Warner Marine Now Has A Pellet Product

[DJREEF]

Originally Posted by wloftin

Has anyone notice any tunicate growth that may seem attributed to the addition of these pellets? I have more than a few new tunicates that seem to be popping up near where my pellet reactor water's output is placed...

....and sponge growth. My orange and pink icing sponges are going ape doo doo. Liver sponges are taking off as well. I really need to find some of that blue stuff (Haliclona) and that swiss cheese looking yellow.

DJ

[mavjoy]

I've noticed my skimmer is pulling out some dark stuff than before. I'm also trying to get my ALK and CA in check for the past couple weeks now, before I even started my pellets. I still got good PE with my sticks and the rest looks ok.

[nadking]

Here are some before and after shots of the tank since I have been using ecoback. I started about a month ago I think. I picked up a polario powerhead for some more flow, but this was after the cyano had already dissapeared.

Before



After



Before



After



Before



After



Before



After

[DJREEF]

Amazing. Even more astonishing is how it caused 2 giant taco bowls to spontaneously appear from the rock in the second pic.


DJ

[buy_baff]

Well I got sick off looking at a ball of cheato that hasn't grown in 3 months so I took my fuge apart. I don't know exactly what I will use this open sump space for yet. But I'm sure I'll figgure something out.
-Bill

[DJREEF]

Originally Posted by buy_baff

Well I got sick off looking at a ball of cheato that hasn't grown in 3 months so I took my fuge apart. I don't know exactly what I will use this open sump space for yet. But I'm sure I'll figgure something out.
-Bill

More frags.

DJ

[jsdancer]

Nadking, what are you tests saying at this point?
Looks like you are getting rid of some algae, good for your system!

[nadking]

Originally Posted by DJREEF

Amazing. Even more astonishing is how it caused 2 giant taco bowls to spontaneously appear from the rock in the second pic.


DJ

I had to do some reorganizing to make way for the polario. The pump is huge!

[nadking]

Originally Posted by jsdancer

Nadking, what are you tests saying at this point?
Looks like you are getting rid of some algae, good for your system!

Nitrates and phosphates still undetectable using API test kits, however this is no change from what they were earlier. If only I had a more accurate test kit I could give more detailed results, the only difference I see is the way the tank looks, I am very pleased to say the least.

[buy_baff]

Originally Posted by DJREEF

More frags.

DJ

Most likely

[platax88]

Well, i dunno whats going on with my system/pellets. I started out with .12 of phosphates. By the second week of the pellets it dropped to .02 ... then it started to rise again .08, .1, now I am back to .12 on the hanna checker. I think this is my 8th week.

I took my GFO offline when I hit .02, maybe i need to plug it back in, which sucks cause my reason for trying the pellets was to do away with GFO.

I have the flow real low on the reactor, not even a tumble, more like the pellets are in suspension with a bit of channeling.

BTW, i do feed pretty heavily, always have. Any thoughts?

[buy_baff]

Originally Posted by platax88

Well, i dunno whats going on with my system/pellets. I started out with .12 of phosphates. By the second week of the pellets it dropped to .02 ... then it started to rise again .08, .1, now I am back to .12 on the hanna checker. I think this is my 8th week.

I took my GFO offline when I hit .02, maybe i need to plug it back in, which sucks cause my reason for trying the pellets was to do away with GFO.

I have the flow real low on the reactor, not even a tumble, more like the pellets are in suspension with a bit of channeling.

BTW, i do feed pretty heavily, always have. Any thoughts?

I don't beleave the hanna checkers are as acurite as most think. I have taken a large sample of my water and tested it multiple times with troubleing results. First test 0.00 second test 0.11 third test 0.08 all with the same water! They are off by more than 0.04 like they say they are.

[platax88]

Originally Posted by buy_baff

I don't beleave the hanna checkers are as acurite as most think. I have taken a large sample of my water and tested it multiple times with troubleing results. First test 0.00 second test 0.11 third test 0.08 all with the same water! They are off by more than 0.04 like they say they are.

Yes, but even their better more expensive tested has the same accuracy. Are you sure you used the exact testing procedure each time? (amount of time shaking, no bubbles, clean vials ...)

