Biopellets and UV

[Joekr73]

Will a UV sterilizer prevent biopellets or carbon dosing in general from working? I put a biopellet reactor online in the first week of November and it's still having no effect on my nitrates. I still have my UV running but I didn't think that would have any effect on the pellets. Any help is appreciated. Thanks.

 

[Spare time]

It shouldn't matter if the skimmer intake should be directly fed the output of the biopellet reactor. Try this if you aren't. You could also add more biopellets if you think it's maintaining the nitrate level but not decreasing them.



Dr tim said in an old video on his brand of biopellets that waste away could be used to seed it so you could always try that. I set one up on an 800 gallon store system and soaked the biopellets in waste away. It took a month for the nitrate to begin falling.

 

[Joekr73]

I did add more pellets and the reactor is right in front of the skimmer intake. I'm actually using dr tims pellets but haven't tried the waste away. I think I'll give that a try. Thank you

 

[Spare time]

I did add more pellets and the reactor is right in front of the skimmer intake. I'm actually using dr tims pellets but haven't tried the waste away. I think I'll give that a try. Thank you

It's cheap so it's kinds like why not haha. You could also turn the UV on a timer (let's say at night or something) and see how that goes.

 

[Joekr73]

I'm going to try turning it off for a few weeks and see if anything happens. If the pellets do start to work then I'll definitely put the uv on a timer

 

[moz71]

Fyi. I am actually giving up on biopellets. I have tried everything over last year and a half. Increase flow rate, slow to no flow rate, adding bacteria. Just nothing worked for me and frustrating. I wanted it to work so well since looks like easiest way. I starteD NOPOX and worked really well. Now why did one form of carbon work better than another I have no idea. I wish I was one of those successful people using it. Since I was dosing nopox at same time continuing biopellets I thought maybe working together until I just let the biopellet reactor clog and stop and nitrates remained low. Go figure

 

[Joekr73]

I'm right there with ya moz 100%. I started with nopox too, and for the life of me cant figure out why one carbon source works and one doesn't. If this doesn't work I'm giving up on them and going to nopox.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

I'm right there with ya moz 100%. I started with nopox too, and for the life of me cant figure out why one carbon source works and one doesn't. If this doesn't work I'm giving up on them and going to nopox.

FWIW, there's a world of difference between carbon sources. Especially biopellets which not only require very specialized bacterial, but are a completely different phase of matter than ordinary carbon dosing.

 

[moz71]

FWIW, there's a world of difference between carbon sources. Especially biopellets which not only require very specialized bacterial, but are a completely different phase of matter than ordinary carbon dosing.

Thanks so much for this info! I thought I was going crazy. I literally tried over a year and half trying every tweak every couple months. I guess I just can’t accumulate that specific bacteria in my tank for some reason. Even dosing every bacteria known. Lol. Hopefully the lack of that Bacteria is not detrimental in any way. Now I know why

 

[Joekr73]

FWIW, there's a world of difference between carbon sources. Especially biopellets which not only require very specialized bacterial, but are a completely different phase of matter than ordinary carbon dosing.

Thanks so much for replying. That does help understand why one source will work more or better than another. So with that being said, is there anything I can do to help the biopellets get started? Or is it something that has to happen on its own, or just move on to another source. Thanks for your time!

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Thanks so much for replying. That does help understand why one source will work more or better than another. So with that being said, is there anything I can do to help the biopellets get started? Or is it something that has to happen on its own, or just move on to another source. Thanks for your time!

I personally see no advantage to pellets and several advantages to liquid dosing, such as timing of the dose effects (and subsequent O2 reductions), ability to change it when needed, etc.

That said, about the only thing I can thing of to speed biopellet colonization is to seed the bed with someone else's partly used pellets that have bacteria already in place.

Just like cycling with bacteria added, vs just hoping the right ones are around.

 

[Joekr73]

Thank you. That helps so much. I appreciate your time!