Biopellets or Zeolite

jason78 · 03/07/2016, 06:55 PM

Greetings Everyone,

I am looking to expand my reef equipment. Would you go with a biopellet reactor or Zeo reactor?

I was on vacation and had a spike in nitrates which I believe has led to a little stress in a lot of my hard corals. This has already been fixed with water changes and correct feeding each day.

Looking forward to your response.

jason78 · 03/14/2016, 03:00 AM

Bump.... Anyone???

Jerine · 03/14/2016, 08:07 AM

I'll give my 2 cents, because I'm considering the same thing. I personally like the Zeovit route more than the Biopellets just because more people have reported success using it verses Biopellets. I have heard enough reports about people struggling with Biopellets to make me think twice. That said I dont like that you have to tumble the Zeo Media daily. I'm just not interested in adding that level of maintenance to my system. There are however some automatic reactors that will tumble the media for you, but they aren't cheap.

Despite some struggling with Biopellets I'm still considering them. Enough people have had success with them that I dont think you can totally write them off.

One other form of nutrient export I'm strongly considering is an algae scrubber.

Hope this helps.

GimpyFin · 03/14/2016, 09:00 AM

I can personally speak for biopellets. Ecobak and ecobak plus in particular are great products. They work well, but like anything, they can fall short if not used properly. Most importantly is the type of reactor they are used in and a good skimmer. They need a fluid tumbling motion. A lot of media reactors don't create an even flow causing dead spots and the pellets to clump. Also, if they are churned too vigorously, they can become ineffective at housing the bacteria to feed off the pellets. Start off with maybe half the recommended amount and then add more after they start working in a few weeks or so.

Once they are broken in after a few weeks, they can really knock out excess nutrients and nitrate. When nitrate bottoms out, you may need to dose an amino acid or something similar to balance out so it can help keep phosphate in check as well.

Alkalinity is the other side note to these. I've noticed some corals can have issues with biopellets and low nutrients when alkalinity is kept high. Keeping it around 7-8.5 seems to work well with no issues that I've seen.

The nice thing is that they are pretty low maintenance as you just add more as they become depleted.

jason78 · 03/15/2016, 05:12 AM

Thanks everyone. Yes I like the ease of use for the biopellets. But I have seen the avast vibe for zeolite. But the feedback is it is loud.

reefwiser · 03/15/2016, 06:08 AM

You might want to look at Aquaforest method they suggest not shaking their Zeolites daily.

yacn · 03/15/2016, 06:50 AM

I went with BP. I'm in my second week so I can't offer much with experience yet.

Seems like most forums are talking about the side effects and problems with BP instead of the successes using them.

Most of what I've read have been user induced problems when using BP. Either adding too much BP when starting out, not placing the discharge from BP reactor at the intake of their skimmer, etc, etc.

Those that are following instructions seem to be having success with BP. Plus a lot less maintenance than other methods.

So I'm giving them a shot.

03/07/2016, 06:55 PM	#1
jason78 Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2014 Location: I just moved to Riverside CA. Posts: 375	Biopellets or Zeolite Greetings Everyone, I am looking to expand my reef equipment. Would you go with a biopellet reactor or Zeo reactor? I was on vacation and had a spike in nitrates which I believe has led to a little stress in a lot of my hard corals. This has already been fixed with water changes and correct feeding each day. Looking forward to your response.

03/15/2016, 06:08 AM	#6
reefwiser Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2013 Location: Louisville,Kentucky Posts: 1,208	You might want to look at Aquaforest method they suggest not shaking their Zeolites daily. __________________ President Louisville Marine Aquarium Society. http://www.lmas.org/ The 3rd Annual Frag swap will be held September 23rd,2017 11 am till 3pm Saint Thomas Fellowship hall,9616 Westport Road,Louisvi

03/14/2016, 03:00 AM	#2
jason78 Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2014 Location: I just moved to Riverside CA. Posts: 375	Bump.... Anyone???

03/14/2016, 08:07 AM	#3
Jerine Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2012 Posts: 93	I'll give my 2 cents, because I'm considering the same thing. I personally like the Zeovit route more than the Biopellets just because more people have reported success using it verses Biopellets. I have heard enough reports about people struggling with Biopellets to make me think twice. That said I dont like that you have to tumble the Zeo Media daily. I'm just not interested in adding that level of maintenance to my system. There are however some automatic reactors that will tumble the media for you, but they aren't cheap. Despite some struggling with Biopellets I'm still considering them. Enough people have had success with them that I dont think you can totally write them off. One other form of nutrient export I'm strongly considering is an algae scrubber. Hope this helps.

03/14/2016, 09:00 AM	#4
GimpyFin Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2016 Location: Portland, OR Posts: 2,032	I can personally speak for biopellets. Ecobak and ecobak plus in particular are great products. They work well, but like anything, they can fall short if not used properly. Most importantly is the type of reactor they are used in and a good skimmer. They need a fluid tumbling motion. A lot of media reactors don't create an even flow causing dead spots and the pellets to clump. Also, if they are churned too vigorously, they can become ineffective at housing the bacteria to feed off the pellets. Start off with maybe half the recommended amount and then add more after they start working in a few weeks or so. Once they are broken in after a few weeks, they can really knock out excess nutrients and nitrate. When nitrate bottoms out, you may need to dose an amino acid or something similar to balance out so it can help keep phosphate in check as well. Alkalinity is the other side note to these. I've noticed some corals can have issues with biopellets and low nutrients when alkalinity is kept high. Keeping it around 7-8.5 seems to work well with no issues that I've seen. The nice thing is that they are pretty low maintenance as you just add more as they become depleted.

03/15/2016, 05:12 AM	#5
jason78 Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2014 Location: I just moved to Riverside CA. Posts: 375	Thanks everyone. Yes I like the ease of use for the biopellets. But I have seen the avast vibe for zeolite. But the feedback is it is loud.

03/15/2016, 06:50 AM	#7
yacn Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Detroit, Michigan Posts: 212	I went with BP. I'm in my second week so I can't offer much with experience yet. Seems like most forums are talking about the side effects and problems with BP instead of the successes using them. Most of what I've read have been user induced problems when using BP. Either adding too much BP when starting out, not placing the discharge from BP reactor at the intake of their skimmer, etc, etc. Those that are following instructions seem to be having success with BP. Plus a lot less maintenance than other methods. So I'm giving them a shot.