Algae scrubber vs vodka dosing vs biopellets

[75mixedreef]

Alcohol has no protein in it so it will not skim. It should not matter unless the lower viscosity of the alcohol causes less bubbles right when you dose. I usually like to put things in after the skimmer just as a habit, but where ever it works for you. Many people put it in the display tank just because of the low volume is unlikely to affect any fish or corals.

Also, the vodka itself does not do anything so it does not matter where it goes first. It is food for bacteria that will eat up nitrates and phosphates as well. I'm not 100% sure but I think the way it works is that the bacteria blooms with the vodka and the skimmer skims out the bacteria pulling the nutrients it eat with it. I never heard it fully explained on how and why it works just that it does. Its also possible that the bacteria convert the nutrients into a more harmless form like Nitrogen gas, I'm not sure.

 

[sturner91]

Ahhhhhh!! I wasn't expecting this!! About 80ppm of nitrates. What the!!
Phosphate is floating around <.5ppm

I think when I was playing around in my refugium last night I stirred up something giving me the Nitrate spike.

Good thing I picked up vodka. I can't do a water change till the weekend.

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[DamonG]

The vodka/carbon dose is going to take a good couple weeks to start dropping.. I actually run pellets(recirculating reactor) , a scrubber and cheato.. The nutrients of course stay at pretty much nothing.. But.. Your going to need to do something with your Nitrates until the dosing kicks in.. I will say with pellets(but the reactor is key), Nitrates are a non issue and I don't think about them.. Haven't in years..

But in your case, vodka wouldn't be bad.. And what the vodka/carbon source is, is a surface for bacteria population growth(and you have to bear with me since I've been using pellets for years, and that's how I think of it when I explain it. But it's the same for all carbon dosing). This bacteria population growth(increased massively) takes time to build, thus, why it doesn't happen overnight. But, when and once it does, the bacteria then feeds off the Nitrates and phosphate(in the somewhat correct ratio, but even that is a bit subjective), and thus consume those nutrients..

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[sturner91]

Yea I wasn't expecting an overnight fix although that would be nice.. Ha. It seems I should be fine just dosing vodka and running my scrubber at least that's how I feel I'm being directed. Maybe it wouldn't hurt running the pellets with it.. Either way it's going to take a while for the bacteria to populate like you said.

What pellets do you run? I've seen the brs have been troubling for some due to floating?

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[DamonG]

Yea I wasn't expecting an overnight fix although that would be nice.. Ha. It seems I should be fine just dosing vodka and running my scrubber at least that's how I feel I'm being directed. Maybe it wouldn't hurt running the pellets with it.. Either way it's going to take a while for the bacteria to populate like you said.

What pellets do you run? I've seen the brs have been troubling for some due to floating?

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The thing with pellets is mainly the reactor.. If you can get a recirc, your well ahead of the game because you have infinitely more control.. Mine pretty much just trickles water and keeps it at 0.5..

And I have a reef dynamics reactor and ruin the pellets from them (though, avast has an inexpensive recirc design that works pretty well), and you can still get the pellets.. I like the rd pellets, and am lucky that I still have them locally.. But if you can find some, they are worth it.. They are the NoPo pellets.. But if you soak your pellets for 48 hours prior to adding them to your reactor, you will know the floaters and can just pull them.. You will always have a few floaters no matter the brand from what I've experienced.. I always add either some mb7 or zeobak during the soak..

And you'll be fine running that combination.. I even dosed vodka for a little bit with a dosing pump, which made it hands off easy.. But that was before the pellets..

It will probably take two weeks or so of your vodka for it to begin dropping.. If you can wait that long, you will see a significant amount of drop more than likely..

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[sturner91]

It's not a matter of if I can wait that long. I need to regardless. Can you hook me up with some pellets you suggest? I'll browse around for a reactor that has recirculating capability that's within my price range and size requirements.

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[DamonG]

It's not a matter of if I can wait that long. I need to regardless. Can you hook me up with some pellets you suggest? I'll browse around for a reactor that has recirculating capability that's within my price range and size requirements.

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You mean a link?

Here you go:

nopo bio pellets | aquariumsource.com
http://aquariumsource.com/products/bio-pellets

And here is avast :

Fluidized Media Reactor Kits "“ Avast Marine Works
http://www.avastmarine.com/collections/you-built/products/fluidized-media-reactor-kit

I didn't see the recirculating mod, so you may have to contact them.. But I like the build models, as they are fun to construct, and saves a few pennies.. But mostly, they are fun to build..

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[sturner91]

I did. Phone doesn't always type what I want or my thumbs just forget to type it. Thanks!

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[DamonG]

I did. Phone doesn't always type what I want or my thumbs just forget to type it. Thanks!

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No problem..

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[sturner91]

Why are recirculating biopellet reactors almost impossible to find? They either cost an arm and a leg or the diy is for outdated products you can't get any more. I can't grasp the concept well enough to try to diy it myself, I need instructions. Mehh

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[DamonG]

Why are recirculating biopellet reactors almost impossible to find? They either cost an arm and a leg or the diy is for outdated products you can't get any more. I can't grasp the concept well enough to try to diy it myself, I need instructions. Mehh

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I honestly don't know as far as availability.. But it's something I noticed also.. I think it's the cost associated.. Maybe.. And the concept is simple enough honestly.. Basically what your doing is taking the output water and making a loop back to the input.. And then on the output, your going to control with a valve how much actually goes out(restriction) and now much you divert back into the recirculation. It does take a bit of I guess really looking at how it works..

