Need info and opinoins on Bio pellets

Railcar79 · Jan 29, 2014

Phosban with some round net, there is a video on YouTube on how to mod it. Leave the pellets in the reactor, and you add more every 6 months or year to make up for loss from tumbling and bacteria eating them

p woodard · Jan 29, 2014

solar said:
Well i read all 19 pages. Doesn't really say alot just that you need high nitrates for it to work. It doesn't say what is a good reactor. What is recommended dosage of pellets per water volume. And is there a cheaper than 99$ reactor that works well? I had that exact same reactor i ended up trading it to rod d at the frag swap. If i should set it up in cycling stage or if i shouldn't. If i should run it with a refugium ect. Guess Ill just research it on my own. Don't see the point in joining a club when everytime i ask a question it gets 300 views and one answer. And the answer is usually something along the lines of google it or look through here insert some amount of pages. Brandon and bill and rob d I appreciate the feedback! Keith I will come over thursday if that's good for you. I thought being a part of a club was all about helping one another along, trading corals or even getting corals for a discounted price not paying market value when i can get same corals from non members for cheaper even with shipping. And making new friends who enjoy this hobby as much as I do. This club seems to be a group of a few selective people who bunch together and then there are outcasts. Maybe im wrong in seeing what I have seen for the last year. Maybe im the problem expecting to much. rant over.

Thank you phill you made my point when you come to the house I will tell you all you need to know and can show you how it works

Rob.D · Jan 29, 2014

Here's the link for the screen needed for TLF's phosban/pellet reactor.

Two Little Fishies NPX Screen for 150 or 550 PhosBan Reactor

NeveSSL · Jan 29, 2014

Keith, go ahead and type it out here for everyone to benefit from, that way he doesn't have to read through any more threads. Or are you now also head of the bio pellet committee?

Brandon

ccannon · Jan 29, 2014

NeveSSL said:
Keith, go ahead and type it out here for everyone to benefit from, that way he doesn't have to read through any more threads. Or are you now also head of the bio pellet committee?

Brandon

What exactly are you implying there?
Keith was just telling someone, that is coming to our house, that we would show them how a bio pellet reactor works and how to set it up. That comment to me was out of line.

p woodard · Jan 29, 2014

NeveSSL said:
Keith, go ahead and type it out here for everyone to benefit from, that way he doesn't have to read through any more threads. Or are you now also head of the bio pellet committee?

Brandon

Way one minute he is coming to my to my house to get rock and I have a bio pellet reactor and know something about and I'm being attacked

NeveSSL · Jan 29, 2014

LOL... just relax, guys. It was a joke, not an attack. Notice the smiley faces at the end?

FWIW, I was referring back to Chris making you head of the huff and puff comittee, although I can see how it could be misinterpreted as it wasn't written well. My apologies... twas a joke.

Brandon

ccannon · Jan 29, 2014

I recognize what a smiley face is. I don't get into much discussions on here guys because Keith does enough of that for the both of us. I read that and it just did not hit me the right way. I know Keith comes across like he is griping all the time, but he is really passionate about this hobby and he really enjoys being in this club. We all do in this household. Yes the internet does wonders but sometimes people do not comprehend what they read and need a little extra help I know I personally am one of those people. Just try to take into consideration that sometimes no matter how much you read or research there are still things you do not understand and will need help with.

NeveSSL · Jan 29, 2014

Good! I am well aware of that and have actually also been answering questions on here.

Brandon

Tennsquire · Jan 29, 2014

Modded Phosban reactor with a powerhead running Ecobak. Super easy to mod and it works just fine.

solar · Jan 29, 2014

p woodard said:
Thank you phill you made my point when you come to the house I will tell you all you need to know and can show you how it works

Ty keith, I will see you tomorrow.

Rob.D said:
Here's the link for the screen needed for TLF's phosban/pellet reactor.

Two Little Fishies NPX Screen for 150 or 550 PhosBan Reactor

Ty rob it is very much appreciated.

Tennsquire said:
Modded Phosban reactor with a powerhead running Ecobak. Super easy to mod and it works just fine.

Ty tennsquire. Now i have a couple decisions to make after i figure it all out tomorrow.

