Bio pellets question

[borderreef]

I have a severe bubble algae infestation, so I am removing all my rock and replacing it with 150# of MarcoRocks dry rock. I'd like to remove all my existing rock while the dry rock cycles in a tub. I'm also going to vacuum small portions of my sand bed over the course of a couple of weeks. My fish and corals need to remain in the tank, as I do not have enough room or equipment to remove everything. I will continue to run GAC and GFO throughout the process. My question on Bio Pellets is, how long does it take to achieve a level of bacteria to help the sand bed support the tank?

 

[i Tuna]

Usually it takes around 2-4 weeks to START seeing a drop in nutrients. The pellets need time to be seeded.

 

[downbeach]

It varies, but you're supposed to bring them on line over a period of 6 to 8 weeks, so I'd use that as a guide. I think I'd wait a couple weeks after starting the pellets, and start to remove small quantities of the rock every couple weeks, giving the pellets time to colonize and adjust to the needs. Adding some bacteria, i.e. BioDigest while doing this may help too.

 

[borderreef]

Usually it takes around 2-4 weeks to START seeing a drop in nutrients. The pellets need time to be seeded.

Yah, I was just on their website and that's what they said. I'll get pellets soaking today, and start the reactor tomorrow. I'll take out the zoa island rock and vacuum that section first, then wait a couple of weeks to take out the second island and vacuum that sand. With my low bio load and the amount of sand, I should be ok. Again, I'll still run GFO and GAC.

 

[borderreef]

Usually it takes around 2-4 weeks to START seeing a drop in nutrients. The pellets need time to be seeded.

Yah, I was just on their website and that's what they said. I'll get pellets soaking today, and start the reactor tomorrow. I'll take out the zoa island rock and vacuum that section first, then wait a couple of weeks to take out the second island and vacuum that sand. With my low bio load and the amount of sand, I should be ok. Again, I'll still run GFO and GAC.

 

[borderreef]

oops. Double post. What's up with RC lately?

 

[sirreal63]

You are doing all of that to remove bubble algae? How are you going to address the po4 content of the Marco Rock? If you do not, you will end up trading one algae for another. Killing Valonia is easy and does not involve swapping out the rock or disrupting the bacterial processes in the tank. Hydrogen Peroxide used as a rock by rock spot treatment works extremely well. I too fought it and nutrient control may not be enough, it is a very hardy algae. My rock was covered in it and the peroxide wiped it out. The only difficult thing is to find all of it, and treat it.

 

[borderreef]

You are doing all of that to remove bubble algae? How are you going to address the po4 content of the Marco Rock? If you do not, you will end up trading one algae for another. Killing Valonia is easy and does not involve swapping out the rock or disrupting the bacterial processes in the tank. Hydrogen Peroxide used as a rock by rock spot treatment works extremely well. I too fought it and nutrient control may not be enough, it is a very hardy algae. My rock was covered in it and the peroxide wiped it out. The only difficult thing is to find all of it, and treat it.

Wow. You'd think I've only been in this hobby for a week rather then a couple dozen years. I'm not doing "all that" just to remove bubble algae, although it is the catalyst for my decision to make a change. I have cycled dry rock before, and know how to control the Po4. MarcoRocks Key Largo is great rock. Very clean. A simple acid bath followed by a couple weeks of cycling with some FritzZyme. At least after cycling, IF there is any Po4 released, it will not keep getting bound up in the bubble algae and give me false readings. I know I may have a hair algae and even a cyno outbreak, but they are more easily delt with for me than an infestation like this. I've used peroxide in the past, but it still means moving every rock, to get into every nook and cranny. Bubble algae does not need a lot of light to thrive. It also does nothing for the spores already released. By the time I've treated every rock, i can have a much cleaner tank and much nicer aquascape by replacing it. The sand in the tank has been there long enough to support the bacteria beneficial to my small bio load, and vacuuming small portions at a time to get rid of some of the ditritus will not affect it all that much. I just want to add the bio pellets as an extra precaution.

 

[sirreal63]

My tank is 95% Marco, it has been through 3 acid baths since 2007, I understand the rock very well myself. Even with my po4 at around .04 and nitrates under 5 it still can grow. Mine snuck in on a frag and even with low nutrients, it flourished, and I was carbon dosing at the time. You are also correct it does not need much light. The point is you will probably not get it all, no matter what you do, it can be very prolific. I have managed to keep it at bay with the spot treatments. Replacing the rock and vacuuming the sand may not be enough, and in the meantime you have disrupted the balance of bacteria and nutrient processing ability of the tank. The waterborne spores will still be in the water, waiting for the new rock.

I have fought it for a while, and am finally winning. I understand replacing the rock to try and get a more pleasing aqua scape, but if you expect eradication of the bubble algae, you may be disappointed. I hope it works for you.

 

[borderreef]

I've spot treated before in my nano and my 45g, and like you was able to keep it under control. But unfortunately when I moved the 45g to the 135g, I missed some. I think it started in the back where I did not see and could not get to, and by the time it spread (which does not take long), it is just out of control. Even running GAC, this stuff can find enough nutrients to thrive. I know I wont get rid of all the floating spores, but at least with the new rock, I'll be able to manage it better. Like I said, the bacteria in the dsb should be able to handle the small bio load I have, and seed the new rock once it's in. Vacuuming small patches at a time wont disrupt the bacterial process to any great extent. Everything will be done as slowly as I can, in stages. I'll run the bio pellets for a while, and continue to run GAC and GFO. It wont be much different than the other moves. And also, like I said, I'll have the amount of rock I want in the tank, and a much nicer aquascape.

 

[sirreal63]

I have had it in just about every tank over the past 10 years, it was never a problem, what I have now grows to cover rock in a month if untreated, I have even had it grow in acro's and bust them. I have kept it under control, but not eradicated. I won't do a whole tank peroxide treatment, I have ornamental shrimp that I am partial to, and I am teaming with pods and mini stars, so I worry about losing that.

One thing with Marco rock, after three, or four acid baths, I forget which, the rock is so light that denitrification works in the rock as it should, perhaps too well, my nitrates have remained zero, I had to stop carbon dosing, it wasn't doing anything. Don't skimp on the acid, it seems to make a good rock a great rock.

 

[borderreef]

The nice thing about targeting w/ hydrogen peroxide is that it disapates quickly in water, turning into harmless hydrogen and oxygen. I was just looking at my tank (again), and have a couple of really nice shelf pieces that I will target treat and put in with the Marco after the acid bath.
My understanding of the acid bath is to "etch" the outside of the rock, which is where the initial PO4 precipitates from.
The thing that's going to give me the most trouble is the giant bta attached to one of the most infested rocks. The thing has to be close to 12" when fully extended. It hasn't moves from the spot it's in for almost 2 years. I'll probably just move the rock to a different location and hopefully let it move on it's own. I hate pealing them off their rocks.

 

[sirreal63]

I pull my rock to spot treat, I can be more selective and I also used straight peroxide.