Biopellets are they a horror story?

[Tab28]

I was looking to get a biopellet canister to control phos and nitrates, instead of what I now use. I have read forum sites some who love the item. But I have also read some real horror reviews form lots of sites. Bacteria blooms, corals browning or bleaching and a rise in both Phos and trates to the point of having to clean the glass and change filter media a few times a day. Are all these people doing it wrong or is there really a low point before pellets season and work. IMO the pellets scare me more than the use of ozone.

 

[Luisra]

Are all these people doing it wrong

Yes they are

IMO the pellets scare me more than the use of ozone.

You should NOT be scared of them, I cycled my tank with them, still use them (15+ months) and will continue to use them.

 

[shred5]

Well there is some problems with them..

1.) What’s really is in some of them?

2.) Most recommend so much product per gallon. Well this is never a good thing when it really should be based on load. Example I have seen 75 gallons with more load than a 120 gallon. According to the directions the 120 would get the most pellets but if you followed directions the 120 would have way to much, which would be a problem. So I think it comes down to people adding too much to aquarium.

I also think people do not ramp up slow enough either.

There is allot of people having problems with them. But most I think are using them wrong and again people do not understand the biology of things and how they work.

Dave Polzin

 

[nixer]

everything in moderation.

 

[Paul_N]

Not saying every situation but most IMO are user error. I do know that early on there were biopellets coming out of china that would just disintegrate. I waited for the first wave to pass, switched from vodka to EcoBak by Warner and could not have been happier. You do have to ramp up the amount of pellets especially if you are not currently carbon dosing. The exact thing happened when I started vodka dosing a few years ago. People had issues and everyone started saying it would never work long term and that my tank was going to crash.

 

[Tab28]

It seems all responses make sense on user error. I do agree with the directions should be more load than gallons. Thanks for input I was going to write it off now I will have to read a bit more.

 

[shred5]

Since this thread has popped up I have been doing so thinking on other causes for the problems and also doing a little reading on the subject.


Let me explain what carbon dosing really is.
Carbon can get consumed rather fast in a reef aquarium and can become a limiting factor in our aquarium for the growth of bacteria. Bacteria require carbon, nitrogen and phosphates to survive. With carbon dosing we are trying to increase the amount of carbon so there is a increase in the amount bacteria in the system.

Bacteria then provide food for some corals and can get skimmed out removing some of the phosphates.

I think imbalances can happen in the aquarium when carbon dosing .. Do people monitor their phosphates and nitrogen.. Could these other things be getting to low like phosphate and nitrogen which coral also need to live?

Another issue is the bacteria it’s self. If it grows to fast it can remove allot of oxygen from the water. Especially in the beginning.

Also there can be bad bacteria in a reef. Carbon dosing can increase the amount of this bacteria. This could help accelerate bacteria infections on coral like the brown jelly infection. How about cyanobacteria? Seen a rise in the amount of this in people tanks lately.

One issue I have is I think too many people use carbon doing as a crutch instead of proper husbandry. I really see too many people suggesting other people use this method when they should look elsewhere first.


Dave Polzin

 

[luisgo]

Some people install biopellets and they think that all their problems are solved. Now I need less water changes, no need for good flow, can feed a lot, etc… If they have cyano then the biopellets are the reason for that.

I started adding pellets very slow and never had an algae bloom. I have 400ml of NP Biopellets tumbling properly in a TLF 550 reactor with the mesh in my 125 reef for six months and I have to say that I don’t have cyano, my nitrates are undetectable and phosphates around .03 according to my Hanna Chequer and my corals are better than ever. Yes the soft corals are a little lighter in color. I feed a lot, change water with RO water monthly 25% and have a good flow. My glass is cleaned weekly because I like it very clean.

It’s important to point out that if the water entering the reactor is not filtered then the mesh will clog and the flow will be reduced. Then the mesh should be cleaned at least monthly which is my case. It is also a good idea to have a strong pump in order from time to time to direct a strong flow thru the reactor to move the pellets well.

I think that people having problems with biopellets is because they are doing something wrong. I love my biopellets.

 

[beaslbob]

The best way of controlling nitrates and phosphates is to balance out the tank with macro algae.

my .02

 

[xcorallusx]

The best way of controlling nitrates and phosphates is to balance out the tank with macro algae.

my .02

Isnt the macro algae doing the same job as the biopellets? With the biopellets you dont need extra lights/seperate tank. I love refugiums, and have one running right now, but biopellets are nice because you only need a reactor and pump.

