Anyone using the bio-pellet`s?????

[charliethetuna88]

I. Should buy some my phos is 1.0 and my nitrate is at 40 ppms I installed a aquiapure nitrate reactor 2 months ago and my nitate has dropped doen from almost 80 to 40 with the unit but maybe this will help me even more my question is how fast do u want the water to run threw the reactor and do I set the media to a light rumble like the phosban or at a quicker flow rate

 

[cali_reef]

i've been using the pellets for 2.5 months now. i never had detectable nitrates or phosphates so i cant comment on that. what i can definitely say is that i used to have to clean the glass every other day and now i do it once a week. i also used to get a brownish dusting on the substrate which i dont anymore. i do not run GFO anymore at all and have since taken out my refugium. the only problem i seem to be having is a small cyano outbreak on my substrate. whether this is because of the NP pellets directly or because other forms of algae are limited with the pellets making way for the cyano i dont know. i will start vacuming my substrate which i never did before.

in terms of dosages. guys, the whole idea is that this is external to your tank and the pellets are only broken down with available N and P in the column. therefore, it shouldnt matter too much if you put too much or too little. the only caveat to this is that if you have high N and high P you will get a rapid colonization which may translate into rapid depletion of oxygen as the bacteria multiply.

I think it's only half true, too little will not have enough surface area for colonization. Too much should not be a problem if this product worked as advertised, as it's on demand and basically consumed only at the rate of available No3 and Po4. Not sure about the statement on rapid depletion of oxygen, as most if not all denitrifying bacteria do not use oxygen.

 

[Wes]

It seems like alot of money to spend on a product that doesn't eliminate the need for GFO.

If people are still using phosban and water changes to get phosphate and nitrate down what is so great about this product?


Sent from my iPhone using Reefs

 

[Rickyrooz]

It seems like alot of money to spend on a product that doesn't eliminate the need for GFO.

If people are still using phosban and water changes to get phosphate and nitrate down what is so great about this product?


Sent from my iPhone using Reefs

Agreed, so far I've been using Biopellets for over two months and haven't noticed a decrease in algae. My PO4 is still at 0.07ppm (+- 0.04ppm).

 

[cali_reef]

It seems like alot of money to spend on a product that doesn't eliminate the need for GFO.

If people are still using phosban and water changes to get phosphate and nitrate down what is so great about this product?


Sent from my iPhone using Reefs

Just another thing someone "brilliantly" came up with to make a buck in a multimillion dollar industry. The concept is good as you don't need to "replace" media (messy GFO) every few weeks, just add as it depletes. I have not tried this stuff but so far sounds like flow and bacteria colonization control is a bit difficult to work out.

I read somewhere these things are design for waste water treatment and originally designed\patent in the US, you can buy them in 1,000 pound bulk. I wonder if the local vendor selling this stuff okay with people making a "fake" version of this to undercut his sale :lol2:..

 

[juiceguy]

First week update: Phos .02 according to Hanna and Nitrates at 0 (Salifert)
filter socks clog up daily now and skimmer output has stabilized. i i also removed all the algae in my fuge.

My Readings before starting BP were Phos .02 and trates .2

Whether it is another hair-brain scheme to suck more $ out of us, only time will tell. In a few weeks i will remove the GFO and see how that works out.

 

[cali_reef]

First week update: Phos .02 according to Hanna and Nitrates at 0 (Salifert)
filter socks clog up daily now and skimmer output has stabilized. i i also removed all the algae in my fuge.

My Readings before starting BP were Phos .02 and trates .2

Whether it is another hair-brain scheme to suck more $ out of us, only time will tell. In a few weeks i will remove the GFO and see how that works out.

What's the filter sock clog up with? green or red slime? What was your skimmer doing? which skimmer are you using?

 

[juiceguy]

The sock has no new visible debris, i am thinking whatever is dissolving from the BP is getting caught in the sock. i did notice when i first installed the BP that there was a lot of white stringy debris in my sump.

i am using a SWC 250 1a cone skimmer, the head on the foam was becoming more wet therefor it was collapsing before it reached the collection cup reducing production.

