smalltime
New member
Where did you read Zeovit or = tanks have to run GFO? Have you ever tried running a Zeovit tank? Basic 4 Zeolith rocks, carbon source, bacteria source and food source to achieve an ULNS.
Bio-pellets = SPS Fade Colors ?
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Where did you read Zeovit or = tanks have to run GFO? Have you ever tried running a Zeovit tank? Basic 4 Zeolith rocks, carbon source, bacteria source and food source to achieve an ULNS.
drummereef
Team RC
For those with bleaching have you tried reducing the amount of pellets in your reactor? I've found it's not the best to go by the manufacture's recommended dosage. I really think there is a balance and you have to find the right volume of pellets to match the load of the tank. So if your tank is getting stripped and it doesn't seem like you can feed enough to keep the corals happy, reduce the amount of pellets being used. That way the bacteria in the pellets will continue to reduce NO3 and PO4 but more gently overtime vs stripping the system clean. As your corals grow and the demand on feeding gets larger then add more pellets as you see appropriate. 
For those with bleaching have you tried reducing the amount of pellets in your reactor? I've found it's not the best to go by the manufacture's recommended dosage. I really think there is a balance and you have to find the right volume of pellets to match the load of the tank. So if your tank is getting stripped and it doesn't seem like you can feed enough to keep the corals happy, reduce the amount of pellets being used. That way the bacteria in the pellets will continue to reduce NO3 and PO4 but more gently overtime vs stripping the system clean. As your corals grow and the demand on feeding gets larger then add more pellets as you see appropriate.
Brett;
Has this worked for you? I started with 1/3 the recommended dosage, but I guess I could further reduce...
Paul
drummereef
Team RC
I'm currently experimenting with it and it's showing positive results. I started running 1 liter of Warner Marine EcoBAK pellets in a net 220g system and found it was stripping my system clean. No P or N for months which was quite hard on a few corals I have. I've since reduced to 500ml, or 1/2 the recommended amount, and I'm seeing some positive changes in regards to color and polyp extension. I think theres a balance you can achieve with these pellets. The recommended doses on the bottle/can in very misleading imo. It's all dependent on the fish bio load, how many corals you keep, feeding schedule, etc... So my idea is reduce the volume of pellets to just "keep up" with the bio load vs suppressing it. You'll get to a place where the efficiency of the bacteria on the pellets will max out based upon the bio load. If you can find this place I think you'll start to see some positive changes. But in any event, you must feed, feed, feed until the corals start to perk up.
Crisis64
Member
For those with bleaching have you tried reducing the amount of pellets in your reactor? I've found it's not the best to go by the manufacture's recommended dosage. I really think there is a balance and you have to find the right volume of pellets to match the load of the tank. So if your tank is getting stripped and it doesn't seem like you can feed enough to keep the corals happy, reduce the amount of pellets being used. That way the bacteria in the pellets will continue to reduce NO3 and PO4 but more gently overtime vs stripping the system clean. As your corals grow and the demand on feeding gets larger then add more pellets as you see appropriate.
Yes drummerreef I agree, I've read slot of posts indicating that the recommended is causing issues, in my case I'm only using 1/2 the recommended amount, and finding positive results so far. My water is crystal clear, algae growth down to min. Cyano completely wiped out, this is the reason I started the bio pellets in the 1st place.
Acrotrdco
New member
For ZEOvit tanks that deploy the 3-hrs-on, 3-hrs-off flow on their zeolite reactor, they don't need GFO (though I've read folks who still use some anyway).
For those who didn't do that, they'll need to run some GFO.
This is because (you can look up some research paper), the 3-hrs-on-and-off technique is basically taking advantage of PAO's (Polyphosphate Accumulating Organisms) to create and consume PHA (Polyhydroxyalkanoates - acclaimed as the main ingrediant of NP Biopellets) to remove PO4 from the water column.
Without the 3-hrs-on-and-off, ZEOvit systems cannot effectively remove PO4 from the water column and need to rely on a little GFO.
Is there any reason to believe this may happen with biopellets? Can you post a link to the paper that you cited?
Thanks,
Paul
drummereef
Team RC
:thumbsup: Perfect luibove!
Acrotrdco
New member
I've link to this PhD thesis paper from the National Central University of Taiwan, it's written in Traditional Chinese, but the abstract is in English.
http://thesis.lib.ncu.edu.tw/ETD-db/ETD-search-c/view_etd?URN=86346005
I've tried to locate similar papers in English but so far I couldn't find any of them that points out this idea in such clarity as this one, this paper is almost like the "manual" of how zeolite system works.
p.s. Biopellets are mainly PHA or PCL, read my thread here if you want to know more:
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?p=17432897
Since biopellets are already PHA, I'd assume there's no need for PAO's to accumlate anymore PHA therefore the anaerobic phase (required to build up PHA) is not needed, all the PAO need to do is to consume the PHA from the pellets and uptake PO4, that's how the NP biopellets works on controlling N and P.
Some images from the paper:
And part of the abstract:
...Sequential Batch Biofilm Reactor system (SBBR) is effective in removing phosphorus. The storage and release of intracellular inclusions, especially PHAs and poly-P, would be an important factor for phosphorus removal. Under different operating conditions, total phosphorus removal was always determined by accumulation of PHAs and phosphorus release under the anaerobic phase. The PHAs accumulation under the anaerobic phase was always in proportion to the biofilm phosphorus content under the aerobic condition. The result shows PAOs activity was closely related to PHAs accumulation. However, the PHAs accumulation under the anaerobic phase would be dependent on the hydrolysis of the complex carbon source into short chain fatty acids. The effect of the An/Ox time ratio on TP removal was significant. Shorter anaerobic time would result in insufficient phosphorus release and greater time would result in inactive PAOs. The appropriate An/Ox time ratio was suggested as 1/2 and appropriate duration time was suggested as 6-8 hours.
In the anaerobic phase, the main activity of COD uptake occurs in initial 30 minutes. However, activity of phosphorus release occurs in 30-60 minutes and this phenomenon is more significant for initial substrate with higher concentrations due to the delay effect of mass transfer of adsorbed COD. The PHAs accumulation and phosphorus release share a similar trend. Since PHAs' demand per released phosphorus is independent of the initial COD, the enhancement of PHAs' accumulation would benefit phosphorus release. In the biofilm's system, the only requirement is to have sufficient and simple initial substrate and it would result in sufficient PHAs' accumulation for phosphorus release. In the aerobic phase, because poly-P storage's capability is always not saturated, PAOs could uptake excess PO43-. In other words, the limitation of TP removal is always caused by anaerobic phase, not the aerobic phase.
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smalltime
New member
3-hrs-on-and-off is only done while transitioning an existing system to a zeolith rock system. 3 on/off is done to minimize shock to corals while stripping nutrients. Too much of anything good can hurt your system. Do you have a link to where Zeovit users are running the reactors 3 on/off?
You only use the on&off on zoevit when first starting the zoe to build bacteria in the stone for the first mounth thats it
To fine tune the system, instead of adjusting amount of pellets, would it make sense to try:
1. Use On&Off on the reactor?
2. Use On&Off on the skimmer?
Not sure which of the above would be appropriate.
Also, I begin to think seriously about getting recirculating reactor, where you can control the water flow through the reactor (dial down to decrease nutrients export)
1. Use On&Off on the reactor?
2. Use On&Off on the skimmer?
Not sure which of the above would be appropriate.
Also, I begin to think seriously about getting recirculating reactor, where you can control the water flow through the reactor (dial down to decrease nutrients export)
