Questions about reactors!!!

[D_Reep1106]

Hey all,

I am starting a new tank in the next few weeks and I am trying to decide what I should do as far as reactors. Idk much about bio-pellet reactors but I have heard they do good things to control nitrates. Do bio pellets help with water clarity like carbon does? Would running a dual carbon and GFO BRS reactor AND bio pellets be too much?

 

[redfishbluefish]

Here is the Reader's Digest version on reactors:

Activated Carbon reactor takes out organic compounds by getting bound to the carbon or physically trapped. It must be disposed of with frequency....dump it in the garbage and put in new Activated Carbon.

GFO reactor takes out phosphate by binding to the GFO. It to gets disposed with frequency.....dumped in the garbage and put in new GFO.

Biopellets are a food source for bacteria. Bacteria grow and multiply on the biopellets, and in the process "consume" nitrates and phosphates. As the bacteria multiply, some gets sloughed off and picked up by your skimmer. You need a skimmer to run Biopellets. You must replenish the biopellets as the bacteria eat them up. It's similar to vodka or vinegar dosing, with the exception that the "carbon" source is localized in the reactor.

Hope this helps.

 

[D_Reep1106]

Here is the Reader's Digest version on reactors:

Activated Carbon reactor takes out organic compounds by getting bound to the carbon or physically trapped. It must be disposed of with frequency....dump it in the garbage and put in new Activated Carbon.

GFO reactor takes out phosphate by binding to the GFO. It to gets disposed with frequency.....dumped in the garbage and put in new GFO.

Biopellets are a food source for bacteria. Bacteria grow and multiply on the biopellets, and in the process "consume" nitrates and phosphates. As the bacteria multiply, some gets sloughed off and picked up by your skimmer. You need a skimmer to run Biopellets. You must replenish the biopellets as the bacteria eat them up. It's similar to vodka or vinegar dosing, with the exception that the "carbon" source is localized in the reactor.

Hope this helps.

If I decide to go with a bio pellets reactor is the best idea to start it when I start my tank to go ahead and get the bacteria started in the pellets. It sounds like running a bio pellet reactor and a carbon reactor is the best way to go. I can always mix in some GFO with my carbon if PO4 starts to show up. How does that sound?

 

[Feltman]

Biopellets are a double edge in my opinion as they need nitrates and phosphate in order to work (most newer tanks have phosphates but not huge amounts of nitrates until they get detritus hiding and breaking down) however it takes awhile for the bacteria to build up in numbers where u see a differnce. So I would run the carbon and gfo until u notice nitrates then half the gfo start the biopellets once u see the nitrates going back down slowly back off the gfo till nitrates are what u want. Some people don't need gfo at all with pellets other will run a small amount of gfo as phosphates tend to run higher then nitrates in a tank with sufficient flow