Warner Marine Now Has A Pellet Product

[afernandez]

4months in so far so good

[Rxfoote]

Ok, got my ecobak yesterday and setup in a Two Little Fishies reactor. I think I have a nice tumble going... I'll try to post a link to a video today. Just to confirm I don't won't UV during the first few weeks? Also, no reason to run gac or gfo?

[Buganddoug]

Originally Posted by Rxfoote

Just to confirm I don't won't UV during the first few weeks? Also, no reason to run gac or gfo?

That is right no GFO or GAC. I would also say you should not need the UV at all.

[bertoni]

I would run GAC. It can bind toxins and organics that cloud the water, and it won't interfere with the pellets appreciably. UV won't interfere either, although I'm not sure it does much. If you're using GFO, I'd back off on it slowly rather than make a sudden change. Otherwise, I'd watch the phosphate test results, and work from there.

[t.trezona]

Has anyone set up a reactor with the biopellets on a new tank? Wondering about appropriate timing for firing up the reactor. Tank has cycled but nothing otherwise in it yet.

[mos90]

i started my reactor as soon as i started my tank 4 weeks ago. i dosed mb7 from the start also. i had the reactor running during the cycle. i just added a small orange digitata frag last night.

[t.trezona]

It does seem to me that fewer problems should occur if the pellet colony ramps up slowly as nitrogen production begins.

[bertoni]

Very few, if any, people have posted the results of adding pellets to a new tank, but I don't think it would be particularly harmful.

[mos90]

i really dont have any results to post yet, its only been 4-5 weeks. i just added a handful of corals yesterday. i should have some data in a few weeks.

i do need to check phos and nitrate. everything else looks perfect.
cal-440
mag-1440
alk- 8.5 dkh
ammo -0
nitrite- 0

im also using a 1" miracle mud sandbed in the fuge with some live rock. no macro algae or light. im tring to avoid macro if possible.

i have noticed as the pellets were starting to kick in, a slight depression in my ph. also my skimmer stopped producing skimmate about a week ago. if i close the ball valve any more it skims clear water.

[dzhuo]

Originally Posted by mos90

i have noticed as the pellets were starting to kick in, a slight depression in my ph. also my skimmer stopped producing skimmate about a week ago. if i close the ball valve any more it skims clear water.

I am not sure if that's a sign of the bio-pellets kicking in. The basic principle of carbon dosing is to culture bacteria and when the colony grows, the bacteria absorbs N & P. The skimmer than remove these bacteria loaded with excess nutrient out of the tank. Most people experience a much darker and heavier skimmate exporting these bacteria. This is the final and most important step of carbon dosing. If your skimmer suddenly light up and stop producing skimmate, it could be a sign that nothing is being exported. What happen when the bacteria isn't being remove? They eventually dies and release the nutrient back to the tank.

[mos90]

the skimmer just needed some adjustments. it is skimming but its very light colored, doesnt have much oder.

[Safedad]

When running bio pellets do you add Microbacter 7 or Zeo at the same rate as the directions? Or can you add it less frequently if N/P stay low? Thanks

[mos90]

i add 1 cap per week of mb7 to my 125g. after the initial dose for the first 2 weeks.

[Safedad]

Thanks, how long have you been following this dosage?

[mos90]

the tank has only been running for 6 weeks. so that would be 4 weeks total.

im using about 1/2 the recommended dose per week.

[CW from the OC]

Originally Posted by Safedad

When running bio pellets do you add Microbacter 7 or Zeo at the same rate as the directions? Or can you add it less frequently if N/P stay low? Thanks

I'm not a bio-scientist, but here is my take on adding bacteria like Zeo or MB7.

How do you know that the strain in the bottle will utilize the carbon source you are dosing? You don't. And if it is not utilizing the carbon source, it will not be very effective at reducing nitrate and phosphate, because it will be carbon limited. Additionally, it will compete (though not very effectively), with whatever bacteria that is in your tank that DOES utilize the carbon sourcing you are dosing. So adding bacteria will cost a lot, and might actually slow down the process.

This is another case of the best thing to do is go slow and be patient. And it saves you a lot of money, those bacteria products are *expensive*.

[b_s_c1]

I have been keeping up with this thread off and on since I started using the pellets roughly a year ago. When I started I never really had a nitrate or phosphate problem that I could measure but was always fighting some sort of algae on a small scale which the pellets did help clear up. About four months ago a set up a new tank and took the reactor from the old one and hooked it up to the new one. I believe they are helping as the only thing I have had a problem with is lyngbya, and currently still battleing it. From the start I bought 1L of pellets and placed half in a nextreef pellet reactor. A month later I added the other half. One year later it still seems that I have pretty close to the same amount of pellets. They have never been clumpy and stay at a slow tumble. I would think they would change as the bacteria eat away. This makes me think that they do not have a good bacteria colony on them but when I shut it down for a couple of days I can see a direct effect on my skimmer. Any suggestions on why this might be?

[inigomontoya]

Skimmed a lot of this and think I have a plan for my problem, but wanted to run it by the experienced group. I have a BRS dual reactor 130g tank plus 30g or so in the sump. I put 500 ml in the BRS (split between both reactors so it could tumble) on Sunday. Wednesday night when I came home I noticed my coral were upset. Mille and pocillopora and stylo which have always had great PE were all rectracted. Same with my pagoda cup and tyree toadstool. The tank was also fairly cloudy. From the sound of it this is a bacteria bloom, just surprisingly quick.

Tonight I intend to take one of the two reactors and switch out the pellets for carbon (should be first one right- because if second it might clean out the effluent from the pellets in first?), then add an airstone. LMK what you think about the series reactor-it is what I have so would like to utilize it. Think I can do the carbon for a week and then return the other pellets. Twofold effect of making the intro more gradual and ensuring any extra nastiness is cleaned out by the carbon. I did this to reduce nitrates a bit to help with my sps color, but they have always been real healthy- don't want to make things worse.

[Buganddoug]

The bacteria bloom should clear up in about five days. I would not take the pellets off line. You could make a bigger bacteria bloom when you put them back on line. Because the bacteria on the pellets will die off.

[inigomontoya]

Thanks, I had used the stock sponges originally, which is why it was too cramped to put the 500ml in just one of the reactors. I went by Hobby lobby and bought the mesh and was able to get all the pellets in one reactor. So I am running some carbon in the first reactor and all the pellets in the second. Not the most efficient use of carbon (with all that flow) but better than nothing.
Anyone have thoughts on switching their positions, the bio pellets being first (and therefore getting most flow) and then carbon in a series dual reactor? It seems the carbon would clean up some of the bacteria from the bio pellets- thereby defeating the purpose. Not sure if that is off on my logic (and it is definitely better to have pellets first from a flow issue- carbon liking it slower).

[mos90]

i think i would be ok with the dual reactor with the pellets first. make sure u use the brs pellet cartridge.

[snaza]

Hey Guys,

Been running only 400ml of pellets since i set up the new tank about 6 months now. total water volume is about 180G and flow through the pellets is very slow.

Twice now my water has gone a bit milky and find the skimmer is overflowing.

Anyone got any ideas why? (I assume its a bacteria bloom). Nothing has change each time.

cheers

Aaron

[bertoni]

A bacterial bloom is reasonably likely. Some animal might be spawning, too, I guess. I probably wouldn't worry too much just yet.

[snaza]

Thanks. Here is a pic.

[Buganddoug]

Now that is what I call Skimming!!!