Filter media Gfo vs bio pellets
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kacrocorals581
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I like biopellets more than gfo the benefit seems better help with n03 and po4 and products a food that corals can feed on
redfishbluefish
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I think comparing GFO to BioPellets is like comparing apples to oranges. GFO only removes phosphates and eventually becomes "saturated" where it has to be replaced. Biopellets is carbon dosing, similar to vodka or vinegar, and is consumed as the bacteria eat the biopellet material. It doesn't have to be changed....it gets "eaten," and the bacteria get sloughed off to be picked up by your skimmer. It also removes both phosphates and nitrates in a ratio somewhere around the Redfield ratio....so you need to have both phosphate and nitrate present for biopellets to work(i.e. for the bacteria to grow and multiply.)
M3ace9
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+1^^^^^^^. They have two different functions. In addition, pellets do not remove phosphate much at all. Pellets fuel bacterial that then consumes organic matter. Most phosphates are not organic matter and there for cannot be controlled with the use of pellets.
redfishbluefish
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In an ideal world nitrogen and phosphorus are added to our tanks at around a ratio of 16 to 1 (Redfield ratio), respectively, primarily in the foods we add to the tank. They are also consumed by the bacteria on the biopellets at about that same ratio as well. So phosphorus (phosphates) are consumed by biopellets, but at a ratio of approximate 16 nitrogens to every 1 phosphorus. The bacteria uses the biopellets as their carbon source and the nitrates and phosphates in the water to complete their dietary needs to grow. The phosphorus may be organic or inorganic form, with the actual absorption still really an unknown.
And NCfishguy, I'd be careful running both GFO and biopellets. Again, you need phosphates for biopellets to work. If you strip the phosphate out with GFO, the bacteria will not grow on the biopellets. I'd only consider both if you have phosphate through the roof from, as example, phosphate containing rock that was added to the tank. Once the phosphate number gets down to reasonable levels, stop GFO and only run biopellets.
On last note, the phospate kits we use only measures inorganic phosphate. So you could still have an algae problem with very low test phosphate numbers because of the presences of organic phosphate...that the algae can use (and biopellets).......but GFO can't.
And NCfishguy, I'd be careful running both GFO and biopellets. Again, you need phosphates for biopellets to work. If you strip the phosphate out with GFO, the bacteria will not grow on the biopellets. I'd only consider both if you have phosphate through the roof from, as example, phosphate containing rock that was added to the tank. Once the phosphate number gets down to reasonable levels, stop GFO and only run biopellets.
On last note, the phospate kits we use only measures inorganic phosphate. So you could still have an algae problem with very low test phosphate numbers because of the presences of organic phosphate...that the algae can use (and biopellets).......but GFO can't.
M3ace9
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I personally run both. I am a firm believer that there is a symbiotic relationship between bacteria and the health of coral. Do your research, pellets are not something to experiment with. Too many times people forget that while boosting good bacteria they are also boosting bad bacteria. Bacteria competes and when the diversity is depleted there is bad news as a result.
redfishbluefish
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But M3ace9 you've now raised the difference between liquid carbon dosing (vodka, vinegar, sugar) and solid carbon dosing (biopellets.) The liquid forms feed all the bacteria in your tank....good or bad...entrapped in your sand and rock...everywhere....including bad guys like cyanobacteria. The solid carbon form will not have any effect on the bacteria within your tank....the carbon source is only in your biopellet reactor. The bacteria that coats the biopellets eventually gets sloughed off (that's why you need to tumble it), and immediately picked up by your skimmer.....gone.