 

[cali_reef]

Many people had the white stringy stuff when doing\over dosing carbon products, it seems to go away after the tank gets used to the amount of carbon source.

Not sure what to make of the filter sock issue, what micron rating sock are you using?

The skimmer issue sounds like there in too much oil contaminant in the water.

How much of the pallets (in %) is dissolved after two weeks?

 

[juiceguy]

The socks are the standard 100 micron 7"x16". The white stringy stuff has subsided a bit and it is only visible in the sump, i have moved the outflow of the BP near the inlet of my skimmer.

I thought about excess oils from feedings so i cut back to every other day on the frozen and i do rinse the food through a strainer before feeding.

I only been running BP for a week now and the level in the reactor has remained the same. I read that ppl with higher phos and trate will see a faster reduction in BP because there is a greater amount of food source for the bacteria to consume.

 

[ari5736]

Can anybody recommend a reactor to run one of these aside from a phosban 150, both of mine leak, and I need to install as a hang on.

 

[Rickyrooz]

Phosban 550 is what I'm using. The lid spins on really tight.

 

[juiceguy]

2 week update:

Phos .01 trates 0

filter socks continue to clog up on a daily basis, skimmate is darker than usual.
I am taking the GFO offline to see if the BP can handle the phos on its own. i will do daily phos tests to keep tabs on the levels in case i have to turn the GFO back on again.

I am wondering about the GFO in the reactor......should i drain it? i think shutting it down and leaving it filled with water, the O2 levels will drop inside the reactor forming hydrogen sulfide. maybe i will wait and see if it needs to be turned back on and if it does, just drain it then.

 

[ClosetFishGeek]

Well for what its worth I dove into the Bio Pellets Yesterday. I recorded all my parameters and I am not changing any other variable in my system. I am running 4 litrers in a zeo-vit reactor. At the moment my System is

Nitrate- Undetectable
Phos- .04 Using photometer

I currrently dose 22ml a day of Vodka, Run 8 cups of BRS High capacity GFO that is changed out every 5-6 weeks, and 4 cups of BRS ROX Carbon changed every 2 weeks.
I am curious to see how this product directly effects my Corals for a direct food source and less concerened with nutrient reduction. However, I will welcome cutting down my gfo monthly bill...

Thane

 

[Josh]

filter socks continue to clog up on a daily basis

I was wondering why that was happening so frequently!

 

[juiceguy]

update i have put the GFO back online as Phos readings jumped up to .04, evidently the BP is not ready to handle my tank. i will try again in another week. there is still the flow factor that is still not established, to fast and the BP may not have time to break down the nutrients i am going to slow down the flow a bit.

Josh, i am not sure as to why the socks are clogging daily.....i also noticed the tank water looks cleaner. i think whatever the BP is releasing is competing against the cyano i have which seams to be subsiding a bit. i also read that the BP can act as a mechanical filter as they release the bacterial mulm into the reactor hence the need for proper flow to rid the reactor of the mulm or a flushing of the BP to not let them settle.

 

[juiceguy]

3 week update
phos .03
trates 0

all the sponges inside all my reactors clogged up.....think i am going to get some sort of mesh to replace the sponges.

tank water is clearer, cleaning the glass has gone from every 3 days to 5 days, cyano is almost all gone in the tank. just another note...i haven't changed my Rowa for 2 months, i usually get 6 weeks out of it before changing.

 

[NYreefNoob]

Use the mesh people use for mesh modding a skimmer

 

[cali_reef]

Use the mesh people use for mesh modding a skimmer

I dunno about that, the pellets I have seen looks small enough to get through.

Maybe running high flow through the reactor once in while will help clear out the sponges? Didn't the Zeovit media requiring "stirring" weekly to prevent clogging too?

 

[juiceguy]

a fine mesh may work with the BP but not with the Rowa or carbon. i read on RC that someone used a needlepoint board. i may be heading into a craft store