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Starting Bio-Pellets
- Thread starter downbeach
- Start date
I think Daniel said something about soaking/rinsing them also helps prevent the water clouding that some people experience. I'm sure he'll chime in here on this eventually.
Yes by soaking / rinsing them you get the crap off of them from manufacturing and soaking them will help them sink in the reactor so they do not float.
floating actually may not be terrible for me since the reactor is designed with a long rod that goes to the bottom. I was thinking about it - if I add pellets to the bottom that rod will crush them and then get siphoned up. If they float then no worries. Rinsing them to get any crud off sounds like a plan - but they look clean to the naked eye (these are the TLF brand).
Oh I hear ya totally - they should be on the bottom tumbling. I was just thinking initially I wouldn't mind if they weren't down there. Have you seen the octopus design - it's kinda weird with the tube all the way down to the bottom and connected to the top - which means everytime i have to top off, the whole top/rod comes off and then I have to re-jig the thing back without crushing any pellets on the bottom.
I'm happy enough with this trial period, that I just bought a real "made for bio-pellet" reactor, a Reef Octopus BM110. I'm still only running half of the recommended amount of pellets(1 1/2 cups) in a converted BRS reactor. I have two options:
a) Keep the BRS Reactor running as is, and fill the new one with all new pellets and allow it to colonize.
b) Use the existing pellets from the BRS Reactor in the new reactor and add enough new pellets to meet the recommended amount(3cups).
opinions?
a) Keep the BRS Reactor running as is, and fill the new one with all new pellets and allow it to colonize.
b) Use the existing pellets from the BRS Reactor in the new reactor and add enough new pellets to meet the recommended amount(3cups).
opinions?
I'd go with option B.
This is great thread to read. I search around and not much of detail report like this.
can someone (Daniel you are the guru so far in this thread IMO) write a step on what to do with Pellets from setup point of view. i.e. 1 cup per 50 gallon, rinse and soak before run the reactor, flow rate etc.?
I am sold on this setup. I want to set it up but my skimmer is an old school deltec skimmer. the inlet of the skimmer is directly feed by the tank overflow drain line. the skimmer use a pump to circulate the water inside the skimmer. I am thinking of tapping the output line from the pellet reactor into the tank overflow drain line but afraid that the flow from the drain line stronger than the flow from the reactor, thus push the water back into the reactor chamber. there is another way is that tapping the reactor output into the circulation pump input so whatever come out of the reactor will directly drag into the skimmer via the circulation pump.
which options of plumbing do you think I should go with?
Olivier
can someone (Daniel you are the guru so far in this thread IMO) write a step on what to do with Pellets from setup point of view. i.e. 1 cup per 50 gallon, rinse and soak before run the reactor, flow rate etc.?
I am sold on this setup. I want to set it up but my skimmer is an old school deltec skimmer. the inlet of the skimmer is directly feed by the tank overflow drain line. the skimmer use a pump to circulate the water inside the skimmer. I am thinking of tapping the output line from the pellet reactor into the tank overflow drain line but afraid that the flow from the drain line stronger than the flow from the reactor, thus push the water back into the reactor chamber. there is another way is that tapping the reactor output into the circulation pump input so whatever come out of the reactor will directly drag into the skimmer via the circulation pump.
which options of plumbing do you think I should go with?
Olivier
From all of the articles i have ready, unless you are really in dire need of more filtration and lower levels, it is safer and better to use less than the recommended amount, if it is working for you. I have read many stories of people running at the recommended amount and causing lots of problems in their tanks, yours looked beautiful when i saw it, so i would say to stick with the 1.5 cups and just replenish when they get depleted .
HERE is what i read that gave me that opinion. only DOCUMENTED and timelined bio pellet run tank i have seen yet. The writer is also pretty knowledgeable and i have read some other things hes written, i trust his experience and review.
Just some food for thought.
HERE is what i read that gave me that opinion. only DOCUMENTED and timelined bio pellet run tank i have seen yet. The writer is also pretty knowledgeable and i have read some other things hes written, i trust his experience and review.
Just some food for thought.