Bio-Pellet Survey...

[radiata]

Is anyone happy with the results of their using "Bio-Pellets" to reduce phosphates? I'm delighted with the nitrate reduction, but my phosphate reduction is questionable. If you are happy with your phosphate reduction, please let us know the brand of pellets you are using, the phosphate level the pellets keep your system at, and the brand of the phosphate kit you are using for your testing...

 

[Daniel]

I have 180 gallon mixed reef tank. That I could not keep clean for more than a day or two. So Jon Warner sent me some EgoBak to try out. I started with 1L of pellets in May of 2010 and in November of 2010 I added 500ML more because I used up 500ml in six months. Now in July I need 1L again.
My tank in the last year has been very clean. EgoBak Rocks in my Tank! This is one of the best products I have used in this hobby in more than 15 years!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Warner Marine EgoBak Pellets are the best!

 

[dnov99]

I have heard of many people crashing their systems with biopellets. Even the WM pellets...

 

[radiata]

Daniel,

What is the phosphate level those pellets keep your system at? And, the brand of the phosphate kit you are using for your testing?

Thanks...

 

[Daniel]

I have heard of many people crashing their systems with biopellets. Even the WM pellets...

If they did they probably did not read the instructions. You need to rinse them with RO water before placing them in the tank first. I have also read that people crash there systems to and they never rinse them before hand.

 

[Daniel]

Bob,
I am at zero. I use Salifert.

 

[Satans_Milkman]

I have been using a REEFOCTOPUS reactor with Vertex biopellets. I have used the NPX with a little success. The Vertex seem to be doing the job.
One thing I have noticed it does not totally eliminate the nitrates but it gets very low. I have just re-added about 500ml of pellets so it takes a little time for it to build up again to start bacteria again. Nothing is perfect but it seems to work well.

 

[downbeach]

I have just started to use bio-pellets, so I'm just a little over a week into it. I did a lot of research before taking the plunge and removing my chaeto and GFO reactor. From what I have read, any pellets that are made of 100% natural PHA (Polyhydroxyalkanoates), at this time, are considered by most, to be the best, no matter who's name is on the label. Having said that I know one reefer who has switched his bio-pellets to brown rice and swears by it. So, ?????

 

[steamman]

I have just started to use bio-pellets, so I'm just a little over a week into it. I did a lot of research before taking the plunge and removing my chaeto and GFO reactor. From what I have read, any pellets that are made of 100% natural PHA (Polyhydroxyalkanoates), at this time, are considered by most, to be the best, no matter who's name is on the label. Having said that I know one reefer who has switched his bio-pellets to brown rice and swears by it. So, ?????

I have read that PHA pellets are the best as well. How do you know which ones are made with the natural PHA?

The rice thing actually makes sense. Corn products may work as well. Maybe grits. I wonder how you keep it from turning to total mush.

 

[asonitez]

I'm using NP Biopellets. So far in addition to my phosban reactor carbon reactor and general water changes my water parameters are awesome. I almost feel like my tank is a hospital tank because the parameters are so rock solid that any half dead thing I throw in takes off. Rinsing the biopellets does NOTHING for not causing a crash. The most it does is removes surface granules/dust that (will get generated ANYWAY) off the biopellets. What it DOES do is saturate the bio-pellets preventing them from FLOATING in the reactor. I Soak mine the night before in RO water using a flat plate to hold them down below the water. You know they are ready when you stir up the pellets and the sink right back down.

People tend to confuse bio-pellets as a cure all. Like it will cure this and cure that and bring this down and bring that down. I believe that Bio-Pellets set a STANDARD in your tank. Things you have control over like water changes/adding removing phosban and carbon as well as feeding and watching your bio-load you will always have a good control over your tank. After adding bio-pellets my nutrient levels have NEVER got out of hand. Here are my observations..

1. Adding the pellets when I had a large bio-load and high nutrients caused a longer than normal cloudy water. Lasted 1 week and took about 1 week to start clouding up. At the 3 week mark all was well. No corals died, no animals died, I kept my lighting the same, and I kept my feeding the same.

2. After the biopellets settled and experienced a RAPID clearing of the water and a huge drop in skim-mate production. a Lot less snot was produced.

3. While my nutrients got extremely low I did a water change which made them undetectable for 2 weeks until my next water change by which time they started to "creep." This "creep" was still within acceptable standards for SPS keeping and I could have went another week without a water change.

4. I brought my Phosban reactor online and carbon and ozone and sure enough after 1 week my wate rwas shockingly crystal clear, barely any snot(bio pellet bacteria film) was being produced, skim-mate was removing normal particulates but at the 2 week mark my nutrients were 0 - at the 3 week mark they were 0 at the 4 week mark i saw "creep." I immediately thought that my phosban reactor was extinguished. I tested the output of the phosban reactor and i saw that it was still 0... So I knew that it was the actual WATER that was getting saturated with nutrients. I performed a water change and everything zeroed out for another month..

I had some rocky moments with bio-pellets which TOLD me they were still working...

1. I stupidly left the skim-mate waste gate open on my skimmer dumping skim-mate back into the tank. I got a algae bloom for 2 days from the bio-pellets.

2. I bought a fish that died in my rocks and I couldn't get to it and didn't know it was dead which caused a rotting corpse. I got a 24 hour bloom from it which went away.

3. I re aquascaped my tank causing a 3 day bloom.

4. I dosed micro bacter and got a 2 day bloom

5. I overdosed Phyto and rotifiers [knocked over glass full ] and got a 2 day bloom.


Thus bio-pellets have taught me.