Also Ty for everyone who helped on this matter.

mixer911 · Jan 30, 2014

solar said:
Well i read all 19 pages. Doesn't really say alot just that you need high nitrates for it to work. It doesn't say what is a good reactor. What is recommended dosage of pellets per water volume. And is there a cheaper than 99$ reactor that works well? I had that exact same reactor i ended up trading it to rod d at the frag swap. If i should set it up in cycling stage or if i shouldn't. If i should run it with a refugium ect. Guess Ill just research it on my own. Don't see the point in joining a club when everytime i ask a question it gets 300 views and one answer. And the answer is usually something along the lines of google it or look through here insert some amount of pages. Brandon and bill and rob d I appreciate the feedback! Keith I will come over thursday if that's good for you. I thought being a part of a club was all about helping one another along, trading corals or even getting corals for a discounted price not paying market value when i can get same corals from non members for cheaper even with shipping. And making new friends who enjoy this hobby as much as I do. This club seems to be a group of a few selective people who bunch together and then there are outcasts. Maybe im wrong in seeing what I have seen for the last year. Maybe im the problem expecting to much. rant over.

Whe it comes to Bio pellet reactors you are going to get a million different answers. Everyone has "their" favorite that is the best per say. It really is a personal choice. To be honest and after years of researching bio pellets and reactors (as well as working with Jon Warner on designs), pretty much any reactor that will tumble the media will work. It can be a very simple BRS reactor or a complex Reef Dynamics reactor. The key is growing the bacteria (aerobic & anaerobic) on the media and then breaking it off (bio film) of the media by tumbling it. The trick is the right tumble rate and time (the bacteria colonies take a while to get established before you will see results). They also require food (P04 & nitrates) so fish and feeding the fish is important. So its really up to you to choose which reactor you can comfortably do this with. There is more to bio-pellets than the reactor.

As far as you having tried an exact same reactor as the synergy reef reactors, I can say if it was an Atomic reactor, they are not the same. Similar, but redesigned totally. But it should have worked fine with bio pellets. I use the Synergy Reef SMR-2500 and it works great with ecobak. I think you just need to read some more about how biopellets work and then you will have better success with them.

solar · Jan 30, 2014

mixer911 said:
Whe it comes to Bio pellet reactors you are going to get a million different answers. Everyone has "their" favorite that is the best per say. It really is a personal choice. To be honest and after years of researching bio pellets and reactors (as well as working with Jon Warner on designs), pretty much any reactor that will tumble the media will work. It can be a very simple BRS reactor or a complex Reef Dynamics reactor. The key is growing the bacteria (aerobic & anaerobic) on the media and then breaking it off (bio film) of the media by tumbling it. The trick is the right tumble rate and time (the bacteria colonies take a while to get established before you will see results). They also require food (P04 & nitrates) so fish and feeding the fish is important. So its really up to you to choose which reactor you can comfortably do this with. There is more to bio-pellets than the reactor.

As far as you having tried an exact same reactor as the synergy reef reactors, I can say if it was an Atomic reactor, they are not the same. Similar, but redesigned totally. But it should have worked fine with bio pellets. I use the Synergy Reef SMR-2500 and it works great with ecobak. I think you just need to read some more about how biopellets work and then you will have better success with them.

I really really appreciate this information!!! And in no way was I knocking your reactor, so please don't take it that way. Everything you build is top notch. I did own one last year but I couldn't get answers answered so I traded it to Rob D. I didn't even get a chance to get it hooked up. This thread was more about what do bio pellets do, who uses what reactors what pellets ect. general knowledge. All alot of people had to type was
I use "x" reactor with "x" pellets i have noticed "x" since i have hooked it up ect. Also should i run it with my cycle or after? Do i add all the pellets at once? Little every day? these are the reasons i joined a club is for help. If i wanted to have to search the interenet i could do that without the club. I wanted to hear your guys's/gals knowledge. what you use. what problems you have ran into with what reactors ect. CAuse in the end saving me money is better. And learning from your mistakes makes it so I don't make the exact same ones. I don't have the income alot of you do. So I can't per say buy a reactor for 179.99 and if it doesn't work well just buy another.
Here is a pic of it.

solar · Jan 30, 2014

ccannon said:
I recognize what a smiley face is. I don't get into much discussions on here guys because Keith does enough of that for the both of us. I read that and it just did not hit me the right way. I know Keith comes across like he is griping all the time, but he is really passionate about this hobby and he really enjoys being in this club. We all do in this household. Yes the internet does wonders but sometimes people do not comprehend what they read and need a little extra help I know I personally am one of those people. Just try to take into consideration that sometimes no matter how much you read or research there are still things you do not understand and will need help with.

