N/P reducing pellets (solid vodka dosing)

[SaltwaterAdict]

All of these varied opinions is very confusing and seems like experimenting with these "new" bp are more troublesome than I would imagine. I'll stick to basic WC's! :thumbsup:

 

[holdyourlight]

My 1st bacterial bloom with half of intended pellet dosage lasted about the same amount of days as yours. 10 days later I added half of the remaining amount and experienced a slight bacterial bloom that lasted 2 days, definitely not as cloudy as the first.
The 3rd and final addition created no bacterial bloom.

well the thing is that i haven't added any more! i added all 500 at once and none since then

 

[bluereefs]

Do you made water changes before second bloom?

I would cut the bp to 300-400 ml, if bloom ocur with lower amount then I would lower more until I find amount who remove nutrients and dont cause bacterial bloom.

 

[holdyourlight]

Do you made water changes before second bloom?

I would cut the bp to 300-400 ml, if bloom ocur with lower amount then I would lower more until I find amount who remove nutrients and dont cause bacterial bloom.

I did a 10% water change the day before. I also added cheato on the day it happened. I would like to not remove any bp if i have to. its a new tank and i plan on adding many many more fish than there are now

 

[bluereefs]

That is happening to one of my friend localy, few times actually, to get bacterial bloom second day after water changes, I adviced him to cut the amount, now he use 200 ml of bp on 200 gallons reef aquarium with good number of fishes (3 big tangs, dozens of small damsel/clown). 200 ml keep his aquarium sparkling clear and so far nitrate-fosfate are undetectable with salifert test kit. Last bacterial bloom he had with 300 ml of bp erase even the smalest trace of algae leaving aquarium sparkling clean. There are users who are lucky to have fantastic results with small amount of bp, I think that is good because your bp will last for years. You can always ad more bp in case you need them. One thing is also interesting with his expirience, he do not have nitrate and fosfate detectable on salifert test but still he get few bacterial bloom after he start to use bp. I think that is related with amount of bp and is always good to start with very small amount initialy, we never know what amount can create bacterial bloom in someone aquarium, despite capacity and nutrients concetrations.

 

[DJREEF]

All of these varied opinions is very confusing and seems like experimenting with these "new" bp are more troublesome than I would imagine. I'll stick to basic WC's! :thumbsup:

Actually, it's been trouble free for me. I just floated them in a pond bag in my sump. They dropped my NO3 from 60+ to less than 5ppm in a couple of months.

DJ

 

[SaltwaterAdict]

Wow, if those results are true that's amazing DJREEF. I'm subscribed and going to look into these furthermore. Thanks for posting your test results. Do you not use a reactor? I thought that was the only way to use these effectively, not sure?

 

[Mike de Leon]

Mike de Leon , here is my bacterial strings during one bacterial bloom, are they look similar to white hair growth what you have?

Here is reactor and skimmer picture from that bloom

I disconect bp reactor and feed heavy, few times a days, loots of blenderized crab meat, dump aprox 4 pounds in 30 days in 3 aquariums, this aquarium receive aprox 1 pound of blenderized foood in 30 days.

yes, mine looked like that. Seems to be going away now and the tank is stabilizing. How often do you do water changes???

 

[bluereefs]

I do not do regular water changes, I made big water changes, aprox 30-50 % of water when my aquariums had issue with bacterial blooms. Because I use natural sea water, live in second floor and have aprox 500 g of aquariums capacity, water changes are not easy task, is not so simple to carry 100-120 galons of water by hand to second floor. Also during summer all local beaches are ocupied with tourist and I look weird when come with dozens of cans near them colecting sea water lol

 

[lordofthereef]

I have been in and out of this thread for a while, although I haven't kept up (and backtracking 108 pages sounds like a nightmare!) I thought the proponent of these pellets was the inability for a bacterial bloom. Am I reading correctly that people are still getting bacterial blooms here?

 

[DJREEF]

I have been in and out of this thread for a while, although I haven't kept up (and backtracking 108 pages sounds like a nightmare!) I thought the proponent of these pellets was the inability for a bacterial bloom. Am I reading correctly that people are still getting bacterial blooms here?

Yes, but they appear to be a non event since most are working in the quantities of pellets gradually, as opposed to dumping in the full rated amount all at once.

DJ

 

[jlinzmaier]

Yes, but they appear to be a non event since most are working in the quantities of pellets gradually, as opposed to dumping in the full rated amount all at once.

DJ

In reading the last 15 pages over again it seems to me that there are FAR more people getting significant bacterial blooms upon start up regardless of whether they gradually add the pellets or not. It seems that the gradual addition of pellets seems to aid in reducing the density of the blooms and sometimes prevents them, however, there are still a significant amount of bacterial blooms occurring with the VAST MAJORITY of the people initiating the use of the pellets.

Jeremy

 

[Genetics]

jlinzmaier, you are correct. The initial addition is more than enough to get a bloom in most cases.

 

[DJREEF]

In reading the last 15 pages over again it seems to me that there are FAR more people getting significant bacterial blooms upon start up regardless of whether they gradually add the pellets or not. It seems that the gradual addition of pellets seems to aid in reducing the density of the blooms and sometimes prevents them, however, there are still a significant amount of bacterial blooms occurring with the VAST MAJORITY of the people initiating the use of the pellets.

Jeremy

Right, but the severity has decreased concerning observed systemic stress and loss of life as a result of gradual introduction.

DJ

 

[Tony Romano]

Right, but the severity has decreased concerning observed systemic stress and loss of life as a result of gradual introduction.

DJ

I think the blooms are just part of decreasing nutrients. Bacteria thrives in void left by algae. Currently in my tank there is very little of either. ~3 months on pellets, 10 years of struggling to get this level of sucess. SPS, lots of fish, non-photos thriving!

 

[jlinzmaier]

I think the blooms are just part of decreasing nutrients. Bacteria thrives in void left by algae. Currently in my tank there is very little of either. ~3 months on pellets, 10 years of struggling to get this level of sucess. SPS, lots of fish, non-photos thriving!

In most cases the bacteria are able to outcompete the algea for the available nutrients. The huge difference between the methods of nutrient uptake is that algea (true algea - not cyano) generates oxygen through photosynthesis and bacteria reduce oxygen levels through their metabolic processes. That oxygen depletion is usually the culprit for irritation or harm to corals and fish.

Jeremy

 

[lbaldrey]

Its been 5-6 weeks and Im not seeing any reduction in N&P.

I had a slight bacterial bloom on the back glass but not much else. Phosphates have climbed from 0.2 to 0.3 in the 5 weeks time. I did a 15% water change once.

Im running 350ml of NP (old & new formula mixed) in my reactor.

Skimmer is doing a good job though...

Im thinking Ill give it another month or two before I pull the plug on this ???

 

[Tony Romano]

In most cases the bacteria are able to outcompete the algea for the available nutrients. The huge difference between the methods of nutrient uptake is that algea (true algea - not cyano) generates oxygen through photosynthesis and bacteria reduce oxygen levels through their metabolic processes. That oxygen depletion is usually the culprit for irritation or harm to corals and fish.

Jeremy

What causes bubbles in the afternoon on cyno? CO2?

 

[reefrad]

What causes bubbles in the afternoon on cyno? CO2?

02. cyano uses photosysnthesis to produce O2 from co2, just like plants.

 

[Tony Romano]

02. cyano uses photosysnthesis to produce O2 from co2, just like plants.

Ok - Then I don't understand this---

"bacteria reduce oxygen levels through their metabolic processes. That oxygen depletion is usually the culprit for irritation or harm to corals and fish"

Thanks