BioPellet Reactor and PhosBan Reactor Qs

[mallorieGgator]

Hey all! I posted this in the Equipment section but thought I might get other answers here:
Here is what I would really like to know summed up:
*What volume of biopellets should I start with in my reactor to avoid issues such as bleaching?
*My tank is about 4 mos old. Should I dose microbacter? I dosed it in my tank initially to help start off the cycle.
*I have a deep sand bed now and I used old sand and I think it may be leaching phosphates and other junk into my tank causing cyano and diatoms on my sand bed. Do I need to replace my sandbed or can I slowly take out some of it to make a shallower sand bed since I will be using BioPellets?


ALSO: does anyone have any info on running a PhosBan reactor? I know someone running both PhosBan and BioPellets with great success and we had similar issues. Does anyone recommend running both together or is it a waste? Will the biopellets eventually take over or will the GFO not allow proper nutrients for the biopellet bacteria?

 

[Loki]

I've heard that it takes about two weeks for the bio-pellets to kick in and you should continue to run the GFO during that time. Afterwards you should be able to stop using GFO.

The flow through the bio-pellet reactor is just as important as the amount of media.

Google La Fish Guy episode 107. It should be his bio-pellet episode. It should answer a few of your questions.

 

[Loki]

Also I wouldn't mess with the sandbed unless you just want to.

 

[Paul_N]

It is going to vary on a tank by tank basis. Some people that run biopellets continue to run gfo long term. When I ran EcoBak biopellets, I eventually took my gfo offline and consistently kept my phosphates at around .03-.07. I always had a deep sand bed also. I also dosed mb7 and loved the combination. The mb7 will help jump start the bacteria on the pellets and in the tank. It's a tough call on the sand bed. Did you rinse the old sand before you used it?

Also, how big is your tank? That will let you know how much GFO and Biopellets to use but with that being said, you should always start with a fraction of what they recommend and then add more and work your way up. Reducing phosphates too quickly can have a very negative effect on your coral.

 

[mallorieGgator]

Yes, the guy I got the used sand from rinsed it well but it sat in buckets for about 3 weeks before I put it in the tank. It had a stink to it but not the rotten egg smell. I was wondering if I should just suck out about 1/4 of the bed because it is super deep. I am finding glass and stuff in it recently so I'm guessing he accidentally broke a bulb in his tank at one point. As for the tank, it is 120 gallons plus a 30 breeder sump half full. So probably 140 gallons because of rock and sand displacement.