N/P reducing pellets (solid vodka dosing)
- Thread starter tntneon
- Start date
- Status
Aquarist007
New member
I have a few of them that are very tempermental. If you shut them off and they drain then pump gets an air lock in it and you have to prime the unit by covering over the air intake in the sump. Some of them I have had to yank out of the sump, take completely apart and put them back together again just to get the pumps to suck up water again---that is a real pain and waste of my time and money.
The new swc hob one is terrible. It loses its prime everytime it is shut off and then you have to use beer
to get it going again or buy a 20 buck vacuum pump to run along with the unit like you do with some overflows.TheFishMan65
New member
Capn, I have heard/read you can have too much flow. This statement seems to imply you can't have too much flow. Comments?
Aquarist007
New member
A while back suppliers advocated running the pellets with a maxijet 900 giving them just enough flow to slightly move the pellets.
What occured was the mulm remaining in the reactors and clogging up the units especially when they were running the foam filters.
So there has been a shift in thinking to remove the foam filters and use the plastic ones supplied by Two Little Fishes and increase the power head you use so you have as much flow going through the reactor as possible.
Marineland who supplies maxijets has come out with a new maxijet which has another 100 gph to it and running these pumps really does make a difference with the reactor and pellets staying clear.
As far as too much flow--yes you still could have too much--if you were to have so much flow as to jam up the pellets to the top of the reactor then you could have a situation similar to too little flow.
The valve that comes with the reactor comes in handy for that--you still have to tweak the flow with it for each situation you have
I gotta say, my best experience with fluidizing pellets has been with using NO media holder whatsoever, just a downtube jammed into the mass of pellets at the bottom of the reactor. Much better flow than any DIY plastic grate that replaces the foam filters.
I haven't tried the TLF factory mod, but it looks the same as the DIY method.
I haven't tried the TLF factory mod, but it looks the same as the DIY method.
Stanley-Reefer
New member
The WM Ecobak pellets say they do NOT need to tumble and can even be put into a mesh bag in an area of high flow.
They claim their polymer is a totally diff patent than other existing polymers too.
They claim their polymer is a totally diff patent than other existing polymers too.
Aquarist007
New member
It is, I was going to try what you did also but was discouraged against it because in a power failure there might be a start up surge putting some of the pellets into the tank.
But in hindsight what would be the big deal---anyone who doses vodka or sugar is putting the carbon source into the tank any ways.
Glad you posted this
Aquarist007
New member
I question that lack of surface area the polymers will have that they
could be that effecient
tntneon
SPSahollic
Hi stanley-reefer
,I used to put the pellets in a mesh bag the first couple of month's , but then the mesh bag clogged very quickly with bacterial mulm.
Blocking the flow thru the bag/pellets wich can create anaerobic conditions in the pellets , and this can lead to H²S production (rotting egg smell) and that is not good for your health and your tank
.The best way IMO is to put them in a open DIY jar or containment like the banker said , and jam a recycle line (with a adjustment valve) from return pump or a drainpipe from display in the pellets so that they can tumble nicely w/o blokiing anything.
This is how i run them almost 2 year with great results (i use the drainpipe to feed my DIY open reactor) .
greetingzz tntneon
tntneon, I wouldn't necessarily suggest an open-top reactor, although I'm sure it would work fine. I still think a little plastic grate before the outflow would be good to keep the pellets from accidentally spilling everywhere, and that's what I use, in addition to a concave bottom plate under the downtube. One reason I like the upper grate is so I can periodically invert the reactor and shake it to really churn up the pellets, and dislodge bits of detritus that inevitably work their way into the reactor.
I did notice some gnarly sponge growth in my biopellet reactor, along with some feather dusters. Cool!
I did notice some gnarly sponge growth in my biopellet reactor, along with some feather dusters. Cool!
Stanley-Reefer
New member
I just started them 2 days ago in both tanks....I did go to full dose as I'm looking for this to replace my daily vodka regimen that is 2 years and running...I'm doing full vodka this week and will decrease by 1/4/week till I'm at the month mark.
I put some in a DR F&S carbon bag--it has petty decent sized holes in it. The rest are in reactors.
As long as you have alot of flow with highly oxygenated water--how would the aneorobic bact develop?
I put some in a DR F&S carbon bag--it has petty decent sized holes in it. The rest are in reactors.
As long as you have alot of flow with highly oxygenated water--how would the aneorobic bact develop?
Stanley-Reefer
New member
It was one of those situations where I put less than 100ml in a bag or into the jar they came in
Aquarist007
New member
the bags seem to clog up rather quickly reducing the flow and giving you the anerobic conditions
Stanley-Reefer
New member
It'll be fine....it's in a corner of my sump triangulated by the output of the ecobak reactor, sump draine and skimmer intake.
fat walrus
New member
It appears to be a constant situation that after a day, the bio-pellets tumble only on side of the reactor. I think someone suggested adding glass beads, but I have no idea what type of store sells round glass beads that are not ornamental.
TheFishMan65
New member
Toy stores - they are called marbles . I have seen 1/4 inch marbles, but I wonder if they would be too large.
. I have seen 1/4 inch marbles, but I wonder if they would be too large.Hey walrus, tell us a little about your reactor set up. Or post pictures. I doubt that anyone would have to resort to marbles to get their pellets to tumble correctly. Glass is so much denser, I doubt that would work as intended.
I've run my pellets in a slightly modded TLF 150 reactor, and have had the issue you're having about the pellets only moving on one side.
I've run my pellets in a slightly modded TLF 150 reactor, and have had the issue you're having about the pellets only moving on one side.
Aquarist007
New member
are you still running the black filters in the reactor?
Aquarist007
New member
Here is a link for the foam filter replacements
http://www.aquariumsupplies.ca/phosban-reactor-screen-p-6108.html
http://www.aquariumsupplies.ca/phosban-reactor-screen-p-6108.html
- Status
Similar threads