 

[Rem]

I've been having good success with Biopellets. You need a good skimmer, and you want to start with a small amount biopellets and increase slowly every week. Each tank has different nutrient levels, so you have add according to your tank and stop adding more once your nitrate levels hit 0, even if the label recommends a certain amount per gallons. Most of the issues with biopellets is user error of using too much, too fast, not having the correct tumble in their reactor or an inefficient skimmer.

 

[beaslbob]

Isnt the macro algae doing the same job as the biopellets? With the biopellets you dont need extra lights/seperate tank. I love refugiums, and have one running right now, but biopellets are nice because you only need a reactor and pump.

perhaps.

macro algaes:

1) prefer to consume ammonia first then nitrates stabilizing the system preventing dangerous cycles

2) bioaccumulate (filter out) nasties like copper.

3) consume carbon dioxide and return oxygen so the tank becomes a net sink of co2 and source of oxygen.

4) recycle wastes into fish food.

5) provide a breeding ground for pods and the like.


I don't think bio pellets or other man made filter media do all that.

still just my .02

 

[ImageX]

the biggest reasons why most fail is

1. they dont have it tumbling enough and the media clumps and becomes toxic... reason for the bleaching and rtn is due to this... the reason why alot of people fail this is cause they wanta do it cheap and get a phosban reactor and they're garbage for tumbling BP or they simply try to run it with like a mj900 or lesser again being cheap.. but with the phosban reactor there's a way around this and get something to put on the bottom of the phos reactor to curve the bottom and it'll work 100% better..

2. they dont run the output of the reactor to the skimmer section.. they run it closer to the return of the reactor is in the return chamber and this is where people get bacteria in the tank cause chunks of it is cycling back into the tank...

3. depending on brand some you do have to ramp up... and because of this i always say safer then sorry so never use the recommended amount use half of it first then ramp up to 3/4 of the recommend and watch your po4 and no3 and see if you see it's sufficent or not then apply or decrease if necessary then mark your reactor to the level you have it at for refill point and your good..

oh another thing alk has to be super low to run it properly as well... 6-7dkh i'm a 9-10dkh person so i quit using BP... 6-7dkh is just too scary for me.. especially with sps.. but while i was using it it was ok i was just scared it mite screw everything up.. if i'm wrong on this last one let me know i mite try BP again then..

 

[ryanuy]

No they are not. I use BP for ALL my tanks even my fowlr and i no longer have to clean for algae. As with most people who have had success with BP, do it slowly. Start with less than 100ml and bring it up slowly every few weeks. Never add too big an ammount or it will shock your system. I dont follow the 500ml/100g rule either. I use slightly less and i refill it every other month.

Bacterial blooms only happen when you have too much N and P in your tank and you add a lot of BP right away. Also, as with vodka dosing, youre gonna need an oversized skimmer and it would be best if you watch out for your PH.

 

[Lynnmw1208]

No they are not. I use BP for ALL my tanks even my fowlr and i no longer have to clean for algae. As with most people who have had success with BP, do it slowly. Start with less than 100ml and bring it up slowly every few weeks. Never add too big an ammount or it will shock your system. I dont follow the 500ml/100g rule either. I use slightly less and i refill it every other month.

Bacterial blooms only happen when you have too much N and P in your tank and you add a lot of BP right away. Also, as with vodka dosing, youre gonna need an oversized skimmer and it would be best if you watch out for your PH.

So how much do you use and what size tank do you have? I was wondering because when I do go the biopellet route, I was going to use 500mL on my 125 gallon and now I think that may be too much. Thanks!

 

[ImageX]

So how much do you use and what size tank do you have? I was wondering because when I do go the biopellet route, I was going to use 500mL on my 125 gallon and now I think that may be too much. Thanks!

yea thats too much... it's only 1 cup per 50g on the recommended.. and i would actually start with 1 cup to begin with.. i think this is where people get screwed up cause the recommended is not what you should be doing when starting.. the only brand i've ever seen where you can use as directed is the ecobak pellets... like i said earlier better safe then sorry.. and make sure your tumbling all the media but you want it as slow as possible but where it's actually tumbling all the media not one part should sit still..

 

[Gqch]

perhaps.

macro algaes:

1) prefer to consume ammonia first then nitrates stabilizing the system preventing dangerous cycles

2) bioaccumulate (filter out) nasties like copper.

3) consume carbon dioxide and return oxygen so the tank becomes a net sink of co2 and source of oxygen.

4) recycle wastes into fish food.

5) provide a breeding ground for pods and the like.


I don't think bio pellets or other man made filter media do all that.

still just my .02

great nature are always better than any manmade espectially from these biological filtration!