N/P reducing pellets (solid vodka dosing)

[HCO]

I recommend the BR-110 Super Reef Octopus with a mag 3 pump!
This will likely work like a complete charm.
The pump will have adequate flow and the beads will neverrrr cluster
because of the round bottom design of this very, very well built
unit. The reactor will cost you about 180 bux and the pump will cost
you about 60.... for 240 plus NP pellet cost and valve cost you will be in business with a reactor
that can hold up to 800ml of NP pellets (more then you will need but it
will handle your upgrade likely) and work like a dream.


I am using the BR-140 for my 300 gallon system (just the next size up
and it works perfect!!!!!)

The beads will float for 2 days some of them due to air being stuck to
them.....(nottttttt reactor fault!!!!!!) In two days or so they will
sink and then tumble with the rest perfectly....

I recommend a ball valve so you can adjust the flow and fine tune it
to a slowwwwwwww tumble.

Exhaust the reactor to in front of your skimmer intake in sump.

I started off with 1/2 the recommended amount and then added the
other 1/2 a week later....do notttttttttt let the beads see AIR once
you have began to use them or it will kill bacteria on contact.

PM me and I will tell you where I bought mine if you wish as I do not know
what the rules are about posting company names on here etc....

Tim

Thanks alot Tim I replied your PM

 

[eaquinta]

Hello friends,
some of you know if there should be relationship between N and P.

this ratio is 16 parts nitrogen to 1 part phosphate to be fully processed by the bacteria? ( this affirmation is correct ? )


Tato

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

No, that is not correct for processes that can include hypoxic areas where nitrate can be used as an oxygen source, producing N2. So the consumption of nitrate in such organic carbon dosing regimens can be a lot higher than that ratio to P.

For example, here's a cut and paste from one of my articles on nitrate:


In oxygen-containing environments, the reaction looks very similar to that shown above for plankton (ignoring phosphorus here):

organic + 175 O2 → 122 CO2 + 16 NO3- + 16 H+ + 138 H2O

where organic stands for a typical organic material ((CH2O)80(CH2)42(NH3)16). In the absence of O2, and taking the nitrogen species completely to N2 (which may happen in several reaction steps), we have the following overall reaction:

organic + 124 NO3- + 124 H+ → 122 CO2 + 70 N2 + 208 H2O

That is from:

Nitrate in the Reef Aquarium
http://www.advancedaquarist.com/issues/august2003/chem.htm

 

[plankton99]

I recommend the BR-110 Super Reef .

I started off with 1/2 the recommended amount and then added the
other 1/2 a week later....do notttttttttt let the beads see AIR once
you have began to use them or it will kill bacteria on contact.

What do you mean by DO NOT LET THE BEADS SEE AIR? when you disconnect and add pellets, air will get into the reactor, or if the pump comes above the water line, aie will get into the chamber.

Are you suggesting that any air will kill bacteria and you will have to start over?

 

[Scej12]

No, that is not correct for processes that can include hypoxic areas where nitrate can be used as an oxygen source, producing N2. So the consumption of nitrate in such organic carbon dosing regimens can be a lot higher than that ratio to P.

For example, here's a cut and paste from one of my articles on nitrate:


In oxygen-containing environments, the reaction looks very similar to that shown above for plankton (ignoring phosphorus here):

organic + 175 O2 → 122 CO2 + 16 NO3- + 16 H+ + 138 H2O

where organic stands for a typical organic material ((CH2O)80(CH2)42(NH3)16). In the absence of O2, and taking the nitrogen species completely to N2 (which may happen in several reaction steps), we have the following overall reaction:

organic + 124 NO3- + 124 H+ → 122 CO2 + 70 N2 + 208 H2O

That is from:

Nitrate in the Reef Aquarium
http://www.advancedaquarist.com/issues/august2003/chem.htm

Thanks Randy... Looks like I have some reading to do!

Sheldon

 

[Sohal Tang Tim]

dont expose beads to air once bio populated.

dont expose beads to air once bio populated.

Some guy was telling me months ago that he wanted to clean out his
bio bead reactor etc..... I told him that you cannot dump those beads
out and expose them to air because if you do..you will *kill* the bacteria
that you have been trying to populate them with...To add beads just
pour them in basically but do notttttt remove the water from the existing
beads and expose them to air....the guy I talked to was going to do that.


Tim

 

[BuckeyeTodd]

Does anyone have this problem? I have the Reef Octopus BR-70 pellet reactor and am using Bulk reef supply pellets and they are clogging the unit.

When i first connect it the flow is a strong biol (see pic below) and then overnight the little pellets get caught in the slits at the bottom and clogs up the whole thing to where it barely boils.

Should I use another pellet? I just ordered the NP Bio Pellets from Marine depot, they seem rounder and may not clog like the BRS pellets.

