2 month biopellet reactor maint....

[Stanley-Reefer]

My tlf 550 with mix of ecobak and npx pellets stopped tumbling a few days ago. I pulled the reactor and the pellet disks made for the reactor and found the reason for the lack of tumbling was a thick matted hair like growth on both top and bottom.

This bacteria?

It was much thicker on the top mesh than the bottom.

Anyone else have this?

A quick toothbrushing of the ends swish of reactor water with pellets and back in it went last night--still turning over nicely.

now that the pellets are swollen with water, I didn't reapply the pellet mesh.

 

[HighlandReefer]

Most likely bacterial masses sticking the pellets together. This is a good sign IMO, since you are getting nice deeper bacterial biofilms forming. This happens much easier in filter bags and one reason why they need to be cleaned up a bit once a month.

Bacteria excrete a glue like substance when they come in contact together. This is why they can form stingy like masses in tanks when overdosing carbon sources. If the pellets glue together too quickly you can try increasing the flow just a bit.