Avast, if you contact them probably still has a diagram, that way, you can kind of see if.. But if you look at calcium reactors and study the design, is basically what your doing.. I built one years ago on a tlf media reactor.. And you really only need two pumps and some pvc parts.. Unless you do it with tubing..

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[sturner91]

I emailed avast to see if they have any special orders they can do or anything. We'll see from there. I did water cooling for my pc so I'm good with running things like that just need to fully understand the design concept. To my understanding some people get away with running just one pump. Then setting a restriction on the outlet. As water comes out the outlet new water is drawn in. I would need to completely water proof mine so it could run externally. The other part I've been a bit confused about is how much flow would be needed. I get that the pellets should stay moving, but based off the sizing of the piping and the inlet outlet valves, size of the unifitting and what not how much restriction is there and does it need to be compensated? I always overpower pumps but I don't want to overkill this. Especially when there is no need. Minor overkill is one thing.

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[sturner91]

So Damon, let me run this by you and see your thoughts.

I'm thinking this reactor:

https://www.amazon.com/Bubble-Magus...qid=1480528852&sr=8-16&keywords=media+reactor

I'll probably just work with tubing to a pump create the circulation, throw a T or two in and a few ball valves. One valve for internal circulation and one for exit.

Thoughts?

 

[sturner91]

Avast replied to my email with this:

We discontinued this item when we released the Spyglass reactors. They are a recirculating reactor and the cost was about the same, but the Spyglass works much better and is much easier to service.

The spyglass does look nice. I may just grab one of those and see what happens.

 

[DamonG]

Avast replied to my email with this:

We discontinued this item when we released the Spyglass reactors. They are a recirculating reactor and the cost was about the same, but the Spyglass works much better and is much easier to service.

The spyglass does look nice. I may just grab one of those and see what happens.

It would certainly be easier.. Especially if you don't want to mess with the theory.. I had a Spyglass and didn't like it actually.. But it could just be me.. But, i was using gfo with mine.. Pellets seem to at least look like they work good since they're a lighter media..

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[sturner91]

Yea the only thing that gets me with the Spyglass is the waterfall style. How it over flows sections. Not sure how much I like that and would really need to investigate my sump space. My skimmer takes up most of the space and not sure if I could get the Spyglass in there. Plus you can't direct where the outflow goes since its just an overflow..

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[DamonG]

Yea the only thing that gets me with the Spyglass is the waterfall style. How it over flows sections. Not sure how much I like that and would really need to investigate my sump space. My skimmer takes up most of the space and not sure if I could get the Spyglass in there. Plus you can't direct where the outflow goes since its just an overflow..

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Yes, that was what I didn't care about it.. Well, a couple things.. For my system and the gfo I was using, I ended up modifying with a larger pump.. And the sponges did not hold up too well.. It was also a bit tight as far as removing the media from the reactor. It just ended up being easier for a traditional reactor, one of their standard models.. And it did take up a lot of space. Just because it had to be in the sump, versus being able to place it outside..

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[sturner91]

So I think I may just end up getting the reef dynamic due to size and external options.

However, I just got home today and have been greated with a skimmer freaking out. How do you guys combat this situation? Maybe I don't have a large enough skimmer? It's a eshopps psk100. The lid is always slipping up like that, bubbles constantly come out through the holes, is this normal skimmer behavior?

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[DamonG]

Too dry of a foam, and it doesn't actually break down back to liquid in the collection cup(one of the dangers of running dry skim..) That's why I always laugh when people are impressed by dark and thick skim. This dry foam, if your skimmer is really producing, sits on the collection cup, and doesn't break back down down. It simply keeps churning foam, and that foam then pops the lid off.. This is fine if your skimmer isn't performing heavily, but if it is, that dry dark foam takes an extremely long time to break down, if it really ever does to liquid. You pop the lid off because your skimmer is just building foam on top of foam..

Simply wet your skim.. Just a little bit at a time.. So that the foam does break down.. I adjust mine so that the foam initially slowly slides down to sides.. Lol, I don't get impressed by deep, dark skim.. That's why, if your skimmer is truly good, you can adjust your skim to whatever consistency you want..

And the dynamics is a great reactor.. Honestly, one of the best, if not the best of your going to do pellets. I've had mine for a few years, and to me, is been one of the best investments I've ever made on a tank.. I initially had it on my 110,moved it to my 50,and now have it on my 180. I have the 135 model, and is worth noting simply because at max, I have put in 16oz of pellets one time and one time only(when I first purchased the reactor). Most of the time I only run 8oz of pellets, and only need to open that thing maybe 1/8 to 1/4 of the way(that is on my 240 gallon two current system).. And I still get 0.5 nitrate... And I haven't had to top off my pellets once this year.,and i still have plenty left in there.

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[italquam]

So it is safe to say that bio pellets work better than algae scrubber???

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