High nitrates need help.

[Jon Warner]

This is exactly what I said, or meant. The bacteria breaks away from the pellet due to tumbling. The bacteria also consumes the polymer so it eventually has to be replaced. Its just another carbon source for the exact same bacteria to consume like with vodka and vinegar.

True, I was just clarifying the part about the polymer not actually getting in the water stream which is what makes it different than vodka/vinegar dosing. The primary difference is that vodka/vinegar puts a soluble C source into the water stream and pellets keep the C source in the reactor.

 

[Jon Warner]

Its not necessary to dose mb7 when using pellets. They're going to take a few weeks for them to take effect. I think purple use the mb7 in those first weeks to feel like they're accomplishing something. I'm not saying the product is bunk, or trying to disprove anything. All I'm saying is that its not necessary to use when starting pellets.

absolutely correct!

 

[Reefing Madness]

True, I was just clarifying the part about the polymer not actually getting in the water stream which is what makes it different than vodka/vinegar dosing. The primary difference is that vodka/vinegar puts a soluble C source into the water stream and pellets keep the C source in the reactor.

Your killing me here.

 

[Eckolancer]

Its not necessary to dose mb7 when using pellets. They're going to take a few weeks for them to take effect. I think purple use the mb7 in those first weeks to feel like they're accomplishing something. I'm not saying the product is bunk, or trying to disprove anything. All I'm saying is that its not necessary to use when starting pellets.

So I started dosing as my nitrates were rising crazy high (160s). Started dosing and has helped bring down to 30ish. My tank is a little heavy stocked with man made rock. Tank is about 110 gallons but currently running about 1000grams of biopellets for almost 3 months now. My phosphates are good as they sit around .03.

Looking to lower nitrates and phosphates more. Any tips on what I could do to help them work better?

 

[Reefing Madness]

I wouldn't worry about phosphates sitting around .03, absolutely nothing wrong with those numbers.
Don't know much about the pellets, but at a guess, if you wanted the Nitrates lower you'd need more pellets.

 

[prsnlty]

Its not necessary to dose mb7 when using pellets. They're going to take a few weeks for them to take effect. I think purple use the mb7 in those first weeks to feel like they're accomplishing something. I'm not saying the product is bunk, or trying to disprove anything. All I'm saying is that its not necessary to use when starting pellets.

I think every system is different. I have done the bio pellets both ways on new systems and old systems with problems like high nitrates, phosphates, hair algae and cyano. Mb7 once a week seemed to work faster than without for me in all the times I have used it but one. I only use it to jump start though. After 3 weeks I quit adding mb7 to it.

In the beginning of using bp and mb7, continual use eventually was too much. I got bacterial blooms and the reactor gunked up. After that lesson I only dosed once a week for 3 weeks. And I only used 3ml. I injected right into the intake of the power head, not the tank or fuge.

I have also tried vodka dosing. It worked great for a while until I left home for 5 days and got off track. Personally, I found bp more forgiving and just easier to deal with.

*Edited for incomplete sentence. Lol

Jackie
125g mixed reef peninsula

 

[prsnlty]

So I started dosing as my nitrates were rising crazy high (160s). Started dosing and has helped bring down to 30ish. My tank is a little heavy stocked with man made rock. Tank is about 110 gallons but currently running about 1000grams of biopellets for almost 3 months now. My phosphates are good as they sit around .03.

Looking to lower nitrates and phosphates more. Any tips on what I could do to help them work better?

I think you're fine too. Just give it more time and water changes or less feeding to lower the nitrates. It might be in the food you're using...

Jackie
125g mixed reef peninsula

 

[Pete polyp]

I think every system is different. I have done the bio pellets both ways on new systems and old systems with problems like high nitrates, phosphates, hair algae and cyano. Mb7 once a week seemed to work faster than without for me in all the times I have used it but one. I only use it to jump start though. After 3 weeks I quit adding mb7 to it.

In the beginning of using bp and mb7, continual use eventually was too much. I got bacterial blooms and the reactor gunked up. After that lesson I only dosed once a week for 3 weeks. And I only used 3ml. I injected right into the intake of the power head, not the tank or fuge.

I have also tried vodka dosing. It worked great for a while until I left home for 5 days and got off track. Personally, I found bp more forgiving and just easier to deal with.

*Edited for incomplete sentence. Lol

Jackie
125g mixed reef peninsula

Yes that makes perfect sense because the pellets take about 3 weeks to colonize.

 

[CastAway]

....just an after thought Chris, but sometimes, because we look at our own systems every day, and become very used to seeing them, it can be a challenge to step back and look at the system objectively. For example, if you're using filter socks, what's your routine with them? Could they be trapping decaying matter that could be removed more frequently so as to lessen the NO3 contribution. Or, your sand bed; is it coarse and perhaps trapping detritus preventing more rapid removal. Or, flow; are there areas in your tank where detritus accumulates? Even the depth of ones sand bed I think can be a contributor; deep enough to trap detritus, but not deep enough to be effective at denitrifying. Lots of variables in the NO3 equation I think.....