NP reducing biopellets vs. Vodka

omg im so excited. Its almost a serious chem thread on 3reef! In other news: I have a hard time advocating natural predation for any nuisance problem's removal. Emerald crabs sometimes ignore bubble algae and eat fish/coral, tangs will often die before eating GHA or bryopsis, bleenys will ignore the greens and eat your acros, peppermint shrimp will eat LPS instead of aptasia. On the flip side they can work out great. Its a hit and miss solution. With bubble algae manual removal and nutrient reduction with work if you are dilligant. IF you use biopellets, can you start a 3reef thread about the results with pic and tests info as well as what pellets you use. Im interested in biopellets but my system doesnt need them YET!

 

I have been using biopellets personally i thought they worked faster then vodka when I tried that.

My thoughts they work great, there probably hasn't been such advancement in filtration since the protein skimmer.

 

btw just tested if your wondering my nitrates are running at .2-.5, probably around .3

 

One way that could happen, is having conditions right for the green hair algae to grow, and then inadvertently introducing some bubble algae on a piece of live rock or coral. What's to stop it from thriving once introduced? Hm mm
Greg

 

I used vodka in the pass. its worked but there were ups and down. once I did achieve my lower nitrate levels, i added a fuge/cheato/mangroves and stop dosing vodka. really easy to overdose it as well..

here my thread.

http://www.3reef.com/forums/water-chemistry/im-started-vodka-dosing-80666.html

 

I don't see why everyone doesn't do that, although I used Fern Caulerpa and Mangroves in my fuge. I do have some Cheato growing in my QT, so I will try that as well once I get my DT set back up. Seems to me to be a lot easier than having to constantly dose a carbon source. I have done the vinegar route, but the fuge is so much less maintenance.

 

There is always more than one way to skin a cat

This is a crazy situation but I have a small leak in the collection cup on my ASM G3 skimmer from trying to tap a drainage valve on the side of the cup. I run this skimmer on my LPS and zoanthid system.

For the past few weeks I have been noticing that my acans are thriving more than ever, along with all other LPS corals. I can only think of one thing that I have done differently and that is the leak in the collection cup. Now I am just glad that my diet allows me to find bacon and eggs as a great meal, vs a mouth full of poop.

 

I would start a fuge and I do intend on starting up one in the near future. The reason why I never put one up is because of the unavailability of macro in Trinidad. I could collect Caulerpa and black mangroves locally but nothing else. I want to get my hands on some Cheato.
I will start some sort of documentation.
I'm currently experimenting on three different tanks.
My main Display - Bio Pellets
50gal Frag Tank - Vodka
20gal nano - Vodka

 

I as well think the fuge is the way to go. Its droped my levels so much of the past couple months and destroyed my GHA problem. Also, I cant OD on chaeto lol. I have even have my giant banished hermit crabs die off in there with no rise in no3because the chaeto sucks it up. Calurpa is a good choice to, but it does go sexual if it feels its not getting enough nutrients and releases back into the water column.

 

properly set up biopellet reactor is set it and forget it, maybe check it in a year to top off the pellets. its part of the reason I love it.