Pellet reactor

[adamsfour]

I am having what appears like a bacteria bloom. I am away on travel for work and the tank service I use believes the source is my pellet reactor. From what I read it does make a lot of sense. I had a number of issues and I my chemistry been out of balance. What everyone think.

 

[Streetdoc77]

Bacterial blooms generally pass is the water cloudy white ? Uv sterilizers generally clear blooms up fairly quick.

 

[adamsfour]

No really but there is white stands in the water attaching to everything. It was cloudy a few weeks ago. Thanks

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Unless you put something strange in it, I probably wouldn’t blame the polymer pellets. Do you have a skimmer?

 

[adamsfour]

There are a number of web sites that discuss the potential negative effect of pellet reactor. Agree it does seem strange but if used in correctly can cause issue. I wasn’t aware it was so delicate

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

There are a number of web sites that discuss the potential negative effect of pellet reactor. Agree it does seem strange but if used in correctly can cause issue. I wasn’t aware it was so delicate

While I do not prefer polymer biopellet reactors compared to soluble organic dosing for several seasons, the likelihood of growing bacteria in the main tank isn't among them. While it is theoretically possible, I would not assume it is the sole cause in your case.

I've read huge numbers of threads on things like biopellets, and aside from it causing cyano (as all organic carbon dosing can), I do not recall a single person describe a situation like yours where it was causing white bacteria to grow as strings in the main tank.

 

[adamsfour]

Thanks. My fish service has been consulting with a number of coworkers and others and are convinced it’s caused by the pelleted reactor causing and unnatural imbalance in the tank resulting in a chemical and bacteria in balance. In addition to the white stuff other symptoms are an increase in phosphate and loss of most if my algae in the refugiam. And coal are not absorbing any calcium. Calcium has moved and all dosing is turned off Even if it’s not the pellet directory causing it then it’s certainly not helping. I am convinced the trigger point came with I caused a trigger when I removed a large coral and by accident upset the bed of the tank and a large rock. I agree it’s a tough problem to diagnose but at this point my goal is to regroup a correct

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Thanks. My fish service has been consulting with a number of coworkers and others and are convinced it’s caused by the pelleted reactor causing and unnatural imbalance in the tank resulting in a chemical and bacteria in balance. In addition to the white stuff other symptoms are an increase in phosphate and loss of most if my algae in the refugiam. And coal are not absorbing any calcium. Calcium has moved and all dosing is turned off Even if it’s not the pellet directory causing it then it’s certainly not helping. I am convinced the trigger point came with I caused a trigger when I removed a large coral and by accident upset the bed of the tank and a large rock. I agree it’s a tough problem to diagnose but at this point my goal is to regroup a correct

Not sure I understand this comment:

"And coal are not absorbing any calcium."

What is in the reactor?

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Oh, never mind. I assume it is "coral" rather than a term for GAC.

 

[adamsfour]

I turn off all dosing as I was trying I was speculating it was a alkalinity or calcium precipitation. The calcium has not changed in 4 days. Alkalinity was doing the same but it finally started to drop on Friday. Prior to this issue I was dosing calcium Daily

 

[adamsfour]

Yea sorry typo

 

[adamsfour]

Update: last week turned off dosing and fish tank service who changes water when i am out of town did his best to remove buildup. On Sunday tank was still clear. On Sunday turn Mag dosing and tank still clear on Monday. On Monday turn on Alk dosing tank still clear on Tuesday. Finally turn on Cal dosing on Tuesday. Today it’s all back. It appears to me the Calcium is the cause. Based on Trident Alk 11 Ca is 407, 1350. Seems fine. And one have any ideas.

 

[Dkeller_nc]

That's definitely not calcium carbonate precipitation. What it actually looks like is the mucous nets of vermetid worms, but it's also possible that it's just bacteria - it's tough to tell from a photograph.

I'm assuming that you've removed the biopellet reactor from your system for troubleshooting purposes?

 

[adamsfour]

Correct the fish service guy was convinced it was cause by reactor . Which it clear it wasn’t. I plan to put back in service Saturday when I return. If it was from worms I wouldn’t think it would go away and then comeback. It appears to me turning back on Dosing caused it to return and it appear related to calcium. One crazy idea I had was the dosing tubes are close to each other and Neptune Dos is deliver liquid, could they be mixing. They certainly would cause a precipitation.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Correct the fish service guy was convinced it was cause by reactor . Which it clear it wasn’t. I plan to put back in service Saturday when I return. If it was from worms I wouldn’t think it would go away and then comeback. It appears to me turning back on Dosing caused it to return and it appear related to calcium. One crazy idea I had was the dosing tubes are close to each other and Neptune Dos is deliver liquid, could they be mixing. They certainly would cause a precipitation.

Possible. I’d certainly time then to dose at different times or dose far apart.