The BOLUS-Method
In medicine, a bolus (from Latin bolus, meaning „ball“) is the administration of a larger quantity of a medication, drug, or other compound within a specifi c period, typically 1–30 minutes, to elevate the concentration to an effective level.
The Bolus Method is a technique of organizing your Fauna Marin Balling Light
dosing and lighting schedule in order to improve coral growth, tank health and
the long-term health of the aquarium.
The main principle is an ‘alignment’ of dosing and lighting to achieve maximum pH over the photoperiod by precise timing of a single daily dose of alkalinity that is co-ordinated with the start of your photoperiod. The Bolus method is an intelligent approach that harnesses natural processes
to improve tank chemistry.
We take advantage of the properties of Balling Light to maximum effect
without the need for addition of chemicals that would cause long-term harm to the reef tank.
THE OBSERVED BENEFITS OF THIS METHOD WILL BE:
- pH improvement and coral growth rate
- availability of halogens for improved coral health
- maximize photosynthesis during the early stages of the photoperiod
- improve overall system stability
- eliminate/reduce detrimental precipitation and accumulation (the depot effect) that leads to long-term problems such as ‘old tank syndrome
- make your tank more reliable and predictable
This method (co-developed by Frag Farm Ltd, UK and Fauna Marin, Germany) while appearing to be very simple and straightforward, has
been formulated through a deep understanding of reef tank chemistry and how it relates to coral photosynthesis processes where we are inducing various natural chemical factors at a single point in time to excite the corals into a state of high activity.
This is done without any detriment to the tank chemistry or the corals, it is simply organising all the factors that yield a positive result at the right time.
The fundamentals of the Bolus method are to dose the entire daily requirement of Fauna Marin Balling Light alkalinity in a single dose 30 minutes before the start of the photoperiod; this single dose is known as the BOLUS.
The lights come on with little or no ramp (maximum 10 minutes) from zero to your maximum specified intensity for a limited time and ramp down to a ‘normal’ level within a fairly short space of time (between 30 minutes and 2 hours depending on your tank). This intense burst of light is important at the beginning of the photoperiod and works in conjunction with the Bolus to supercharge photosynthesis.
More informations about the BOLUS-Method:
- HTU BOLUS: Detailed explanation and guide to the BOLUS method.
- YouTube Channel of Fauna Marin