1. It wont cure everything.
2. Its not a substitute for carbon/phosban though with the bio-pellets you can expect extreme time lapses between changing phosban/carbon. Phosban took 2 months to change colors on me.
3. Its possible to overdose bio-pellets but the side effect is algae bloom
4. On a new tank no inhabitants I would do FULL DOSE Bio-pellets to set my standard.
5. On average depending on your tumble rate you will replace a handful of them every 2 to 3 months or longer.
6. The purity of the bio-pellets matters and the plastic/synth PHX or w/e version seems to be the best at this.
7. Belive or not...in Asia.. you can buy biopellets in different colors that change color as they become extinguished..

sorry for long post.


TL/DR: - I like fish, Bio-pellets rock, eat moar chikin, aliens exist.

 

[DBSAM]

I use NP Biopellets and like them.

PO4 zero with Hanna Checker. Nitrates zero with Salifert...

 

[downbeach]

I have read that PHA pellets are the best as well. How do you know which ones are made with the natural PHA?

The rice thing actually makes sense. Corn products may work as well. Maybe grits. I wonder how you keep it from turning to total mush.

This seems to be a closely guarded secret with most distributors. BRS and Vertex are the only folks I have found so far, that are actually advertising that their pellets are made of PHA, and have read that NP's pellets are too, but not on their website. Many are just claiming that theirs is 100% natural, biologically degradeable polymers, etc, etc. I have also read that there are some that are made of cereal grains, i.e. rice, corn, etc., but it was recommended that the PHA pellets would be the best option.

 

[falconut]

I've been running 500 ml of Warner Marine EcoBak pellets. I started them about 1-1/2 years ago. Mine are in a TLF Reactor with a MaxiJet throttled back. I'm still on my original batch, but they are a little smaller than they were in the beginning. My levels have been pretty steady during this period. NO3 has been approximately 0 - 0.5 using a Salifert test kit and my PO4 has been 0.00 - 0.04 using a Hanna Phosphate Checker.

I used to have an algae issue in my tank for a few years. It turned out that I had PO4 built up in my rock. I used GFO for a year, but it remained. I was only changing the GFO every couple of months. I started the EcoBAK and changed the GFO weekly for a month, then the PO4 dropped down. After 6 months I removed the GFO completely and it has stayed this way since.

The only negitive I've had is that I can't grow chaeto anymore. It simply falls apart within a few days, but my Mangroves are growing. My corals, fish, inverts are all doing great, so I can't complain.

 

[TanksNStuff]

Craig, what size MJ are you using for your TLF reactor? And are you hanging it on the sump or is it remote?

Did you mod the TLF in any way? I've seen a good mod that adds a funnel to the bottom and uses some PVC fittings and it really cranks up the flow.

Would love to stop by sometime and check yours out. I've been meaning to come see your tank for about a year now anyway, lol.

 

[falconut]

Craig, what size MJ are you using for your TLF reactor? And are you hanging it on the sump or is it remote?

Did you mod the TLF in any way? I've seen a good mod that adds a funnel to the bottom and uses some PVC fittings and it really cranks up the flow.

Would love to stop by sometime and check yours out. I've been meaning to come see your tank for about a year now anyway, lol.

George, I forget the size for the pellet reactor. I have 2 TLFs running and the one that I use for carbon has a MJ600 and I think the other is an old MJ900. In this reactor, flow isn't an issue with the pellets. I usually have to throttle the MJ back, so it's running 3/4 open. I have the reactor attached to the side of my sump and the MJ sitting in the bottom of the sump near the return pump inlet.

You're welcome to come by.

 

[TanksNStuff]

OK. I was going to get an MJ900 in the GB, but wasn't sure if I was going to need a 1200 or not. I should have gotten one because they were pretty cheap.

PM me your address and phone # when you get a chance. Maybe one night after work I can stop by for a few to check it out.

 

[Fish Brain]

I would say I'm pretty happy with my phosphate reduction. I added some rock to my tank that wasn't fully cured yet. This was my fault, I didn't want a bucket of rocks sitting on the floor of my kitchen. I had a huge algae outbreak, and decided to try the bio pellet reactor that I intended for my new tank.

I don't know what my initial reading was but after 2 weeks of running pellets, the hair algae turned brown and my phosphates were at .12 (Hanna meter). This week, a very few tiny traces of brown HA, and phosphates are at .03 today. I still have some other type of turf algae, and I'm waiting to see if and how long it takes to die. I have not done a water change on the tank so the reduction is either from the bio pellets or the algae using it up, but with the HA being dead, I know it wasn't the HA using them up.

I'm running 200 mL of TLF NPX Bioplastics, in a TLF 150 reactor, on a total system volume of about 55 gallons.

 

[Brando457]

Would you guys running bio pellets to recommend running gfo and carbon also ?

 

[falconut]

Would you guys running bio pellets to recommend running gfo and carbon also ?

I started running the biopellets along with GFO, but after a while removed the GFO and they took over completely. I guess if your PO4 is high enough, you can run both. Mine was high, so I used the GFO to reduce the PO4, then used the pellets to maintain the low levels. I occationally run carbon with the pellets. You should run the pellets in a separate reactor though.

 

[Fish Brain]

Carbon maybe, but you run pellets or GFO, not both. If you are starting a tank, start with pellets. If you have an established tank that is running GFO, they recommend to transition from one to the other over the course of a few weeks by slowly removing the GFO and allowing the bacteria on the pellets to get established.