bio pellets causes cloudy water...Uv sterilizer time!

Discussion in 'Water Chemistry' started by libog2fish, Oct 25, 2010.

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  1. libog2fish

    libog2fish Fire Shrimp

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    I'm wondering if any of you reefers had or were running bio beeds/bio pellets?
    I have a concern on my water quailty...
    I'm currently running a 3 compartment sump:
    1st baffle contains filterfloss 1000/L resun powerhead driving water into my Uv sterilizer..
    2nd baffle has my swc 160 cone skimmer,also has a magdrive 500 gph return which is feeding my 2 TFL reactors.
    1 reactor has the swc bio pellets,the other contains the seachem phosgaurd media...
    the outlet of the 1st reactor goes into the same baffle where the skimmer is in...
    the 2nd reactor outlet drops into the thrid and last chamber which only contains a catalina 698gph return pump...
    I've just recently added the 11watt uv resun sterilizer,and it outlets into the last baffle as we'll...
    I was doing alot of reading and it looks like the haze in my tank is caused by the bio pellets...
    although I futher on did some more reading and it seems that adding a uv for a couple weeks will clear things up...
    If anyone would care to share a few ideas into my filtration system that I should change I'd be happy to listen...:)


    a quick note...
    should I stop running the phosgaurd media and switch into carbon?
    also have another media for nitrates that I'm thinking of adding called nitrate-lock should I put this in the sump as we'll...:confused:
     
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  3. Powerman

    Powerman Giant Squid

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    You don't need a sterilizer. The cloud is caused by a bacteria bloom. You probably have too much flow through your pellets. You are putting out too much "food" and it is being carried to your tank. It will clear up when the bacteria consume the food. Throttle back the flow in the reactor or take out some of the pellets. A sterilizer will kill bacteria but it is not needed and just another thing you need to maintain.

    You may or may not need to run phosban depending on your phosphate load. the bacteria fed by the pellets will take some up, but that does not mean it will take it all up depending on what your inport is. Run the pellets with out phosban for a while and see if you still have a phosphate problem.

    You should run carbon because you should run carbon.

    You don't need nitrate sponge in a healthy tank. You also should not rely on gimicks and chemicals to keep your tank right. Nature does fine by itself. Get a naturally healthy tank and you won't need most of the stuff you tank about. what you will need is a little to mop up what is left behind, but not a lot to "run" your tank.

    And all this is for a SPS tank. LPS and softies can tolerate dirtier water.
     
  4. libog2fish

    libog2fish Fire Shrimp

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    thanks buddy!
    i kind of have an idea with the lack of clarity...
    I had dropped in a raw shrimp for my anemone but it slide of it's grasps and with trickeled down behind the rock...I noticed it was n't beiing consumed by any of the clean up crew,so that might be causing this haze...
    I also had clipped some nori soaked in garlic gaurd a couple time this past weekend as we'll and when no tangs feed off it it breaks into small peices and prolly that's where all of this is taking place...
    I have another problem though i see red slime taking effect...
    I think my filters in my ro unit has to be changed it hasn't been changed for a couple years now...
    and is adding prime into my new water for waterchanging help???
    while I save up for new filter cartridges...
     
  5. libog2fish

    libog2fish Fire Shrimp

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    we'll I poked and poked the bio media to free the clumps...
    although when I woke up this morning I noticed it stopped agian...
    we'll I'm just getting sick of all this fuss so I removed my 2 reactors and planning to re plumb all the leaks through the connectors and the hoses...
    as of this morning I did a 2 pail water change,which I do weekly..
    and I've left my sterilizer running..and this afternoon
    the water was crystal clear...
    I'm thinking of not bringing back the bio pellets...
    instead i'll continue to run the phosgaurd in 1 reactor and the other will contain black diamond activated carbon in the other...
    as for the sterilizer i'll be turning it off after I reinstall the 2 reactors...
    as for the biopellets...
    I think it's really not worth having in my system...
    I noticed that no other thread has been dealth with this,we'll as what I've seen...
    what do you felloe 3reef keepers have in your reactors...
    also what do you peeps prefer me running...
     
  6. mirandacollc

    mirandacollc Flame Angel

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    Well said.
     
  7. Corailline

    Corailline Super Moderator

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    It is a dry heat, yeah right !
    Totally agree. Back to basics.
     
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  9. libog2fish

    libog2fish Fire Shrimp

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    update:
    I've installed the uv but it's turned off...
    I've pulled out the swc bio pellets due to my TFL 150 sponges were clogging up the tumble effect...
    I've done some reading and apperantly when using any type of bio pellets you must do a few adjustments into you reactor...
    What I've done is picked up some plastic mini hole damm and takin out the orginal sponges and replaced them with the damm's I've made...
    as I also had added a stronger gph return pump so I had a better flow into the reactor and have better tumbling and less caking in the reactor...
    I've also thought of going with a diffrent bio pellet brand...
    I'll be doing a little saving up and picking the ECO-bak bio pellets this coming new year...
    as for the other reactor I'm just running the seachem phosgaurd media to help with the phosphates in the system.
    Once i get the Eco-bak going I'll turn the other reactor into activated carbon...
    Also have been asking alot of other reefers and them stating I must run my outlet of the eco bak pellets very close to where my skimmers inlet is located at...
    I'll be doing some plumbing work in the near future...
    as for now I'm gonna keep my water changes to par and work on the zoas farm tank...8)
     
  10. mirandacollc

    mirandacollc Flame Angel

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    Just picked my pio pellets today tagging along let us know how they work. I wont have time to get mine going for at least the week.
     
  11. pink4miss

    pink4miss Panda Puffer

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    TFL 150 makes screens meant to replace the sponges if your using it for pellets