N/P reducing pellets (solid vodka dosing)

[tmz]

I agree, generally, but would add 4 some bacteria can be pathogenic at some level .

 

[daveonbass]

well once again, my effluent IS the feed line for the skimmer, and I've seen very litle from these pellets.

so I am now wondering a few different things.

- do the successful systems have light in the area of the BP? My sump area has no light on it ever. It's always dark, could the bacteria be dependent on some light?
- does some of the effluent need to got back to the sump in order return to the DT? Cause in my system of having it go to the skimmer first, it's not working.
- do all successful reactors have "stuff" growing visibly on the BP? My pellets look the same as they did the day I started them.
- do the BP really need to tumble at all? Wouldn't excess growth of bacteria get sloughed off anyways? Isn't that why it's called "excess"?

anyone else figured out how to "activate" the BP to work more effectively?

 

[Timoweb]

Time for a change, added some biologically degradable polymer pellets and removed the zeo stones. The brand of pellet is N/P Biopellets.

3 days later I gave the pellets a shake and lots for white dust come off and the skimmate is much more foamy especially the the stuff that's gone over the side of the cup, I always have very good skimmate with Zeo but this does look different.

No cloud storms in the tank just slight white dust floating about after a shake, even though the reactor is directed to the skimmer a little of the dust escapes to the main tank.
I think they are working, I hope they are working lol :beer:

 

[Timoweb]

Found some older pics. This is how my skimmate looked when running Zeo, very good but its different now and the only thing I have changed is the stones for pellets.

Before;

And now;

 

[daveonbass]

uhhh...am I the only one that thinks the zeo skimmer results looked better?

 

[rutz81]

uhhh...am i the only one that thinks the zeo skimmer results looked better?

+1

 

[Timoweb]

It was not the quality of the skimmate that I was looking at more that the pellets are actually working.

From the pics I would guess so, do you think they are?

 

[rutz81]

It was not the quality of the skimmate that I was looking at more that the pellets are actually working.

From the pics I would guess so, do you think they are?

Its hard to say after only 3 days. You could still be skimming out stuff left from your Zeo stones. I think, from the instructions, the pellets take like 2/3 weeks to establish a bacteria population.

 

[Timoweb]

I have also been dosing 5 drops of Zeobac per night straight into the reactor with the pellets. I am planning on adding the bac each night just for 2 more nights then just once a week and after a water change.

 

[NexDog]

How does this differ from a nitrate reactor using sulphur beads?

 

[bluereefs]

Well is 48 hours from my last experiment where I add so called "ignited" bp to my fluid reactor where are bp who do not work. New bp did not create bacterial bloom in that reactor/aquarium but create much more bacteria inside the reactor, that made another issue, bp get clumped/solidize very fast and even with the strongest flow throu reactor they sit on the bottom and there is visiblle only one "chanel" where water pass, the rest (aprox 80 % of bp) are still and clumped. I need to mix them daily with the stick to made them fluidized what is anoying because I need to open the fluid reactor each day. Skimming get litlle better but all of that is not even close to efects I get with my diy reactor. Well at least I get much more bacteria inside the reactor so finally they do something.

I move that , now semy functional reactor to different aquarium and instead of him put my diy reactor (bacterial machine) in that aquarium. This time I try to avoid bacterial bloom and I use only very litlle amount of bp, only aprox 300-400 ml (on 150 g aquarium) also that are old bio pellets who work for months and already created 3 bacterial bloom, so many of bp granules are very tinny or look like empty shell. I alse washed all bacteria strings from complete reactor, actually cleaned him competly with shower except bp , did not touch them. Flow was also litlle slowed. After 12 hours skimming are much more stronger, there is trace of bacteria string on the aquarium glass and inside the reactor.Preliminary conclusion, my diy reactor do more in 12 hours with very small amount of already used bp then standard fluid reactor with 1000 ml of bp for months. Well at least I have one miracle reactor and can switch him from aquarium to aquarium as are needed.

here are the pictures
diy reactor instead of old

This is very interesting for me, bp in this reactor are almost completly white and clean

skimmer this morning

bacteria string on the glass

 

[rick12]

I have also been dosing 5 drops of Zeobac per night straight into the reactor with the pellets. I am planning on adding the bac each night just for 2 more nights then just once a week and after a water change.

this sounds like a good idea for those who are using Zeovit as well as pellets. makes sense. just like changing the zeo-stones (adding pellets) bac is needed daily for 7-10 days. :hmm5:

 

[camoausreefer]

I'm into day 5 of my BP the 2nd day water was crystal clear, 3rd day my water went cloudy so I put the reactor on the back of my over flow as my skimmer is fed directly from the syphon. Now day 5 and still cloudy water there was some BP that came out of the reactor and are in a hard to Reach place. I have been using prodibio for 3momths my p04 was 0.04 but could not bring nitrate down any thoughts on why this could be happening?
Thanks

 

[camoausreefer]

I'm into day 5 of my BP the 2nd day water was crystal clear, 3rd day my water went cloudy so I put the reactor on the back of my over flow as my skimmer is fed directly from the syphon. Now day 5 and still cloudy water there was some BP that came out of the reactor and are in a hard to Reach place. I have been using prodibio for 3momths my p04 was 0.04 but could not bring nitrate down any thoughts on why this could be happening?
Thanks

 

[rutz81]

I'm into day 5 of my BP the 2nd day water was crystal clear, 3rd day my water went cloudy so I put the reactor on the back of my over flow as my skimmer is fed directly from the syphon. Now day 5 and still cloudy water there was some BP that came out of the reactor and are in a hard to Reach place. I have been using prodibio for 3momths my p04 was 0.04 but could not bring nitrate down any thoughts on why this could be happening?
Thanks

What type of reactor/pump?

 

[Yogre]

How does this differ from a nitrate reactor using sulphur beads?

Sulfur denitrator is using low flow and hosting anaerobic bacteria to reduce nitrate to nitrogen. I don't believe it has any impact on PO4.

Biopellets theoretically are using aerobic bacteria which assilimilate both N and P into their structures.

 

[camoausreefer]

I'm using a 2000lhr feed pump with a tap on a reef octopus phosphate reactor.

 

[Tony Romano]

I'm into day 5 of my BP the 2nd day water was crystal clear, 3rd day my water went cloudy so I put the reactor on the back of my over flow as my skimmer is fed directly from the syphon. Now day 5 and still cloudy water there was some BP that came out of the reactor and are in a hard to Reach place. I have been using prodibio for 3momths my p04 was 0.04 but could not bring nitrate down any thoughts on why this could be happening?
Thanks

What is NO3 level? It takes much effort to get >5 ppm has been my experience. I feed heavy and have 8 fish in 300 total gallons. You may need a Sulpur reactor to target NO3.

 

[camoausreefer]

I'm using a 2000lhr feed pump with a tap on a reef octopus phosphate reactor.

 

[camoausreefer]

Sorry about the double posting damn iphones it's about 2-5ppm not really worried as I have great colour the main reason I started the pellets is because i have been batteling cyano for the last 6 months. Water is starting to clear on day 6