Algae with Bio Pellets???

[niko5]

Iv been running Bio Pellets for several months now and have 0 Nitrate and my phosphate is something like 0.003. But I still have a few patches of green hair algae and some red fluffy looking algae... What gives?

I only have my main lights on about 5 hours a day, I just cut it back to 2 hours to see if some of the algae backs off.

any ideas?

 

[dan-in-gr]

Hi, I have only had my bio-pellet reactor up and running two weeks and have noticed already that my algae on glass is much lower, my nitrates are low at 5 to 10 anyways, and it will be awhile before bio-pellets lower that.

I had the red algae it is a macro algae and you may have red macro algae, I tried everything, the hermits, snails, crabs and tangs would not touch it. I took about 25 lbs of the affected rocks out of the tank and scrubbed them off in the sink and then put the rocks on a cookie sheet and baked the rocks at 400 degrees for an hour and a half. That cured that problem, they are back in tank and will color up soon. Now I have zero red macro algae issues, never had the hair algae problem in this tank. In a past tank, I had the green hair algae, get extra snails and hermits that will help out. You may want to try different food, Elos has a good food that is phosphate free. Another fix is to an algae killer treatment, there are a couple of good ones, but be careful, I used it once too heavy and my brittle stars legs fell off - sad looking guy. If you use it, you may loose some inverts, so dose very little.

 

[niko5]

Well thats not very reassuring... I dont currently have any herbivores but I should have a Powder Blue and blenny soon maybe they will nibble at it...

 

[thebanker]

Nick I still have algae problems with biopellets too. I've been using the Vertex brand since October. I have a few resilient patches of fluffy GHA and now a bryopsis garden, and my NO3 tests 0 on salifert, with PO4 around 0.05 on a Hanna checker.

I'm trying the Brightwell Magnesion-P for the bryopsis, and the GHA I basically need to remove by hand. I have no other herbivores besides turbo snails.

 

[niko5]

Vertex is the same brand I have... Wonder if anyone else using vertex is having this problem?

 

[3.99AfterTaxes]

Vertex is the same brand I have... Wonder if anyone else using vertex is having this problem?

Most Bio pellets are produced by the same manufacturer - which has reiterated their pellet several times since the initial introduction of the product to the market. I remember when I first switched from the NP brand to Vertex, I noted a difference, but eventually, NP started releasing batches which were identical to the Vertex. Same could be said for a few other brands that I've seen online.

 

[TheFishMan65]

I have two thoughts:

1) you are not using enough pellets so that there is still N an P available to the algae. Sollution add more pellets. What is your tank size, load, and how many pellets?

2) The rock was in a high nitrate area and the nitrates soaked into the rock. The algae is where the nitrate is coming out so it is able to get to it before the pellets. Solution just wait.

 

[walvis]

I had my vertex biopellets running for almost 5mnds and finally gave up 3 weeks ago and won't look back.
No more cyno and hair algae, just lots of slime to clean up afterwards.
To me just lots of hype and I got sucked into it..

 

[thebanker]

I'm considering dosing Seachem Flourish Nitrogen to see if adding nitrates reduces phosphate, by correctly balancing the C:N ratio.

 

[niko5]

I tested and Nitrates are 0 and Phosphates very low... I may be alittle light on the pellets was thinking of buying some from bulk reef supply to topoff with.. I only have 3 fish in a 93 gallon so im defantly not overloaded. And all the rocks "cooked" in a closed vat for about 6 months prior to going into this tank and prior to that they were in my last live tank for over 5 years which never had nitrates over 5 or 10.

 

[mordibv]

Did u ever get the white bloom ? Also how much flow is going to the pellets. Imho u really have to tumble them a lot .Just my experience . I got crappy red stuff on my rock too. I took my reactor apart . It now has 4 holes on the lower plenum tube and a large pump that is floating them like crazy . I got a bloom within a week after this it's all good now and the red crap is gone . .

HTH

 

[niko5]

I saw some white specs on everything a few weeks after I started using them not sure if that was it. I havt not had them tumbling much until I moded my TLF reactor a week or so ago and they are really tumbling well now

 

[mordibv]

Nah . When u get the bloom u'll know it ,the water looks white .

 

[REEFconnection]

Algae and bio pellets

Algae and bio pellets

1- not enought bio pellet
2- dose vinager into bio pellet reactor or sugar or vodka
3 increase flow on the areas of algae
4- use more
Activated charcoal also will help decreasing organic matter

 

[wildman926]

1- not enought bio pellet
2- dose vinager into bio pellet reactor or sugar or vodka
3 increase flow on the areas of algae
4- use more
Activated charcoal also will help decreasing organic matter

You do realize you are responding to posts/thread that is over 3 years old? :ape:

 

[thebanker]

:lol: increasing flow on areas of algae doesn't really do anything either. If anything it helps the algae. (cyanobacteria excluded)

FWIW, I eventually shifted to biopellets plus an algae turf scrubber. Having a much easier time controlling algae once I implemented the scrubber.

 

[Skins4431]

P up to date on

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[niko5]

I have changed tanks since then had a few years between them. On my new tank I started bio pellets and carbon from day 1. And I have no nitrates and very little if any algae, I also feed super heavy iv got about 14 fish and about 140 gal total volume.