This is what I ordered from Marine Depot:
http://www.marinedepot.com/NP_Biope...r_Media-NP_Biopellets-XB1113-FIFMCHNR-vi.html


<a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/dG5gmZSeLxa4NGvUhuKluQ?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/_NXpuq2m0IHc/TbTwu1-b_MI/AAAAAAAADUo/S-NAmJ0FloY/s800/IMG_5504.JPG" /></a>

This appears to be only on the small model. Tim reported on the 140 his had a different design. I just received the 110 tonight, and thankfully it had a different design(as I am running BRS pellets as well). If you can't get something easily worked out with Coral Vue, check with BRS(and explain-you sell these as a combo, and they don't work together) and have them upgrade you to the 110. I just hooked my 110 with a maxi jet 1200 and it works great, I saw your post the day after I ordered mine and was freaked out that I'd have the same problem. It gave the pellets a fast boil which I turned down with the valve that was included(I thought I had to buy my own). It is so nice not having a dead spot anymore

 

[Rhodes19]

No, that is not correct for processes that can include hypoxic areas where nitrate can be used as an oxygen source, producing N2. So the consumption of nitrate in such organic carbon dosing regimens can be a lot higher than that ratio to P.

For example, here's a cut and paste from one of my articles on nitrate:


In oxygen-containing environments, the reaction looks very similar to that shown above for plankton (ignoring phosphorus here):

organic + 175 O2 → 122 CO2 + 16 NO3- + 16 H+ + 138 H2O

where organic stands for a typical organic material ((CH2O)80(CH2)42(NH3)16). In the absence of O2, and taking the nitrogen species completely to N2 (which may happen in several reaction steps), we have the following overall reaction:

organic + 124 NO3- + 124 H+ → 122 CO2 + 70 N2 + 208 H2O

That is from:

Nitrate in the Reef Aquarium
http://www.advancedaquarist.com/issues/august2003/chem.htm

Thanks Randy,

I'm going to have to break out my organic chemistry books again. LOL

 

[eaquinta]

Thanks Randy ... in my aquarium nitrate is not a problem, but it could be a limiting nitrate a problem to lowering phosphate ?

Tato

 

[thebanker]

you cannot dump those beads
out and expose them to air because if you do..you will *kill* the bacteria
that you have been trying to populate them with

How do you know?

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

Thanks Randy ... in my aquarium nitrate is not a problem, but it could be a limiting nitrate a problem to lowering phosphate ?


yes, it appears that it can be.

 

[eaquinta]

What you think about add KNO3 to force a Phosphate lowering, to blanace a bioplankton requeriments.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

I think that may be beneficial in some cases, but it requires more confidence in measurement than does using some GFO along with organic carbon dosing.

 

[thebanker]

I've heard of guys adding KNO3 to lower PO4. What happens to the potassium ions though????

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

It isn't enough to worry over.

There's about 400 ppm of potassium in seawater. If you boost nitrate by 1 ppm with potassium nitrate, the boost to potassium is even less.

 

[BuckeyeTodd]

How are you all keeping the pellets from back siphoning back to pump. I litterally was screaming, so frustrated. I turned off pellet pump to clean sump, then when I turned back on they wouldn't tumble for whatever reason. So I turned off pump to check what the issue was, and it then back siphoned the pellets back into the sump I just cleaned. So then I cleaned sump again, but now I didn't have enough saltwater ready to fill tank back up...grrrrr

Is there a valave or screen of some sort?

 

[plankton99]

Can someone explain the reason you should NOT have more pellets than recommended for the tank size... is there a negative aspect to this?

 

[Sohal Tang Tim]

no mans land.....

no mans land.....

The idea is the bio beads will reduce phosphate and nitrate.

Too much of a good thing could potentially strip the phosphate down
to a true ZERO and you do nottttttttttt want ZERO phosphate.....the
animals need *some* phosphate just not much......

The whole thing to me is a crap shoot! The main thing is to continue to
monitor your system and personally I use 1/2 of what is recommended....
I do not want to overshoot...and then..if I will gradually work that up
to 100% of recommendation IFFFFFF I need to...which I might NOT need
to because possibly 1/2 the recommended amount will get me to the phosphate level that I want.... everyone talks about .03 phosphate but
I just watched a video of my favorite reefer David Saxby and he does not
allow his phosphate to get below .015 level..and the number he stated
is alotttttt higher then the .03 everyone seems to aim for.....So is he wrong????? I think not!

Again..crap shoot.....you like rolling dice? hahaha

Sorry..I am not a pro...just my opinion

Take it if it helps you in any way or ignore it otherwise...

have super day

Tim

 

[plankton99]

The idea is the bio beads will reduce phosphate and nitrate.

Too much of a good thing could potentially strip the phosphate down
to a true ZERO and you do nottttttttttt want ZERO phosphate.....the
animals need *some* phosphate just not much......


Tim

Ok then, What if my phosphates and nitrates are already pretty much zero because I have a 1) I have a small bio load and 2) do weekly 15% water changes. The reason I want the pellets is to see if this helps color up my corals better.

 

[bertoni]

In theory, the extra pellets might be capable of driving the nutrients low enough to cause problems. If you want to increase the amount, I'd say just add more pellets gradually, and watch for signs of trouble.