Bio-Pellet Update

[tomtoothdoc]

Tom, are the trates expected to come down?

i'm ok with that amount of nitrate considering the high bio-load. i supposed if i would target feed rather than just dump in the reef snow, chromamax and coralamino. and not let my kids feed the fish, the nitrate may be less?????
also remember i haven't done a water change in over 6 weeks.

 

[InfernoST]

i'm ok with that amount of nitrate considering the high bio-load. i supposed if i would target feed rather than just dump in the reef snow, chromamax and coralamino. and not let my kids feed the fish, the nitrate may be less?????
also remember i haven't done a water change in over 6 weeks.

Gotcha, I'm on the fence about the pellets. If it would replace my GFO reactor and denitrifier I would do it tomorrow.

 

[tomtoothdoc]

Tom, What test kit do you use for nitrates ? I have the same issue as you. 220 tank with hi bio-load. Lots of fish an heavy feeding with hi nitrates. 3 weeks of Biopellets. nitrates wont come dow. 12 weeks your nitrates should be lower. If not, im gonna try a denitrogenizer,.

i use a pinpoint nitrate meter. i can't positively differentiate the color charts....so a digital read out is better in my book. also an added note, years ago i have tested the nitrate meter against the salifert, api, red sea kits, and found that the pinpoint meter was getting a reading where all other kits read zero. i calibrate the meter prior to every use so to me this is more "accurate"....or at least more consistent.

i tried to set up a natureef denitrator before but gave up on it.....too much if's and not as easy as i thought it wold have been. was thinking about a aquaripure but then decide to live with the 15-20 trates. besides i don't know what benefit i would see even if the trates were "zero"

 

[InfernoST]

i tried to set up a natureef denitrator before but gave up on it.....too much if's and not as easy as i thought it wold have been. was thinking about a aquaripure but then decide to live with the 15-20 trates. besides i don't know what benefit i would see even if the trates were "zero"

Both my trates and phates are undetectable using Salifert test kits. I'm using a Midwest Aquatics sulphur denitrifier for about a year now without any problems. Reducing the amount of equipment that one has to run is always attractive.

 

[tomtoothdoc]

those who are still on the fence about the bio pellets, the good thing about it is you can try it while still running all the gfo, denitrifier, etc. you only need a reactor, a pump and the bio pellets.

fyi gotham aquatics(i got mine from here...tito is the man to talk to) lowered the bio pellets price from 37 to 30 a bag...can't go wrong with that.

 

[waynotcars]

I use an Aquariapure Denitrator and be honest, I haven't seen any results at all in 3 months of use. You feed it Vodka so to me, it just seems like vodka dosing. Supposed to feed 8 ml Vodka every 3 to 4 days. Also, on the BRS website, their bio-pellet instructions say to discontinue the use of GFO until nitrates begin to drop and then, if desired, you can start running the GFO again? They also say that phosphates are necessary for the pellets to work? My concern is my phosphates are .05 and my nitrate is 40ppm. Would they work?

 

[DrHarryLopez]

I use an Aquariapure Denitrator and be honest, I haven't seen any results at all in 3 months of use. You feed it Vodka so to me, it just seems like vodka dosing. Supposed to feed 8 ml Vodka every 3 to 4 days. Also, on the BRS website, their bio-pellet instructions say to discontinue the use of GFO until nitrates begin to drop and then, if desired, you can start running the GFO again? They also say that phosphates are necessary for the pellets to work? My concern is my phosphates are .05 and my nitrate is 40ppm. Would they work?

When my Phosphates are 0.01 the pellets are stable and my nitrate continue to stay very low. A couple of weeks ago the bio-pellets pump clogged up, affecting the tumble rate. My phos n trates slowly went up. during my weekly testing I picked up the change. I cleaned the input of the pump and voila the trates n phos dropped to Ultra Low Nutrient levels.

I dont use GFO or GAC. I have two side by side ATI BM 250's skimmers, and filter socks. Water changes every 10 days.

 

[waynotcars]

Do you think the filter sock is a good idea? I run an ASM G6x which is rated for 1200 gal on my 220 in a 100 gallon remote sump in basement.

I debate with myself constantly on whether to use a filter sock or just let the skimmer do the work. The skimmer pulls a LOT so I don't know if I should use a sock. There is much debate on whether they're good idea or bad. Sometimes I use a 100 micron pad in a tray where outflows meet sump and it does get dirty but I wonder if the sock weren't there would the skimmer trap that dirt anyway?

 

[DrHarryLopez]

I use the socks just before i do a water change and for a few days after to collect floating debry. also the sock i have for for the pellets get pretty dirty.

