Bio-Pellets or NOT?!?!?!

Netta Fish · Aug 5, 2011

Bio-Pellets or NOT?!?!?!

i have a upgraded 120 that has been running for about 8 months. i am noticing some brown algae on my sand glass and power heads. i have no phosphates and my nitrates are next to zero. i run my t5s full blast for 8 hrs a day and an hour of actinic before and after the 8 hr period. would bio pellets help get the little nitrates down that i have and eliminate this brown algae? any insight ..thanks

Netta Fish · Aug 5, 2011

bump comon guys some one has to have an opinion on this

revhtree · Aug 5, 2011

I didn't use them long enough to have a well informed opinion. That being said I didn't see any advantage.

Netta Fish · Aug 5, 2011

bump thanks rev

Netta Fish · Aug 5, 2011

shred5 · Aug 5, 2011

Netta Fish said:
Bio-Pellets or NOT?!?!?!

i have a upgraded 120 that has been running for about 8 months. i am noticing some brown algae on my sand glass and power heads. i have no phosphates and my nitrates are next to zero. i run my t5s full blast for 8 hrs a day and an hour of actinic before and after the 8 hr period. would bio pellets help get the little nitrates down that i have and eliminate this brown algae? any insight ..thanks

Well if you actually have zero phosphates ....No it would not, bacteria require phosphate.. But I would say you have phosphate so yes it may help get your nitrates down, but if there next to zero why wory.

Dave Polzin

Netta Fish · Aug 5, 2011

thanks im gnna double check my po4 to see is it possible the extra hour of actinic might be causing it?

Luisra · Aug 5, 2011

Netta Fish said:
thanks im gnna double check my po4 to see is it possible the extra hour of actinic might be causing it?

I don't think so, I run my T5 for 11hrs a day and haven't seen any problems with it.
You do have some nutrients in your tank, that's why you have the algae. Try to clean/change your filter sock everyday, or feed less.

shred5 · Aug 5, 2011

Netta Fish said:
thanks im gnna double check my po4 to see is it possible the extra hour of actinic might be causing it?

Most hobby phosphate test kits do not measure low enough.. You have algae you have a phosphate problem. Also algae consume the phosphates so it can measure low and still have a phospate problem.

Lighting really doesnt cause algae, It uses it to grow. The limitting factor for algae is phosphate.. I would try running a little gfo to see if that help clean up the problem.
Is it brown and on the sand bed? It could be diatoms which could be silicates but gfo can help with that too...

Dave Polzin

Dowtish · Aug 5, 2011

A couple of things to think about.

How old are your bulbs? What kind of test kits are you using. If you have a lot of the algae, they can be using up your nitrates and phosphates, and that's why you are getting the zero readings.

GFO would help in controlling the algae, but over time I think it gets expensive. With pellets, you spend $50 for a year or longer.

Netta Fish · Aug 6, 2011

my bulbs are old and i am in the market to replace them.. i am using an elso test kit...im gnna rule it out that my bulbs are old

Dowtish said:
A couple of things to think about.

How old are your bulbs? What kind of test kits are you using. If you have a lot of the algae, they can be using up your nitrates and phosphates, and that's why you are getting the zero readings.

GFO would help in controlling the algae, but over time I think it gets expensive. With pellets, you spend $50 for a year or longer.

Netta Fish · Aug 6, 2011

all tanks have nutrients in it from fish and food....i only feed 3 times a week and i directly feed all my fish from a baster to make sure every one get their share and not just allowing it to float around the tank. as for the sock it is change weekly and i have 10000s of copepods in the sock to eat any food that gets in there.. im ruling it out to be old bulbs

Luisra said:
I don't think so, I run my T5 for 11hrs a day and haven't seen any problems with it.
You do have some nutrients in your tank, that's why you have the algae. Try to clean/change your filter sock everyday, or feed less.

gnoles · Aug 6, 2011

Used biopellets for six months and saw MORE algae than when I was running GFO. Gone back to GFO and corals started growing again. *sigh* If it ain't broke...