I think Bio-Pellets killed my tank for years.

Chris Villalobos · Dec 31, 2017

I had a weird Bio-Pellet experience. I have a small 35 gallon display tank and 20 gallon sump. I had been running a skimmer and chaeto, and I was able to keep all kinds of corals in my tank for almost a year. But one day I had an outbreak of GHA that just took over, looked terrible, and my CUC couldn't keep up. I was told by many reefers it was due to "Nutrients". Well I had zero testable Nitrate and Phosphate but I was desperate so I started running a Bio-pellet reactor to scrub that water clean.

Then all my hard corals started to fade and get stn, but I was trying to change so many things at once that I didn't think it was necessarily due to the Bio-Pellets. Then my chaeto died and so did my algae eating snails. But during all this the GHA was still plugging along. Oh I do have two nassarius snails that are still fine and are the longest living animals in my tank. Also, the fish that didn't starve to death from my reduced feeding schedule are also otherwise normal.

So eventually all my hard corals bleached out and my soft corals mostly reduced in size or completely shrunk to tiny bumps and disappeared. The GHA still seemed OK.

Now it's 2 years later and I finally convinced myself to take the biopellets offline and see what higher nutrients do to my tank. I scrubbed all the rocks of GHA just to give everything a new start. To my surprize I'm not seeing high nutrients or a massive repopulation of GHA. Some of my Palys are coming back. I've added three new Astera snails and they seem to be staying healthy. When I was running Bio-Pellets they would usually die within a week or two. I put in a $5 hard coral just to see if it can survive now.

Has anyone else had this problem with their tank?

NowGlazeIT · Dec 31, 2017

Chris Villalobos said:
I had a weird Bio-Pellet experience. I have a small 35 gallon display tank and 20 gallon sump. I had been running a skimmer and chaeto, and I was able to keep all kinds of corals in my tank for almost a year. But one day I had an outbreak of GHA that just took over, looked terrible, and my CUC couldn't keep up. I was told by many reefers it was due to "Nutrients". Well I had zero testable Nitrate and Phosphate but I was desperate so I started running a Bio-pellet reactor to scrub that water clean.

Then all my hard corals started to fade and get stn, but I was trying to change so many things at once that I didn't think it was necessarily due to the Bio-Pellets. Then my chaeto died and so did my algae eating snails. But during all this the GHA was still plugging along. Oh I do have two nassarius snails that are still fine and are the longest living animals in my tank. Also, the fish that didn't starve to death from my reduced feeding schedule are also otherwise normal.

So eventually all my hard corals bleached out and my soft corals mostly reduced in size or completely shrunk to tiny bumps and disappeared. The GHA still seemed OK.

Now it's 2 years later and I finally convinced myself to take the biopellets offline and see what higher nutrients do to my tank. I scrubbed all the rocks of GHA just to give everything a new start. To my surprize I'm not seeing high nutrients or a massive repopulation of GHA. Some of my Palys are coming back. I've added three new Astera snails and they seem to be staying healthy. When I was running Bio-Pellets they would usually die within a week or two. I put in a $5 hard coral just to see if it can survive now.

Has anyone else had this problem with their tank?

I have heard that too many bio pellets can be a bad thing I’ve also heard from a reefer with a 220 gallon tank that all he uses is a half a cup now because he also had a terrible experience with using too much bio pellets

Myk · Dec 31, 2017

There is a lot more that would need to be known about the history of your tank and your routines, but it is all about balance. Sounds like initially your GHA was just winning the battle for resources first and then the bio pellets came into play and the bacteria there were further stripping away the available nutrients, trace and other elements and robbing the coral.

By removing the biopellets you are opening up more resources to your coral and other inhabitants that you want to do well. You may find that now that your tank is more mature you will need to up your dosing of not just Ca. and Alk. but of trace elements as well.

If you haven't done so already pick up a Triton Test and send it off. The results will be a good guide and a window into much more of what is happening in your tank. From there I would also recommend using ESV TE and TE+. Especially the plus if you start to see an issue with nuisance algae again. Can go into a lot more detail, but well worth getting more diagnostics before going further with the details. Get that cheato ball rolling again though (literally!) and you should be in good shape. Just make sure to keep good water flow around it and STRONG lighting.

Chris Villalobos · Dec 31, 2017

Yeah, I could go into a lot of history, but to make a long story short, I kept my parameters spot on and performed 20% water changes every two weeks. One thing I would note is that my tank's turnover was only about 2x per hour and I'm wondering if that GHA in the display was just sucking up ammonia before the water would make it to the sump. I have a new pump coming that will hopefully get me to 10x turnover.