Lot of debate of socks but hey thats what I do

 

[JARRETT SHARK]

well i had a big problem today at my house tank, my pellets had to much flow and stoped moving, cause my tank to cload up? has this happen to anyone?

 

[waynotcars]

That's a good idea. Just temporarily to catch floating debris and then remove. That was my concern. keeping them on all the time and possibly raising nitrates.

 

[tomtoothdoc]

well i had a big problem today at my house tank, my pellets had to much flow and stoped moving, cause my tank to cload up? has this happen to anyone?

how many weeks are you into the bio-pellets?.....there was a time around the 3rd to 4th week where i got a lot of crud in the reactor and in the sock (bacteria bloom?) did you use the sponges in the reactor? they may have clogged and the pellets clumped together and pushed up towards the top of the reactor. i did notice some cloudiness in the display. i changed the sock almost everyday to every other day and every thing cleared up in a few days after.

you're using the 3.5" x 24" pm reactor right? if you are using the sponge, you'll have to clean them often....use this thing i got from micheal's. cut them and zip tie to the round white plastic pieces where the sponges go. they block the pellets from escaping but don't clog up.

 

[OzoneParkGuy]

how many weeks are you into the bio-pellets?.....there was a time around the 3rd to 4th week where i got a lot of crud in the reactor and in the sock (bacteria bloom?) did you use the sponges in the reactor? they may have clogged and the pellets clumped together and pushed up towards the top of the reactor. i did notice some cloudiness in the display. i changed the sock almost everyday to every other day and every thing cleared up in a few days after.

you're using the 3.5" x 24" pm reactor right? if you are using the sponge, you'll have to clean them often....use this thing i got from micheal's. cut them and zip tie to the round white plastic pieces where the sponges go. they block the pellets from escaping but don't clog up.

Hey Tom great idea on using those!! Just cant find them because there isn't any Michael stores here in Qns.

 

[THEDLO]

what reactors are most of u using? in my reactor it only tumbles from one side, so im constantly tilting it so that all the pellets get moved over the course of the day.

 

[waynotcars]

Reading this thread I can't help but notice you guys are having a lot of trouble with these pellets. I'm sorry, but I don't have that much trouble with vodka dosing. No cloudy tank issues, nothing clogging up, no additional equipment to buy. A carbon source is a carbon source. I know you'll disagree but I can VERY accurately measure the amount of vodka I'm dosing with a syringe. How can you accurately measure your carbon source with these pellets. One day they're tumbling, the next day they're not. One day your reactor is clogged, the next day it's not. Now I know this will bring on the rath of those who have invested in equipment and pellets, defending their decision. I would too. But how many things have come along in this hobby only to go by the wayside? If you read the article on vodka dosing on Reef Central, there is science behind it and it explains how to dose in small increments. It worked fine for me. You have to agree that a carbon source is a carbon source, solid or fluid. You have absolutely no way of knowing how much you're introducing into your system by way of these pellets. I said this in the beginning of the thread and was bashed. I'll continue to say it because it's the what I believe.

 

[twistedteq]

There's a Michael's on Woodhaven across the street from Home Depot.

 

[DrHarryLopez]

Reading this thread I can't help but notice you guys are having a lot of trouble with these pellets. I'm sorry, but I don't have that much trouble with vodka dosing. No cloudy tank issues, nothing clogging up, no additional equipment to buy. A carbon source is a carbon source. I know you'll disagree but I can VERY accurately measure the amount of vodka I'm dosing with a syringe. How can you accurately measure your carbon source with these pellets. One day they're tumbling, the next day they're not. One day your reactor is clogged, the next day it's not. Now I know this will bring on the rath of those who have invested in equipment and pellets, defending their decision. I would too. But how many things have come along in this hobby only to go by the wayside? If you read the article on vodka dosing on Reef Central, there is science behind it and it explains how to dose in small increments. It worked fine for me. You have to agree that a carbon source is a carbon source, solid or fluid. You have absolutely no way of knowing how much you're introducing into your system by way of these pellets. I said this in the beginning of the thread and was bashed. I'll continue to say it because it's the what I believe.

How much do you dose daily?
How do you dose it?
Who accurately does it for you if your not home or go on vacation?

True there are techinical differculties on occasion but the same could be said about Vodka dosing. Once you finally tune in your maintance dosage, (that is if you didnt crash your reef in the process, sorry had to throw that in :tongue1 you become a slave to you reef. Most people may forget to dose every here and there. The reactor is much more automated.

When you dose vodka, it goes into the water column and resides in the rock. This is where you'll find your carbon based bacteria. The pellets are digested by the carbon based bacteria in the reactor hence the bacteria reside in the reactor.

