Rjohn Posted February 2, 2015 Share Posted February 2, 2015 I am thinking about setting up a small bio-pellet reactor. Anyone have any recommendations of bio-pellets or advice about what to avoid? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FarmerTy Posted February 2, 2015 Share Posted February 2, 2015 Rjohn, just curious why you have decided to run biopellets? I've had good success with the original ecobak biopellets. I tried the new formula for a bit but hadn't run them long enough before I shudown the pellets on my system to give a good review on the new formula. Only advice I have is don't use the instructions on the package as a guide. Basically, take what they tell you and divide that by 1/3rd and that should be what you really should run on your system. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rjohn Posted February 2, 2015 Author Share Posted February 2, 2015 My phosphates and nitrates have been at stable levels for a couple of years and I can't seem to get them below that point. Nitrates are about 20 and phosphates at about 2.5. I am hoping the bio-pellets will drop these to near zero. I am planning on using a twofishies 150 and probably the BRS pellets. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jestep Posted February 2, 2015 Share Posted February 2, 2015 It will drop the NO3 but won't do much for the PO4. Almost a certainty you will need to run GFO. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Juiceman Posted February 2, 2015 Share Posted February 2, 2015 I use BRS Pellets. I used Two Little Fishes prior to that. I like the size of the BRS pellets better, I use to lose alot of the previous because they could fit through the mesh filter. I need some more if you want to go in on a container of them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FarmerTy Posted February 2, 2015 Share Posted February 2, 2015 RJohn, is the phosphate concentration a typo? Did you mean to put 0.025 ppm? Or 0.25 ppm? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FarmerTy Posted February 2, 2015 Share Posted February 2, 2015 Just as Jestep mentioned, it will be highly effective for nitrates... you'll basically end up with near zero nitrates... but it will only minimally remove phosphates. For that, GFO is the answer. If you truly have 2.5 ppm of phosphates, then I'd use lanthanum chloride first to lower your levels to 0.1ppm and then from there, if you desire to lower it further, use GFO in a reactor. Main reason is lanthanum chloride is cheaper so use it to drop the bulk of your phosphate level down to 0.1 ppm (usually about its effectiveness, getting below 0.1 ppm with lanthanum chloride is hard to do) and then use GFO to remove it lower it to whatever level you want below 0.1 ppm. If you plan on using a TLF 150 for the biopellets, you'll have to modify it as the current design is not very effective for biopellets. They will eventually clump together rendering the biopellets very much less effective. I'd took a concave piece of plastic and fit it into the bottom of the reactor and then cut up the bottom of the downflow pipe to make it more effective. It didn't work perfect but kept the pellets tumbling for 2 years before I switched tanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FarmerTy Posted February 2, 2015 Share Posted February 2, 2015 One important question I forgot to ask. Do you have a skimmer? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jestep Posted February 2, 2015 Share Posted February 2, 2015 You can get plastic globes at a craft store. The ones I had were already split in half and were made for making christmas ornaments. Use a dremmel to cut the correct size circle and put it in the bottom of the TLF reactor. Increases the tumbling by several times. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FarmerTy Posted February 2, 2015 Share Posted February 2, 2015 Oddly, I never thought of that Jestep. I went scouring through Target as my wife shopped and found silly putty in a plastic ball container. I just cut a small slit in the container and prestro, a concave surface to tumble pellets with. If I went your route, I think there would have been less women staring at me as I scanned the pantyhose aisle looking for those eggshaped containers they used to come in. Apparently, they don't come in those anymore... or at least at Target. [emoji16] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gig 'em @ NDstructible Posted February 2, 2015 Share Posted February 2, 2015 Whatever Ty, we know why you were walking around the women's undergarment department looking for pantyhose I've been using BRS biopellets for a year now with a skimmer and I still have algae growing in my aquarium like crazy. I don't know if the biopellets are helping that much or if algae would be even worse without them. It's kind of surprising to me that they haven't made much of a difference yet Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FarmerTy Posted February 2, 2015 Share Posted February 2, 2015 That's because I need to find something to pull over my face when I come steal your SPS! MINE?! MINE?! Maybe you need to quit your job, become a real estate agent, and then have some time to take care of your tank during the day when you're not showing houses. