N/P reducing pellets (solid vodka dosing)

[tntneon]

hi reefers ,

In my country i hear positif results and stories about a new kind of bio degradeble polymer pellet which is capable of reducing N and P , like dosing vodka.

with the advantage that the bacteria only grow on the pellets (and not on glas and other surfaces) after a while you just change your filter sock or fluidising bed with new pellets.

does anyone of you in the states has any experience with this sorts of pellets ?

i have orderd me some of these pellets
will post it when i'm gonna start to use them.

greetingzz tntneon

[tntneon]

, i did forgot to post the link of the product

http://www.reefinterests.com/content/view/18/36/

greetingzz tntneon

[bertoni]

Hmm, well, the pellets might work. I'm not sure what the advantages might be, but let us know how it goes.

[kaskiles]

I read the product info. So if you use this filter media, is it supplying the organic carbon? Or do you still need to dose Vodka?

[tntneon]

Will do bertoni ,

I'm just as curious , this evening it was the first time i've read (heared) about it on ower local forum .

On ower local forum a few (lucky) members have tested them and they where very positif about it.

first i've got to wait a week until i got my buckett of pellets , then i'll post my findings...

greetingzz tntneon

[tntneon]

Originally posted by kaskiles
I read the product info. So if you use this filter media, is it supplying the organic carbon? Or do you still need to dose Vodka?

No you don't have to dose carbon anymore ,
the pellest itself consits of an carbon source - polymer, where the bacteria live and grow on .

After 3 to 6 months you would have to replace the reduced pellets by new ones.

greetingzz tntneon

[ethank77]

interested to see if it work with out causing alge and bacterial blooms

[ethank77]

interested to see if it work with out causing alge and bacterial blooms

[tntneon]

Originally posted by ethank77
interested to see if it work with out causing alge and bacterial blooms

let's hope so
it's one of the proposed properties of the pellets , the food is in the pellet and not in the watercoloum.

i'm very eager to test this stuff !

greetingzz tntneon

[tatuvaaj]

I have been testing this media for a week or so I use canister filter without the lid combined with a relatively small pump (500 l/h) inside the sump. The amount of bacteria biomass inside the filter is amazing; if I slightly disturb the media (to prevent channeling) I get very large amount of solid bacteria aggregates.

Unfortunately my skimmer died just when I received the media But even with seriously underpowered backup skimmer I'm already seeing reduction in nitrate concentration. Can't wait to see the results when I receive a new skimmer in a week or two

I also dose vodka+sugar mixture but dropped the dosage to half after installing the pellets.

tntneon,
Is this product already available in shops?

[tatuvaaj]

Pictures of the filter and amount of bacteria produced. Excellent food for filter feeders

[kaskiles]

How friable is that media? Is it rubbery, so you could bounce it around and fluidize it in an up-flow reactor? Sounds like it might be a good find. I wonder if the media is soluble in sea water?

[tatuvaaj]

Originally posted by kaskiles
How friable is that media? Is it rubbery, so you could bounce it around and fluidize it in an up-flow reactor? Sounds like it might be a good find.

Yes, it can be used in a reactor.

I wonder if the media is soluble in sea water?

The media has been developed specially for marine aquariums, it is not soluble (at least not significantly).

[tntneon]

Originally posted by tatuvaaj
I have been testing this media for a week or so I use canister filter without the lid combined with a relatively small pump (500 l/h) inside the sump. The amount of bacteria biomass inside the filter is amazing; if I slightly disturb the media (to prevent channeling) I get very large amount of solid bacteria aggregates.

Unfortunately my skimmer died just when I received the media But even with seriously underpowered backup skimmer I'm already seeing reduction in nitrate concentration. Can't wait to see the results when I receive a new skimmer in a week or two

I also dose vodka+sugar mixture but dropped the dosage to half after installing the pellets.

tntneon,
Is this product already available in shops?

Hi Tatuvaaj ,

It`s nice to hear someone else on this forum is using it
keep us informed about your findings , i`m very intresseted.
How much has your no3 already dropped ?
Do the pellets float or sink ?
I would like to use them in a filter sock
I understand that the first real results come after a couple of weeks.

It `s still not available in the stores here , probably over a month or so.
But a friend on my local Dutch/Belgian forum has the privilege to test the stuff before it enters the stores and they are all very positif about it (marketing kept a side offcourse , i hope)
But if you pre order i can get some in two weeks or so (hopefully) , can`t wait untill i have the pellets.
because i would like the benefits of carbon dosing w/o the dosing

greetingzz tntneon

[tatuvaaj]

Originally posted by tntneon
How much has your no3 already dropped ?

I don't think it's fair to comment the performance yet I would at least like to get skimming to the same level it was before the Biopellets...

Do the pellets float or sink ?

They sink but are very light weight.

