bio pellets

[50 cube]

I have been running chemi-pure & phosban in my TLF 150 reactor for a while with good results. starting to look into using bio pellets instead & would like any input on making the switch. have never used pellets & would like pro & con opinions, Thanks

[slicktoppomp]

I haven't used them but everyone I have talked to about them say to start out with 1/4 or 1/2 the recommended dose an slowly work up from there so you don't shock your tank.

[SteveParkinson]

They seemed to work good for my tank, but changing them out was another story. It was the worst smell I had ever smelled, it smelled like methane gas built up in the chamber. Not sure if it was just mine or others have the same result.

These were the ones I was using: http://www.drsfostersmith.com/produc...m?pcatid=23764

I made the switch to phosban since setting up the 150, I still Chemi-pure in the 2nd reactor.

Steve

[50 cube]

Thanks for the info Steve, If do it ill be replacing the carbon & phos guard with the pellets as I don't want another reactor . Wondering if the gain from the pellets will outweigh the loss of the other media.


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[SteveParkinson]

It can't hurt to try, you could always switch back if you don't see a plus to the pellets.

[d-man]

Yes but keep the Gfo.

[SteveParkinson]

Duncan,

Just following up - did you ever end up going with the pellets? If so what do you think compared to the phos gard?

I ask because I am thinking of switching back, I dont think the Phosban is working as well in my new tank. Not sure if maybe it's because it's still a new tank, other variables, or maybe I need a bigger reactor now but I seem to be getting a much bigger diatom bloom on the sandbed and glass with the phosban than I ever did with the pellets.

Steve

[50 cube]

Nope, never made the switch. I figure " If it aint broke, dont fix it"

[SteveParkinson]

Ha, good call. I guess I broke it and need to fix it now!

[reefer38]

When your ready to make the swich, hit me up I have a bag I've ony used 1/4 of I'd be wiLling to trade for a frag.

[uxdesigner]

I haven't used them but everyone I have talked to about them say to start out with 1/4 or 1/2 the recommended dose an slowly work up from there so you don't shock your tank.

I completely agree, I started my 50 cube (during cycle) with the recommended amount of biopellets and couldn't figure out why my water has been consistently cloudy. Then yesterday evening, I decided to pull 1/3 of the pellets out and this morning the tank was crystal clear. Issue was the extra small amount of pellets were just enough to cause the mild bacteria bloom. Overall, I've been very happy with the biopellets other than the skim being extremely nasty smelling during the cycle.

[N2REEFS]

I ran bio pellets for about six months before adding GFO which i;m currenlty running both. I have noticed a big difference in the health of my corals since adding the GFO.

Even though biopellets are supposed to reduce nitrates and phosphate, IME the GFO has done a better job reducing phosphates.

[Berk80]

I use pellets and I think the key is not having too much flow through the reactor (Suggested to me by N2REEFS). If I just bubble them it seems to work best. High flow seems to dissolve the pellet faster which causes the carbon complex (what the bacteria are eating) to be exported into the tank which provides a food source where you do not want it (e.g. outside the reactor). By keeping the flow low there seems to be less dissolution thus keeping the growth in the reactor. Just my experience...

[SteveParkinson]

Bumping this back up to the top for a couple of questions.........

I just did a water change on my tank and realized my reactor pump wasn't working. Apparently at some time the pump had stopped and drawn all of the GFO/Phosban back down the pump side into my pump. I don't know if it happened earlier when I shut off my pumps to do the water change or it had done it sometime before. Either way the pump was full of the phosban material and ruined the pump.

Q1: Are you supposed to run the reactor with the screens if you are running phosban or GFO? I know when I ran the NPX pellets it said to run the screens in the instructions, but nothing when running the other.

Q2: Can you run one pump for two reactors inline with each other rather than one pump per reactor? Example: Pump --> NPX pellets reactor --> Chemipure reactor ---> back to tank?

I''m thinking about switching back to pellets, I seemed to have better results when doing so.

Steve

[rdetune]

Q2 - could make a manifold to use one pump for multiple reactors