3reef Community Bio Pellet Review

+1 to getting a orp probe if your running bio pellets

 

ORP, huh. What's the difference between ORP and dissolved oxygen then??

 

first price...lol about 600.00 to add the dissolved oxygen probe to your apex and 150 to add the orp.

anyway from all i have read the orp would tell you if there was an oxygen problem in the water. low oxygen would make the orp reading drop. but other things could cause this also. , orp is very complicated from all i have read....its a reading of water quality. and can tell you when somethings wrong and clue you in to look for it. after my experience with pellets, i plan to add an orp probe to my apex. i will not hook the pellets back up. i may later liquid carbon dose, but not without an orp probe installed.

 

Holy crap, I didnt know that the dissolved oxygen probe/module being so expensive! Thanks for the input, pink4miss! I did read up on what the heck ORP is, but the more I read, the more I got confused.. Yet I found this article about ORP very useful.

 

good article, that puts it plan and simple really. when messing with bacteria/carbon dosing, orp is a must IMO (after finding out the hard way) and if you have the full apex its just a 60.00 probe. i have the lite i have to buy the pm1 and the probe
i do wonder if this bacteria imbalance pellets can create is also whats killing peoples corals.
maybe when the battle is staying even with both sides all runs smoothly? but when one or the other wins problems arise ... when one side wins fish die, and when the other side wins corals die.

 

Update:
My BP Rx has been on line for almost 5 months. The results… too close to call but definitely not bad. It seems my corals have browned out a bit. I think I almost wiped out my micro-snail population. I used to have armadas of them, now I just am starting to see a few after lights out. The glass stays cleaner. And best of all, I think the Bubble algae may be on the run…and that is why I started the Rx in the first place. I can’t attribute the changes solely to the BPs, but the converse is also true.

A couple of changes/events happened along the way.
I forgot to turn on my main pump after I fed cyclopese. Pellets are driven by my main pump and therefore sat stagnant for 12+ hours. I added a Ca Rx. Moved my auto feeder to a new location above the tank. Now the fish had more of a chance to eat the food before settles in the rocks and decays. Added some pellets. Added an MP10 for more flow front to back. Noticed the pellets weren’t tumbling as they normally were, turns out the return tube to the sump was partially blocked. Gave my tank up for Lent, only did water changes, no phyto, oysterfeast, or cyclopese. Changed out my DI Resin. And…and…and…

I mention all of the above to illustrate that many little things happen in our tanks from week to week. It makes it hard to pinpoint EXACTLY what causes any changes I observe, good or bad. As much as I ‘strive to’ and ‘swear that’ I kept everything constant, alas…I have failed!

After all of that, I am going to keep on rolling with the BPs.;D

Thanks again to Vinny, glad you are back in the BP game, and everyone for the comments and updates. Keep ‘em coming so this thread doesn’t get buried. The info is priceless!

 

i'm around 8 months in with the bio-pellets. my nitrates are still testing 0. the bubble algae has lessened but the bryopsis is still hanging around. i'm sure i will have to take manual action to combat the bryopsis. i still haven't experienced any of the negative results that others have reported (knock on wood). i will continue on with the bp reactor......

 

I am wondering if tank size is playing a role with oxygen levels in smaller tanks versus larger ones with the use of BP.

On a side note is anyone running GFO and BP on their system?

 

very possible. Especially if they don't run a sump or skimmer.

i don't currently run GFO.

 

YOU MUST SKIM the rector output

IT IS VERY IMPORTANT THAT THE OUTPUT OF ANY BIO PELLET REACTOR GOES THREW THE PROTEIN SKIMMER BEFORE IT IS RELEASED BACK INTO THE MAIN WATER. there is a nutrient that comes out of the reactor that is NOT nitrate or phosphate that will feed algae very well. The skimmer will harvest that and you can throw it down the sink, If you do not direct the outflow to the intake of the skimmer then your results will be very poor in comparison