree. It seems that way for most all products. Some seem to work well in some tanks but not so well in others.
Salts, trace elements, basically about all products are like that.
I have had good results with it myself, though I think I have been using too much and have cut back.

Were you dosing per the bottle and cut back from that? I cut mine to using it just every other day.

I was actually overdosing it. I had misread the directions is what I think I had done. I really am not sure how I came about the amount I was adding.
My sps were actually getting lighter over time and I think it was due to adding too much.
Pics from another thread and I know they don't look it but to see them a couple weeks before these pics and you would see that the colors were not as deep. Course, they looked brown before I started using the BCA.
This was a deep purple

Blue Voodoo that was lots more blue


Course I am not too familiar with sps to say for sure it is too much BCA, but probably is according to others that gave me some input.

Started dosing 3 days ago in my display, I am dosing less than the bottle says to see what happens. nothing noticeable as of yet as far as PE, color or growth. Will update...

I bought a wild caught white with yellow polyp acro colony about a month ago. It was a a nice pearl white and the polyps would stand out under the 14k MH's. Now the tips have turned a deep blue and purple and it's grown quit a bit. I have some pics of when I got it and I'll try and take some pics tomorrow of it about 4 weeks later. I'm pretty happy with the results. I bought a browned out Pokerstar monti frag and now it's almost completely colored up. So far the 10 drops a day of this stuff seems to be working in my 24 gallon.

It seems in my system the second to third week was the sweet spot where things started getting more color. I'm on my first week of using MB7 now and things are really starting to look nice. Gonna try to snap some pictures tomorrow if I have some time.

Pics please.


And same with you. Lets get some pics up.

So I overdosed my tank to see what would happen.

Nothing

Then I started dosing under the suggested amounts and noticed everything got brighter colors now. So about the 4th week for me was when I noticed results.

The notice results came from dosing daily or every other day?

Tried everday for awhile. Only 3 times weekly. Anymore then that I think is overkill.

Ok first off I'm not that great at taking pictures. Here's the comparison on the beginning first and today second. This is after about 3 weeks of dosing. The color is much better, which the pictures don't really show well. The growth has also been really well.

This was the only coral I had a before picture of that I can find.

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