Best BioPellet

[billybloo]

Hi Reefers,

Just wondering, for those of us who use a reactor with BioPellets, what brands does you use, and which ones have you tried. What were your results, and which brand/type do you perfer?

I've used and like Vertex Bio-Pellets.

Thanks,
Billybloo

 

[reefkeeps]

i'll give you a bump...

 

[lotsoftats]

I asked the same question.......and the consensus seems to be they are all basically the same one is not better than another....HTH

 

[TheFishMan65]

I had some generic ones that tumbled better than some of the others. So shape makes some difference, but I can't tell for sure what shape is better. Otherwise I think they are all about the same.

 

[BryanW]

I have been using the pellets from BRS and have not noticed any difference since changing over.

 

[5thChorseman]

does size matter?

does size matter?

Bringing back a long dead thread with some questions, does biopellet size matter?

Would finer size biopellets, having more surface area per volume, be better?

 

[5thChorseman]

all-in-one pellets

all-in-one pellets

Have any one tried the all-in-one biopellets? how do they compare to the normal biopellets?

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

Have any one tried the all-in-one biopellets? how do they compare to the normal biopellets?

I've not used them, but I don't care for the concept of the All in One pellet (assuming you mean the GFO pellet combination product).

It uses a fixed amount of GFO, and just leaves the GFO in the tank. Why not use GFO in a way that you can control the amount, and can actually export it?

 

[5thChorseman]

Hi Randy,

I am not sure what is in the all-in-one biopellets. All I know is that the company who makes it claimed this new product will reduce nitrate 5 times better and phosphate 20 times better
than their previous biopellets. It is probably just marketing hype, but I am curious to see if any one is using them.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

It is just a phosphate binder (almost certainly GFO, since it is the only brown phosphate binder, but they do not state the obvious) mixed into the normal pellets. Not an ideal product, IMO.

here's another thread, with a link to a sponsor test:

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2409995

 

[RynoParsons]

Ive seen how well the all in one pellets actually work. Usually I dont like all in one stuff and think usually that a specialised product will work better.

BUT a predator tank covered in hair algae is now algae free after 3months without doing anything special or manually removing the algae
Cayno also gone.

 

[SkullV]

Ive seen how well the all in one pellets actually work. Usually I dont like all in one stuff and think usually that a specialised product will work better.

BUT a predator tank covered in hair algae is now algae free after 3months without doing anything special or manually removing the algae
Cayno also gone.

No doubt they work great, but they also will inherently spread GFO dust all over your tank. Not something that I want happening in my tank.

I just use NPX bioplastics. I feed pretty heavily, have little to no algae, and my Chaeto is dying off even though it is lit by Red/Blue/White 3w CREE LEDs.

 

[RynoParsons]

Yep I like to use more natural ways of nutrient export. Use a big refugium and good husbandry

 

[Aquarist007]

I prefer the NitraQuard yeast pellets. Not that they work better then polymers..they are just easier to maintain. Put them in a bag in the sump, put an air stone in the bagand you can forget about them. No clogging up in the reactor with mulmn etc.

 

[DingDong128]

I've used NPX, Warner Marine, and another no name brand and liked NPX the best. But you're talking about a period of over two years and a lot can change over that time period, so it's pretty subjective.

I never had clumping problems with the NPX.

I don't run them now because of killing SPS through STN by going over 8 alkalinity, but if I go back, and I may, I would return to NPX.

Kevin :fish1:

 

[scubadan206]

I'm using the all-in-one for the last month. Reactor feeds into separate benthic refugium then overflow to skimmer. No dust to speak of, but only after a month. Good concept. We'll see how it is in practice. I used to use plain vodka. Much cheaper than the reactor, but I don't want to have to add it every day.

Daniel. :strange:

 

[Av8bluewater]

Too early for me to say one much about them but I started Ecobak plus a few weeks ago.
Maybe check those out. Tumble seems to be same as regular.

 

[bkpky]

I do not have much experience - new to the hobby - about a year. I replenished my old NPX with the new All in One. After a week they stopped tumbling and clogged up my bioreactor. Just dumped that batch. I am not sure why this occured. Maybe because I mixed it with some of the standard NPX what was not fully spent? I am trying the 24 hour soak this time. I have not seen a reduction of Nitrate either. My system is setting around 8ppm.

 

[Kungpaoshizzi]

Been running barebottom for a couple years now. Tried ecobak and then ecobak plus.

Both seem great, but then I broke part of my reactor so half-flow pattern + too low of flow = problems..

Waiting on a new reactor coming... Don't think I'll ever run a tank without them.

 

[reefmutt]

The all in one pellets are lighter than regular pellets for about a day or two but once they get fully soaked, they become heavier and require significantly more flow to keep them tumbling..
I'm not sure they work significantly better than regular pellets.. If it is gfo mixed in - and I wouldn't doubt what Randy says- it's not very much gfo..
I've used several brands of regular pellet- tlf, npx, brightwell and now aio pellets.. The aio pellets MAY reduce p ever so slightly more than the regular ones, but not by much, ime..
There is discussion that the aio pellets require a recirculating reactor because of how much flow is required to keep them fluidized. Some say that because the water passes through the reactor so fast, the aio pellets don't perform as well as they would with more dwell time with the tank water..
I'm about to put mine in an old modified ca reactor so that I can get good flow over the pellets and still be able to control the flow of tank water going through the reactor..