[poolkeeper1]

Use the Test for Numbers, Use your coral to tell you how they are looking and if you have excess Po4 in your system. My Hanna checker read 0 ppb after a water change on my newly set up tank that had 75% new water to start with a week ago, In this case i think the checker is in the correct range as i see no signs of any nuisance algae on the glass or any where else. The combo of looking and testing is best IMO
Bill
PS That test 3 X is a ploy to use more reagent Hahaha

[tmz]

Depending on bioload and other variables many continue to use gfo for low range PO4 removal along side carbon dosing. All in all you'll need less of it,ime,and it should last longer. Typically, organisms use much more organic carbon and nitrogen than phosphorous. Although the ratios vary organism by organism , the Redfield ratio based on phytoplankton provides some perspective at 116parts organic carbon to 16 parts nitrogen to 1 part phosphorous. So relatively little PO4 is involved.

[buy_baff]

Originally Posted by poolkeeper1

Use the Test for Numbers, Use your coral to tell you how they are looking and if you have excess Po4 in your system. My Hanna checker read 0 ppb after a water change on my newly set up tank that had 75% new water to start with a week ago, In this case i think the checker is in the correct range as i see no signs of any nuisance algae on the glass or any where else. The combo of looking and testing is best IMO
Bill
PS That test 3 X is a ploy to use more reagent Hahaha

I agree that the corals will tell you what's up. I useualy only test once I was just was doing a little experement.

[platax88]

Corals look great right now. colorful and new growth is evident. My n03 is at 1ppm so it maybe that the ratios are out of whack.

Maybe I should run a lil GFO to get down to 0 and then pull it to see if the PH4 that i supply via feeding will be enough to keep the ratios balanced.

[platax88]

Corals look great right now. colorful and new growth is evident. My n03 is at 1ppm so it maybe that the ratios are out of whack.

Maybe I should run a lil GFO to get down to 0 and then pull it to see if the PH4 that i supply via feeding will be enough to keep the ratios balanced.

[MammothReefer]

I'm down to 0 Phosphates, and .2 nitrates.. Can't complain. Cleaning the reactor and replacing the mesh/foam with those plastic discs got everything tumbling again.

[langtudatinh01]

iam into the pellet for a week now. so far, no cloudy, great PE from sps. clearer water (also running GAC). not see algae growth much in the tank (i must have low phosphate to start with). i just get rid of my refugium duel to sump shatter. so far so good, the pellets are less stumbling around, i think the bacterias are taking over.

[jsdancer]

Originally Posted by langtudatinh01

iam into the pellet for a week now. so far, no cloudy, great PE from sps. clearer water (also running GAC). not see algae growth much in the tank (i must have low phosphate to start with). i just get rid of my refugium duel to sump shatter. so far so good, the pellets are less stumbling around, i think the bacterias are taking over.

Sounds good! Good luck to you and keep us posted weekly on your nutrient levels and your observations.

[Ycore]

How long does it usually take before seeing some sort of change on the pellets? I've had my reactor hooked up for a little over a week, and so far don't see any sliming or increase in skimmer output.

[Stuart60611]

I have noticed that the volume of my pellets seems to be reducing signficcantly. Now, since my pellets have become more sticky and therefore do not fluidize to the same height as they used to when first added, I am not sure whether the pellets are dissolving or the lower height the pellets take up in my reactor is a result of bacterial mass causing the pellets not to fluidize as high. I have a very heavy bioload and feed quite a bit. What are others experiences in terms of how often and much they have to add more pellets to their reactors?

As an important aside, I could not be more happy with my ecobak. My system has never run so clean. I hardly clean the glass and any phosphate or other organic matter which was previously absorbed in the rocks seems to have been released to the water column and taken up by bacteria and later exported via the skimmer. I have really no nuisance algae for some time now. My skimmer cup needs to be changed daily where before when dosing vodka I had to change my skimmer cup every few days. Fish also seem to have an increased appetite which I can only attribute to improved water parameters. I have been feeding considerably more, but my fish now devour the food with substantially more vigor, and I actually have less particles of food left over even though I am feeding more because they eat with such gusto. These have been a lifesaver for me, and the only method I have found of being able to manage my bioload effectively.

[TheFishMan65]

Turn of the flow and measure where they settle (ideally do this at the first start). You can then turn off the flow at any time and see how much shorter the stack is. At least this is the way I would go about measuring usage.

[Stuart60611]

Originally Posted by TheFishMan65

Turn of the flow and measure where they settle (ideally do this at the first start). You can then turn off the flow at any time and see how much shorter the stack is. At least this is the way I would go about measuring usage.

Ya, great idea, and I wish I would have done that from the start. Now, I am left just eyeballing it and guessing. As such, curious what rate others are having to replace pellets to make an educated guess as to whether I need to add some more.