But a friend on my local Dutch/Belgian forum has the privilege to test the stuff before it enters the stores and they are all very positif about it (marketing kept a side offcourse , i hope)

So far I've gotten the impression that this firm is not about marketing like so many other manufacturers Actually, I think they should be marketing their Reefpearls product more aggressively; probably the best invertebrate foods I've tested so far

[tntneon]

that is good news ,

I`m now even more eager to get these pearls
is an information draft included with these pearls , maybe some
guidelinens whether or not to dose carbon in combination with them ?

greetingzz tntneon

[tatuvaaj]

Originally posted by tntneon
is an information draft included with these pearls , maybe some
guidelinens whether or not to dose carbon in combination with them ?

That I don't know, I haven't seen the final packaging The manufacturer has been very helpful during the testing period.

You can use other organic carbon sources together with this product.

[kaskiles]

The solid organic carbon media is called 'Biopellets', and that same company's invert food is called 'Reef Pearls', correct?

Anyway, I hope we can get access to the Biopellets over in the US soon.

It would really make it easier to not have to dose the organic carbon; and it's insignificant solubility in seawater would alleviate a few organic carbon dosing concerns, such as bacteria overgrowth on coral and fish skin layers and the bacteria mats and blooms in the display tank...

[tatuvaaj]

Originally posted by kaskiles
The solid organic carbon media is called 'Biopellets', and that same company's invert food is called 'Reef Pearls', correct?

Yes Links:

Reefpearls: http://www.reefinterests.com/content/view/14/32/
Biopellets: http://www.reefinterests.com/content/view/18/36/

[ethank77]

keep up the good work fellas I realy realy want to see the results of this product. after a wile more of testing as I am starting to dose mb7 for the same issues that this product may be able to resolve

[Nanook]

Looks like a very cool idea!

[tntneon]

yeah think so too , nanook

On ower local forum i have contacted the guy from reefintresets ,
with the question if it`s compatible with other dosages (vodka , amino,..) still waiting for a reply.

there like 3 to 4 other guys who are testing it.
one of the test dummy`s couldn`t get his no3 under 10 ppm after 2 weeks his no3 is stable at 2 ppm w/o the use of other helps .

can`t wait to test them ...

greetingzz tntneon

[jptenklooster]

Hello everybody,

I'm the person that developed the biopellets and to answer some questions:

-The pellets don't dissolve in water in the absence of bacteria

-they do not stimulate bacterial or algae growth in your tank and specially for the algae growth, this appears to be reduced and similar observations have been done for cyano bacteria when compaired to using soluble carbon sources such as wodka or sugar. big advantage is no more bacteria growth on your corals and unlimited carbon source to reduce nitrate and phosphate. My own tank consists of gorgonia combined with lps and sps corals. this requires feedings of 10x a day (with reefpearls ;-)) and I can keep nitrate between 0-5ppm and phosphate around 0-0.03 without the addition of wodka and phosphatekiller. this was for not possible before I started to use the biopellets.

-they are heavier than water and can be used in fluidized filter systems. we recommend this actually because this way you will always have high water flow and thus more aerobic conditions for your bacteria, which in principle is much safer than anaerobic conditions. On this point we have to say that some anaerobic bacteria will excist on the pellets, but this layer is so thin that is not harmfull and has a rather positive effect on your pH (aerobic-> H+; anaerobic -> OH-)

- the pellets are not on the market yet and will be released soon in the netherlands and belgium and other countries will hopefully soon folow. until that time you can contact me for questions at info@reefinterests.nl (I hope this allowed by admin, otherwise I apologize and please remove just this last sentence then).

-in contrast to what was mentioned, the pellets do not need to be replaced after 6 months. they are consumed by the bacteria and will slowly disappear, which means that you have to add extra pellets every 6-12 months. In one of our test conditions it took 3 years to completely digest the pellets. this is also the reason that you have to use at least 1 or 2 liters of these pellets (around 120 euro's) but it will last at least 1 year.

Wodka can still be combined with the pellets and will rapidly be consumed by the bacteria which live on the pellets, however, it is not necessary to do so, but when you need to finish the bottle of wodka, this is one way of doing it ;-)

Don't hesitate to ask any questions when things are not clear.

ciao,

jean paul

[ethank77]

I am realy interested in this product I wounder How long before it hits the states

[tntneon]

Originally posted by tatuvaaj
Pictures of the filter and amount of bacteria produced. Excellent food for filter feeders

Hi Tatuvaay ,
Could you tell us where the placement of the canisterfilter is located in the sump ?
Does it pull it`s water in the displaydrain zone or in the return section , and where did you make the outlet of canister drain( return ,refugium ,displaydrain..)?

I already gonna make some adjustments to my sump that i can place the pellets right in

greetingzz tntneon