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gig 'em @ NDstructible Posted February 3, 2015 Share Posted February 3, 2015 If you want to take me under your wing and train me, then we can talk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FarmerTy Posted February 3, 2015 Share Posted February 3, 2015 Give me a couple more years and I'll be getting my brokers license and opening up an office! We'll talk again then. Wait, we are talking real estate and not reefing right? Maybe I can train you on both! Oh yeah, he just went there! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gig 'em @ NDstructible Posted February 3, 2015 Share Posted February 3, 2015 ouch Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rjohn Posted February 3, 2015 Author Share Posted February 3, 2015 My phos is 0.25 ppm. sorry. What I really want to accomplish is to slow down the algae that grows on the glass and starve the **** pompom xenia. A little more explanation on the plastic sphere thing would be helpful. Does it also work with GFO? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jestep Posted February 3, 2015 Share Posted February 3, 2015 My phos is 0.25 ppm. sorry. What I really want to accomplish is to slow down the algae that grows on the glass and starve the **** pompom xenia. A little more explanation on the plastic sphere thing would be helpful. Does it also work with GFO? Reducing NO3 and PO4 should definitely help. It won't get rid of glass scrubbing completely but usually slows it down quite a bit. Can't really help much on the xenia. Might try making some kalk pasta and covering small portions of it. Definitely run a bunch of carbon if you try this method. As far as the globe thing goes, if you put the pellets in a stock reactor the water flow hits the bottom and bounces upward, but because of the 90 corner between the bottom and sides, the water flow loses a ton of energy. Typically after a few weeks, the pellets can start clumping up or just don't tumble effectively. If you cut some type of sphere and place it in the bottom, basically making the bottom a bowl shape, the incoming water has a lot more force when it bounces against the bottom. You also have to mod something to keep the pellets off the bottom, but that can usually be done with some craft mesh, fastened to the inlet tube about an inch above the bottom. GFO doesn't need to tumble near as much as pellets, so it's not normally needed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reburn Posted February 4, 2015 Share Posted February 4, 2015 I bet you could find a plastic Easter egg half that would fit too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rjohn Posted February 4, 2015 Author Share Posted February 4, 2015 That had occurred to me too. My wife has a bunch of those stashed somewhere that she uses every Easter for the grandkids. My next question: cup up or cup down? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jestep Posted February 4, 2015 Share Posted February 4, 2015 I'll bet the large size ones would be really close to a correct fit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rjohn Posted February 4, 2015 Author Share Posted February 4, 2015 But cup up or cup down? Someone asked if I have a skimmer and yes I do but I think I need to auto fill device for the sump. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rjohn Posted February 13, 2015 Author Share Posted February 13, 2015 New Question: Sunday the 8th, I started my reactor with a little over half a cup of bio-pellets. Now my anemones are looking rather puny. They are all drawn up and not looking good. Any comments? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FarmerTy Posted February 13, 2015 Share Posted February 13, 2015 I'd be surprised if it was the biopellets that are causing it. It usually takes 3-4 weeks to ramp up the bacterial colonies in the reactor... possibly 2 weeks if you used some sort of bacterial additive to jumpstart it. Make sure you're not tumbling them too forcibly... a gentle tumble is all that is needed. If your tumbling too much, you could be releasing bits of polymer into your tank and causing your nitrate levels to reduce already and cause a bacterial bloom in your tank. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rjohn Posted February 13, 2015 Author Share Posted February 13, 2015 "gentle tumble" is a subjective call I think but it is gently rolling as far as I can tell. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Juiceman Posted February 13, 2015 Share Posted February 13, 2015 My Bio Pellets go nuts! no gentle tumble here Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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