3reef Community Bio Pellet Review

I would assume like most water thriving bacteria, when faced with coming out of the water they recede in to the deeper parts of the pellets where there is still likely just enough water that they will be just fine.

 

I don't believe the pellets are porous. Making this very difficult.

 

First post ;D Glad to join!
Tank water volume: 40br+20gal sump ~50-55 gal

Filtration: Sea Side Aquatics CS1 Skimmer, Filter sock, CPR nano reactor + purigen, CPR nano reactor + Dr. Tims Pearl Pellets

Lighting: Vertex 260 Illumina LED

Water Parameters:

Alk: 10 Hanna
Ca: 450 Salifert
Mg:1440 Salifert
Nitrate: 0 Salifert
Phosphate: ???? Not tested yet

Fish/invert stock:

Potters Angel
Percula Clownfish
Six line wrasse
Diamond Goby
Neon Goby
Fire Shrimp X1
Cleaner Shrimp X1


Feeding schedule: Flake/pellets in morning, half cube frozen in evening with Selcon: Spirulina Flakes, Spectrum Pellets, Frozen Mysis, Dried Cyclo-peeze, Frozen Angel Food, Formula 1 Flake

Additives being used: Mg, Ca, Alk via Ca Reactor

Types of corals in your system: 100% SPS

Brand of BP's being used: Dr. Tim's Pearl Pellets

Type/brand BP Reactor: Nano Reactor by Ameka aquatics

How much BP's are you using: 250ml

How long have you been using BP's: 5 weeks in a new reef tank

Reason/reasons for using BP: ULNS


Please share your experience with BP's: Initially not much went on, I developed diatoms, then during the second week I got GDA. Afterwards, the skimmer began skimming heavier and BP began clumping. The GDA is mostly gone as well as the diatoms. I now have HA that is slowly receding on my 5th week. Most sps are showing great polyp extension. My monti's, both digitata and cap. are not doing too well. The pellets have also appeared to have decreased in size as they are moving more rapidly despite slowing the flow during the second week. Looks as if the bacteria are consuming the pellets.

 

Welcome to 3reef and thanks for paticipating!!8)

 

Newbie here (first post) but have 10 year old reef tank

Tank water volume: 180 gal tank +20 gal sump (100+ lg live rock I think)

Filtration: Aqua Medic Turboflotor 1000 Protein Skimmer,
Lighting: 3x 250 Metal halide + 6 dual light actinic

Water Parameters:

Alk: 9 Tetratest
Ca: 450 API
Nitrate: 0
Phosphate: 1 API

Fish/invert stock:

6 Bluegreen Chromis
2 Percula Clownfish
1 Six line wrasse
1 Coral Beauty
1 sand sifter
2 firefish
1 royal gramma
1 hippo tang
2 fairy wrasse
1 Neon Goby
2 large pink bubble tip anemones
3 Cleaner Shrimp
6 large crabs (emerald, porcelain)
lots of hermit crabs, snails

Feeding schedule: 3 cube frozen in morning and in evening, algae sheets cutup for angel and tang, invertebrate food once couple times a week

Additives being used: Alk, calcium seems to stay high without additives
Water (use di-ro water for all water changes every 1-2 weeks 10%)

Types of corals in your system: SPS & LPS

Brand of BP's being used: Warner Marine EcoBak

Type/brand BP Reactor: NextReef

How much BP's are you using: 500ml

How long have you been using BP's: 5 months

Reason/reasons for using BP: high nitrates/phosphates

Please share your experience with BP's: I started carbon dosing (Vodka) early this year to try to reduce nitrates (20-40 on API kit) due to high bioload but did not see too much change in parameters (difficulty in daily dosing to get level up steadiy). Switched to biopellets in June. The tank had diatom and cyano outbreak using vodka dosing, so I did not see a cyano outbreak after switching too biopellets, except some cloudy water at the beginning and later more diatoms. After two weeks the nitrates and phosphates were down to zero (API kit); nitrates stayed at zero but now seeing phosphates increase. Lots more skimmate. The pellets have decreased in size to the point that I have just ordered more. All corals except some of the red mushrooms (which I have too many anyway) are really showing great growth, and lots more coraline algae growth on back wall.

My phosphates however have increased back up to 1 (limited success with Phosgard & waterchanges ) after initally dropping to zero.