Carbon is carbon, your right liquid or dried. No bashing here.

 

[waynotcars]

If you read the article from the think tank, there is absolutely no ramifications from missing a dose or for that matter several doses. For that matter, if I were to go on vacation I would absolutely have to have somebody do routine things to my reef, wouldn't I? Who is going to empty my skimmer? Feed my tank? I would not go on vacation and leave my reef unattended no matter how automated the system. I venture to say, neither would anybody else. So on my list of things that need be done, I will leave doses of the vodka pre-measured in syringes. I'm not going to get into how much I dose now because it's too lengthy. It is in the thread at RC. The same way you have to determine how many cups of pellets to run by water volume is how the vodka dose is calculated. Right now I am on a maintainace dose of 10 ml per day, 5ml in am and 5ml in pm. As for crashing my reef, not going to happen. You don't indescriminatly throw vodka in your tank. It is a slow, measured process. Honestly, think about it, WHERE did the idae for these bio-pellets arise? Do you think they thought of carbon dosing on their own? No, they read about and know that people had been carbon dosing their reefs for years and if the results had not been proven, would they have put the time and money into developing a carbon source they could sell? Of course not. I am open-minded to the pellets and the idea behind it. I just believe there is a lot more research and time needed to judge them. Why can't you be open-minded? The best decisions come from respecting each other's opinions, drawing the benefits and detriments of each opinion and coming up with the best conclusion. I think you will see, in time, that this bio-pellet technology will change in many different ways if it is to survive.

 

[InfernoST]

If you read the article from the think tank, there is absolutely no ramifications from missing a dose or for that matter several doses. For that matter, if I were to go on vacation I would absolutely have to have somebody do routine things to my reef, wouldn't I? Who is going to empty my skimmer? Feed my tank? I would not go on vacation and leave my reef unattended no matter how automated the system. I venture to say, neither would anybody else. So on my list of things that need be done, I will leave doses of the vodka pre-measured in syringes. I'm not going to get into how much I dose now because it's too lengthy. It is in the thread at RC. The same way you have to determine how many cups of pellets to run by water volume is how the vodka dose is calculated. Right now I am on a maintainace dose of 10 ml per day, 5ml in am and 5ml in pm. As for crashing my reef, not going to happen. You don't indescriminatly throw vodka in your tank. It is a slow, measured process. Honestly, think about it, WHERE did the idae for these bio-pellets arise? Do you think they thought of carbon dosing on their own? No, they read about and know that people had been carbon dosing their reefs for years and if the results had not been proven, would they have put the time and money into developing a carbon source they could sell? Of course not. I am open-minded to the pellets and the idea behind it. I just believe there is a lot more research and time needed to judge them. Why can't you be open-minded? The best decisions come from respecting each other's opinions, drawing the benefits and detriments of each opinion and coming up with the best conclusion. I think you will see, in time, that this bio-pellet technology will change in many different ways if it is to survive.

What is your problem? You dose Vodka that's fine, some of us don't and are interested in alternative ways to reduce nitrates and phosphates that's why we are involved in this thread, we are not here to listen to you carry on about Vodka dosing. If you want to be argumentative take it elsewhere.

 

[NYreefNoob]

well as someone who has done most types of carbon dosing, and currently using the bio-pellets, there is no comparison, pellets all the way,i no longer run gfo or carbon on my system, if i need to clean glass once a week, i am only around a month into the useage of them though too me the reason most have problems is they refuse to buy a reactor, want to cut corners using phosban reactors, brs reactors and so on, i broke down and bought the vertex af-15 reactor, i have no tumble issue's, no clouding ect. the problem with alot of the other reactors is the amount of water they are able to get through the reactors. not that it takes alot, i use a mj1200 dialed half way back. your right with vodka you can miss or just completely stop with no ill effects except rise in parms.
now for me the main reason i went with the pellets after watching and reading threads on rc for 6 months or so, same as i did with vodka, sugar, bio-fuel. is that it is dosed over period of time, as the bacteria start to consume the pellets it is letting the carbon source off. waynotcars, you said alot more research needs to be done with the pellets, how much true research was done with vodka ? with different brands ect. as well as who ever thought of using vodka to dose a tank ? or sugar ? and it really isnt a slow process to dose vodka, yes you ramp amount up over a period of time, but how did you figure out what your cut off dosage was ?
besides this link and alot of convo's with people in reguards to use of vodka i never advocated it too people and didnt tell people how to use it, told them do the same research i did and read up on it
http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/2008-08/nftt/index.php