Since I know I can keep zero nutrients for long periods of time I'm definitely going with the Triton method. I'm tired of hoping and praying.

Katrina71 · Dec 31, 2017

Recently had this same discussion. A friend said he thought they were good to cycle a tank, and after that they just become poo traps. I honestly don't have experience with them not being in my tank. I did remove them from my freshwater tank just to see what effect it had.

Chris Villalobos · Jan 1, 2018

Katrina71 said:
Recently had this same discussion. A friend said he thought they were good to cycle a tank, and after that they just become poo traps. I honestly don't have experience with them not being in my tank. I did remove them from my freshwater tank just to see what effect it had.

Are we talking Bio-Pellets or Bio-Balls? I've never used Bio-Balls but I have heard they do get lots of detritus build up.

NowGlazeIT · Jan 1, 2018

Chris Villalobos said:
Are we talking Bio-Pellets or Bio-Balls? I've never used Bio-Balls but I have heard they do get lots of detritus build up.

To my understanding we’re talking about Bio pellets not bio balls

Myk · Jan 1, 2018

I think that all the bioballs got gathered up and sent to a factory to get packaged up and sold as cat toys? LOL!

revhtree · Jan 1, 2018

NowGlazeIT said:
To my understanding we’re talking about Bio pellets not bio balls

Yes would like some calcification for sure!

Chris Villalobos · Jan 1, 2018

I was using 1/3 cup of Dr. Tim's NP-Active Pearls tumbling 24/7 in a to be exact.

Chris Villalobos · Jan 1, 2018

This is the GHA I have been dealing with for years. Nothing would eat it and it survived for years in a completely 0 NO3 0 PO4 tank. A week ago I took all the rocks out and scrubbed them with H2O2. The zoa's are now almost fully opened again.

Myk · Jan 1, 2018

Hard for me to tell from the pic, but is it possible that is bryopsis?

Chris Villalobos · Jan 1, 2018

Myk said:
Hard for me to tell from the pic, but is it possible that is bryopsis?

I'm pretty sure it's Derbesia sp.

http://cfb.unh.edu/phycokey/Choices...greens/Bryopsidales/DERBESIA/Derbesia_key.htm

Myk · Jan 1, 2018

Have you tried Vibrant yet? We have had really good luck with that in our clients tanks and are getting good reports from our retail customers with it.

blebs · Jan 1, 2018

h202 is the greatest thing i have found to kill turf algae.

gfo worked but killed my coral.

if u can take the rock out for h2o2 tx youll be amazed.

it bleached the coralline bone white but in a few weeks all the coralline is regrowing. no sign of turf algae

Chris Villalobos · Jan 1, 2018

Yeah I used H2O2 on all the rocks and it kills it on contact. Didn't try Vibrant. Reefers have told me about Fluconazole also. I think I have it mostly under control now. But starving it obviously doesn't kill it.

Myk · Jan 1, 2018

Would use the fluc. as a last resort not that I've heard anything bad about it, but it is an antifungal medication. I sell it in my store and have good faith that it works. I just like to try more natural approaches first before meds.

stevieduk · Jan 4, 2018

Chris Villalobos said:
I had a weird Bio-Pellet experience. I have a small 35 gallon display tank and 20 gallon sump. I had been running a skimmer and chaeto, and I was able to keep all kinds of corals in my tank for almost a year. But one day I had an outbreak of GHA that just took over, looked terrible, and my CUC couldn't keep up. I was told by many reefers it was due to "Nutrients". Well I had zero testable Nitrate and Phosphate but I was desperate so I started running a Bio-pellet reactor to scrub that water clean.

Then all my hard corals started to fade and get stn, but I was trying to change so many things at once that I didn't think it was necessarily due to the Bio-Pellets. Then my chaeto died and so did my algae eating snails. But during all this the GHA was still plugging along. Oh I do have two nassarius snails that are still fine and are the longest living animals in my tank. Also, the fish that didn't starve to death from my reduced feeding schedule are also otherwise normal.

So eventually all my hard corals bleached out and my soft corals mostly reduced in size or completely shrunk to tiny bumps and disappeared. The GHA still seemed OK.

Now it's 2 years later and I finally convinced myself to take the biopellets offline and see what higher nutrients do to my tank. I scrubbed all the rocks of GHA just to give everything a new start. To my surprize I'm not seeing high nutrients or a massive repopulation of GHA. Some of my Palys are coming back. I've added three new Astera snails and they seem to be staying healthy. When I was running Bio-Pellets they would usually die within a week or two. I put in a $5 hard coral just to see if it can survive now.

Has anyone else had this problem with their tank?

what is a GHA and CUC. Sorry but I hate abbreviations