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M3ace9
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Interesting thought. I would assume that there aregood and bad bacteria free floating throughout your water column. I can't see how only good bacteria would choose to consume the pellets. Pellets are actually a form of sugar that dissolves and actually does get introduced into the water column. Further more, inexperienced reefers who use pellets have been know to have cyano outbreaks due to the imbalance within their tank. This is also why it is suggested to only use half the recommended dose of pellets when starting up a biopellet or a cyano outbreak will occur. The biofilm is actually just an abundance of localized bacterial growth that needs to be exported to prevent the imbalance. If it was only good bacteria then why would we want to export it.....
redfishbluefish
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Regardless of "good or bad" consuming pellets, it gets picked up by your skimmer when it gets sloughed off. However, I've never seen cyano in a biopellet reactor. Biopellets actually don't dissolve, so they are not feeding other bacteria in the tank.....they need to be biologically consumed. Now if you don't have your skimmer at the outflow of the biopellet reactor, you would now have excess bacteria within your DT.
M3ace9
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Getting excess bacteria within the DT is a result of excess bacteria within the tank as a whole. If all the biofilm is being collected by the skimmer then we would never see this is. This why it is important to control the flow of the pellets. Furthermore, the ideal way is not only to control the flow of the pellets which slows them from dissolving too quickly, but to restrict the effluent from the reactor feeding your tank the carbon source to prevent the an abundance of bacteria.
Here is a good expanation of what BP's do, and how to use them.
I used BP's successfully for a number of years, and preferred it to other carbon sources, i.e. vodka, vinegar, etc. But it is important that, like anything else in this hobby, it be deployed and used properly. When first bringing the reactor on line, start slowly with about 1/3 of the recommended amount of pellets for your system, and add another 1/3 in about 2 - 3 weeks, and the balance in another 2 -3 weeks. You'll need to be able to adjust the flow, so the pellets are just fluidized...too much will simply slough off the bacteria, too little may cause the pellets to stick to each other eventually causing some clogging, diminished flow, and potentially creating an anaerobic condition possibly leading to hydogen sulfide. If you're using GFO or UV, I would turn them off, until you know whether you really need them or not. Keep the reactor in the dark. A good, properly size skimmer is important here since this is what will be removing the bulk of the bacteria that will be exiting through the effluent of the reactor. The more of the effluent going into the reactor the better, I used some left over PVC fittings(T and reducer), and plumbed it directly into my skimmer. Everyones system is going to be different, i.e. feeding habits will cause differenet levels of PO4, etc. So, I would suggest waiting to see how well the pellets remove the available PO4 before re deploying your GFO. A good Hanna meter is the best/affordable way to check your PO4 levels.
I used BP's successfully for a number of years, and preferred it to other carbon sources, i.e. vodka, vinegar, etc. But it is important that, like anything else in this hobby, it be deployed and used properly. When first bringing the reactor on line, start slowly with about 1/3 of the recommended amount of pellets for your system, and add another 1/3 in about 2 - 3 weeks, and the balance in another 2 -3 weeks. You'll need to be able to adjust the flow, so the pellets are just fluidized...too much will simply slough off the bacteria, too little may cause the pellets to stick to each other eventually causing some clogging, diminished flow, and potentially creating an anaerobic condition possibly leading to hydogen sulfide. If you're using GFO or UV, I would turn them off, until you know whether you really need them or not. Keep the reactor in the dark. A good, properly size skimmer is important here since this is what will be removing the bulk of the bacteria that will be exiting through the effluent of the reactor. The more of the effluent going into the reactor the better, I used some left over PVC fittings(T and reducer), and plumbed it directly into my skimmer. Everyones system is going to be different, i.e. feeding habits will cause differenet levels of PO4, etc. So, I would suggest waiting to see how well the pellets remove the available PO4 before re deploying your GFO. A good Hanna meter is the best/affordable way to check your PO4 levels.
Excellent post, wish I would have read it before my 2 month nightmare with the biopellets. In my research beforehand I only somehow found the positive side. I followed all the points to a T and conservatively only added a 1/4 of the pellets. Cyano started within a couple of weeks and never let up, I got tired of sucking it up and even treated with chemiclean and cut the pellets in half. It came right back so I pulled it, cyano cleared up overnight. Not sure what went wrong but I'm done, I've been doing tanks for 25 years, I usually have better luck with simple live rock, protein skimmer, some media, and water changes.