Question - I have another nextreef media reactor that I have been using for carbon; should I use a product like Phosban or next reefs phosphate removal media in that or would I have better luck investing in a better protein skimmer? (or both) I have 4 deep water acropora that have been really putting on growth, so need to get the phosphates back under control.
TIA - m

 

Mclyde are you using enough pellets for your tank? The recommended ammount for my 46gal is 200ml of pellets and your using 500ml with more than four times the size of my tank. The original pellets you used might have out competed for the initial nutrient battle in your tank but time it feels like your not running a whole lot of pellets. I'm only using box bioplastics which is likely a less potent form than your pellets but still it seems low. If you have the effluent pointed towards the skimmer intake then all the excess bacteria should be getting exported and you shouldn't have a phosphate problem less you have a food sorce which introduces phosphates which some foods do, read the lables you'd be supprised.

 

Tank water volume: 120g DT, 40g Sump/Fuge ~125g Total

Filtration: ASM G3, fuge with Chaeto ***40 W UV***

Lighting: IceCap Reef illuminations 2X250, 2X54 T5, 2 LED Tubes

Water Parameters:
Ca 430
Alk 9.8
Mg 1320
SAl 1.026
No3 ~0
PO4 ?

Fish/invert stock: Flame and Black Angel, Scopas, 3 firefish, 6 line, madarin, turbo and nassarius snails, cleaner shrimp


Feeding schedule:
Flakes Daily, Nori 2-3xs/wk, pellets soaked in selcon or garlic 2-3xs/wk, oysterfeast 2-3xs/wk, mysis/cyclopeeze 1-2xs/wk
Additives being used:
Dose BRS Alk, Ca, and Mg. Ca/Alk dosed with dual channel pump. Mg manually

Types of corals in your system: SPS and I went on an acan spree.

Brand of BP's being used: Avast Marine Pellets

Type/brand BP Reactor:Avast MR5

How much BP's are you using: Going to start with just 1-1.5 cups and add slowly to no more than 2 cups. Edit....got the reactor. Added 200 ml.

How long have you been using BP's: Starting tonight assuming my Rx gets here.

Reason/reasons for using BP:
Bumper crop of Bubble Algae..something is feeding them. Get nutrients down assuming from over feeding.

Please share your experience with BP's: Gonna start tonight. This is a great thread. First and only I found like it. The previous posts have done much for forming my plan of action.

Wish me luck!

 

Good luck and thanks for participating!!8)

 

Tank water volume:
72 gal bow front with 20 long sump = 92 gal total

Filtration:
Live rock with filter socks on/off as needed

Lighting:
48 DIY cree LEDs

Water Parameters:
temp avg 77.2
ph 8.2 (RKL)
cal 432(checker)
alk 10.2(checker)
mag 1110 (being raised)
nitrates(waiting for new kit)
phos 0.05(checker)

Fish/invert stock:
mimic tang,2 clowns,blue damsel(loss 3 fish due to power failure a few months ago)


Feeding schedule:
1 cube frozen spirulina brine(through out day)
formula 2 pellets EOD(through out day)
algae sheet EOD

Additives being used:
kent tech-m
kent coral vit(now and then)
kent essential elements(now and then)
cal reactor

Types of corals in your system:
Mixed Reef-from shrooms to SPS

Brand of BP's being used:
WM Ecobak

Type/brand BP Reactor:
modified TLF 150 reactor(ran off return pump mag 9.5)

How much BP's are you using:
~350-400 ml

How long have you been using BP's:
Long Story....over a year now(9/10).had to restart from day one(couple months ago) per Jon at WM due to a power loss for a few days and had bacteria die off..

Reason/reasons for using BP:
Never really had much luck with my fuge,macros always gave me trouble.I was reading and liked what carbon dosing could do for our tank and corals..looking for as close to 0 nutrients as possible without going ULNS..


Please share your experience with BP's:
From having used these for over a year I have had pretty good results,took a little time to find the right flow rate(sweet spot) for my not so high bio load(after many questions on the ecobak thread)..I never had that cyan prob other people may have had,although while getting things dialed in Some of my corals(LPS) faded in color a bit,but have come back nicely..maybe I was lucky but never had any real bad effects after all this time..ONE IMPORTANT thing to remember is have your out put as close to your skimmer as possible and watch the increase in gunk you will get..

 

This is an update on my original post. Tested today (12-11-11) and the nitrates are at 5 and the phosphates are somewhere between 0 and .03. So the nitrates have continued to drop with the increased feedings. I am now feeding two cubes of frozen a day. before the bio-pellet reactor, i only fed one. i am still feeding the same amounts of flakes, pellets and nori.