biopellets question

[dvanacker]

IMO/IME the colors you may have achieved are not from increased nitrate or phosphate. These products can actually be harmful. Beautiful wild reefs have very very low nitrate and phosphate. Also if this was the specific reason you would not be able to explain the very nice captive reef tanks with very low nitrate. Consider the increased nitrate a side effect to the real reason colors improved.....more available food. And by food I'm not just talking about the stuff you add to the tank....Im talking about the food chain which includes things you cant see such as plankton. Feed the fish and fish poop starts a food chain. I have read before that a fish only utilizes 30% of the nutrition from it's food.

 

[Dog boy Dave]

Its been well documented that algae will grow on a reef if the grazing fish population is reduced beyond a certain level. Many macro algaes also produce chemicals that will clear areas of reef around the algae. The idea that corals "need" a low nutrient environment is a myth. Corals evolved to grow in the same environment as most algaes. Your corals will thrive under many levels of nutrients but the system must keep the nutrients mobile so that one component of the cycle doesnt become locked in a "sump" As long as you keep all of the nutrients mobile and dont allow any single component to freeze and build up then your corals will be fine. As long as people continue to strive for 0 nutrients instead of striving for a system that will reduce and cycle all of their nutients through the entire cycle they will continue to have problems in the long run. Look at my pics and videos if you would like to see a successful high nutrient system.

 

[Mike de Leon]

lets see those pics!

 

[njreefermadness]

Its been well documented that algae will grow on a reef if the grazing fish population is reduced beyond a certain level. Many macro algaes also produce chemicals that will clear areas of reef around the algae. The idea that corals "need" a low nutrient environment is a myth. Corals evolved to grow in the same environment as most algaes. Your corals will thrive under many levels of nutrients but the system must keep the nutrients mobile so that one component of the cycle doesnt become locked in a "sump" As long as you keep all of the nutrients mobile and dont allow any single component to freeze and build up then your corals will be fine. As long as people continue to strive for 0 nutrients instead of striving for a system that will reduce and cycle all of their nutients through the entire cycle they will continue to have problems in the long run. Look at my pics and videos if you would like to see a successful high nutrient system.

Hey Dog:

How high are your numbers? I am in a similar situation. My PO4 can run between .08 and .12 on the meter, and NO3 can run in the high single digits to 10 on the LaMotte. My colors look great, and I have no nuisance algae either. I have insane flow in my 180 all SPS tank. 4 MP 40s, 2 Tunze 6105 and 7 modded tunze nanos across the back wall. All in all the flow is at least 20,000 GPH. I run 2 TLF reactors w/ GFO 24 X 7 X 365. Running 6 AI Sol Blues for light.

I do have a tang army in my tank w/ Naso, Sailfin, Powder Brown (who nips SPS!), Kole and Hippo, so algae is kept in check by these guys I would think. I also have a bunch of angels; Regal, Juvy Emp, Flame, Lemon Peel, Vrolik's wrasse, and 9 green Chromis. I would consider this a fairly high fish load, and I do feed daily w/ Freeze dried shrimp/mysis, Formula flake, spectrum pellets and the weekly frozen mysis.

I do weekly 30 gal water changes religiously.

I hate seeing these high "nutrient numbers" and was considering pellets. I hear a lot of "if it ain't broke don't fix it" from people. I am kinda on the fence about doing anything different. Just want to hear somebody elses "numbers" where their tank looks good as well.

Thanks.

Herb

 

[dvanacker]

This is IMO or IME your N and P numbers may be fine....but getting close to becoming a problem. IF you do decide to add pellets be very cautious.

 

[Dog boy Dave]

I havent measured nitrates in years. Never in this system. I have never tested phosphates. In order to have free phosphates in any system you would need to have your nutrients so excessive that you would see many more symptoms of excess before you could measure it. Your corals and the system itself are the best test kits money can buy. Believe your corals. If they are thriving and you like the way they look then go with it.

 

[karsseboom]

This 50/50 good to bad luck with bio pellets are the reason why I have stayed away. Coral mag had a good article on bio pellets a few months ago.

you have a link to that?

 

[Dog boy Dave]

I dont use the bio pellets so everything i have is hear-say. However, I understand the bio pellets establish a colony of bacteria that break down phosphates. We all need to understand that phosphate reduction in just one step in the nitrogen cycle. Perhaps in the systems that do not respond well to this technique the problem is in other portions of their cycle. IE Phosphate is a common bottleneck. However, in some of the sytems with bio pellets when the phosphates are freed and reduced to their components other problems in the cycles become apparent. In the systems where the bio pellets work, the rest of the nitrogen cycle is healthy and all it needed was a lil bump to push through the phosphate bottle neck. In the systems where it doesnt work its other things that cause the rtn and stn so common in these systems. Just a theory but some simple experiments could probably prove it if any grad students are around....lol

 

[Dog boy Dave]

lets see those pics!

Hey Mike, If you search my handle. you can see all my posts and threads. I post images and pics add nausium. No need to repost but they are easy to find. However here is one i snapped yesterday.

 

[Dog boy Dave]

Ok Ok its your thread Mike and you asked. I will stop now.

 

[parrotchute]

Gorgeous, Dave. Got a link to a build page? I'd love to see more on your tank!

 

[fishguy597]

Ok bp is similar to vodka/ viniger dosing correct? Dont those people also use orp as a guid to keep the tank from crashing? I don't remember but isnt 300 orp the magic number to avoid while dosing? So couldnt you do the same with bp? I have no experience with either so just wondering.