This x 100000

mixer911 · Jan 30, 2014

solar said:
I really really appreciate this information!!! And in no way was I knocking your reactor, so please don't take it that way. Everything you build is top notch. I did own one last year but I couldn't get answers answered so I traded it to Rob D. I didn't even get a chance to get it hooked up. This thread was more about what do bio pellets do, who uses what reactors what pellets ect. general knowledge. All alot of people had to type was
I use "x" reactor with "x" pellets i have noticed "x" since i have hooked it up ect. Also should i run it with my cycle or after? Do i add all the pellets at once? Little every day? these are the reasons i joined a club is for help. If i wanted to have to search the interenet i could do that without the club. I wanted to hear your guys's/gals knowledge. what you use. what problems you have ran into with what reactors ect. CAuse in the end saving me money is better. And learning from your mistakes makes it so I don't make the exact same ones. I don't have the income a lot of you do. So I can't per say buy a reactor for 179.99 and if it doesn't work well just buy another.
Here is a pic of it.

No worries Phil! I know you were not knocking them. I just wanted to let you and everyone know that bio pellet reactors do not have to be a specialized reactor. Sure some companies want to sell you the "specifically designed for bio pellets" reactor. Which is good as they are easier to use sometimes, but not needed. The main thing is really understanding what bio pellets are doing in your reactor. I personally use Warner Marine Ecobak and have mixed them before with others, but now just use only ecobak. You want to add them after your tank is cycled. You also need to add some bacteria to the tank when setting up the bio pellet reactor for the first time. The key is having a mix of different strains of bacteria growing on the pellets. Microb lift special blend, Microbacter 7, & Dr Tims are good ones to use. You need to only add a small portion of pellets at the beginning. It depends on bio load and water volume of the system to get the "how much" number. Too much and you will get cyano outbreaks. These are answers that most club members do not have the answers to. The club is a great resource for some things, but not everyone is a expert in everything. Reef2Reef and google are your best bet to find info and read about it, then ask specific questions about what you have learned. This hobby is about 50% luck and 50% black magic so most people don't even know how they got to where they are at

NeveSSL · Jan 30, 2014

The great one with answers has spoken... all hail Rick, king of pellets, master of mediation!

Brandon

SmyrnaReefer · Jan 30, 2014

gonna do this adlib style by filling in the blanks

I use "avast marine MR5 with mixing nozzle" reactor with "ecobak" pellets. i have noticed "not sure, lower phosphastes" since i have hooked it up ect.

Also should i run it with my cycle or after? During is fine, im sure

Do i add all the pellets at once? Little every day? Do not add all at once, 1/4 of recommended then add some later (3-4 weeks) new tank maybe all at once if nothing is in there, but someone else can chime in

I am by no means an expert on any of this, but this is what got!

mixer911 · Jan 30, 2014

NeveSSL said:
The great one with answers has spoken... all hail Rick, king of pellets, master of mediation!

Brandon

Lol... not quite. Far from king of pellets. Just my experience with them.

SmyrnaReefer said:
gonna do this adlib style by filling in the blanks

I use "avast marine MR5 with mixing nozzle" reactor with "ecobak" pellets. i have noticed "not sure, lower phosphastes" since i have hooked it up ect.

Also should i run it with my cycle or after? During is fine, im sure

Do i add all the pellets at once? Little every day? Do not add all at once, 1/4 of recommended then add some later (3-4 weeks) new tank maybe all at once if nothing is in there, but someone else can chime in

I am by no means an expert on any of this, but this is what got!