I just purchased a bio pellet reactor from you guys. It's the 150. I have no experience but watched your video. Will a mj1200 work for a pump? Also, for a biocube 29 with 20 gallon fuge, how much biopellet should I use? Is there a best place for the return hose to go ( like by the skimmer). Any info would be great. Thanks. And thanks for the best price on the net!!!
Tlf bio pellet reactor
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FYI.. i use a TLF 550 for my biopellet reactor on my 300 gallon system and it's given me lots of grief. I'm using a 190 gph pump and it doesn't give me enough flow to tumble the biopellets, but if i use a larger pump then i have too much flow going through the reactor and it will strip too many n/p out of the tank. The designs are very similar so you might have the same problems. Ideally a recirculating reactor would work the best. Then you could control how much is going through the reactor and how much the biopellets are tumbling. But of course those are pretty pricey... but probably affordable for your size system. And as for how much biopellets to use, check the recommendations for the product you bought and do the math
EricTheRed
Community Member
I've been successfully running bp's in a 150 for almost 2 years with a mj1100. The 1200 would rock. There is a restrictor ball-valve that comes with the 150. Use it to dial down the flow in the reactor. I have mine tumbling only fast enough so that everything tumbles smoothly. A 190gph pump is not enough, you want to be around 300gph and dial it back (slightly) with the ball valve. The most important thing to do if running bp's in a tlf reactor is to remove the sponges and replace with mesh. Another bit of advice, go with the 2LF's pellets in their reactors. They are very small when compared to everyone else's. They will tumble much easier than the big chunky pellets. This can also help if you don't feel you have enough flow becasue you won't need as much to make them tumble.
EricTheRed
Community Member
P.S. I would start with half the recommended dose of the bp's and slowly work your way up. When I first started I shocked the heck out of my corals and my fish were a bit dizzy for a few days because my trates dropped from ~20ppm to zero in 3 days.
Regarding the return, it was once thought that the return needs to be near the skimmer inlet to help re-oxigenate the water. It's been determined that this is no longer required.
Regarding the return, it was once thought that the return needs to be near the skimmer inlet to help re-oxigenate the water. It's been determined that this is no longer required.
MarineDepot
Build a Better Aquarium
We recommend a flow rate of 300-350 GPH for the TLF 150 reactor when used with Bio-Pellets. It is 100ml per 25 gallons, but we suggest only using a 1/3 or 1/2 the amount that is listed on the packaging label, then slowly increase, if necessary, depending on your aquarium as every tank is different. Directing the outlet of the reactor into the inlet of the protein skimmer is a good idea as it would increase efficiency. I hope this helps.
Dan
Dan
It helps very much. Thank you.
