N/P reducing pellets (solid vodka dosing)

[kernnell]

hi,

started BP 15 days ago, so far without positive results.
I have the same amount of nitrates, which have remained at 50 through water changes.
I recently added a bulb off bio digest, to try and seed the pellets with bacteria.

to get to the bottom of this, i still have to buy a PO4 test and measure my phosphates, i believe they Can't be too low,
because i feed frozen food three times a day, and there's a lot of fosfate in that stuff.

the only result i notice, is a huge increase of brown slime algae all over the glass

what is your opinion on this? i must have phosphates, for brown slime algae to grow, right?

I will continue to monitor and report any changes.

 

[bluereefs]

IMO, in most cases stronger brown algae growth on the glass come from bacteria aditives, do you had brown slime before you add bio diggest?

 

[kernnell]

brown slime algae increased a lot since i first started biopellets, before dosing anything.

bio digest was just added a couple of days ago, i don't think it has anything to do with it.

 

[kernnell]

can brown slime algae to grow without fosfates?

 

[HighlandReefer]

If this brown slime algae is a cyanobacteria, which it sounds like it may, then it could live off of the dissolved organic P in the water collumn without phosphate.

 

[kernnell]

If this brown slime algae is a cyanobacteria, which it sounds like it may, then it could live off of the dissolved organic P in the water collumn without phosphate.

it´s not cyanobacteria.

i thik it´s diatom (i don't know if that the proper name in english).

They normally appear on the first stages of the nitrogen cycle,
in a new aquarium, they come before the green ones.

Except, My aquarium is not new, it's almost one year old, and if i recall correctly never had them before.

i have read diatoms feed mostly on silicate, but i don't know if they also absorb phosphate.

PS: i only use RO water.

 

[HighlandReefer]

When you use the word "slimy" I don't think of diatoms, usually diatoms are more of a powdery appearance. There known as the golden brown algae.

Here is a picture of diatoms in a tank for reference:

This is a picture of brown cyanobacteria which has the slimy appearance: (too bad its out of water).

 

[HighlandReefer]

Nasty stuff. Looks like a cyano to me.

The whitish-brown stuff, is that bacterial growth?

 

[bluereefs]

Nasty stuff. Looks like a cyano to me.

The whitish-brown stuff, is that bacterial growth?

I supose it is but I dont know for sure, I dosed high dose of bacteria aditives to see what I will get, I get aquarium covered with cyano and these monster from the pictures, took me few months to get rid of that.
Cyano is easy to tear apart but this beast was very strong, I actualy need to pul strong to tear some of them apart, and they was very strong atached to rocks or skimmer body.

 

[ace0007]

what GFO?!...is no one reading my posts. For the last time...i run nothing else...just the BP. I have never run GFO...and in all my years I have never gotten the PO4 test to read anything other than zero...all the kits new and old read zero. I'm not saying it IS zero...i know there is probably some PO4, but not enough to register. I can't stop using GFO, cause I never have. All I have is live rock, live sand, water, a skimmer, and the BP (now rice). That's it. I can only add stuff at this point. I dosed MB7 twice...nothing happened. Algae growth in non existent. That is to say it's not "growing"...it just stays the same. (nor does it receede)

I'm not getting any results with rice either. I do feel it's from lack of PO4. Either something is very wrong with my tank, or something is very right...cause PO4 is not registering even on the new tank that has 160ppm NO3. That tank too reads zero PO4.

What phosphate kit are you using? Kits such as Salifert are too inaccurate to pick up phosphate at the required level. Try DD Merck kits which are widely used in Europe as the standard for phosphate testing. HTH Or you could invest in a Hamma electronic version.

 

[DJREEF]

What phosphate kit are you using? Kits such as Salifert are too inaccurate to pick up phosphate at the required level. Try DD Merck kits which are widely used in Europe as the standard for phosphate testing. HTH Or you could invest in a Hamma electronic version.

Were those the ones made by M.C. Hamma?

DJ

 

[daveonbass]

I want to get the hanna but have no extra money right now.

 

[kernnell]

WOW that's some nasty stuff LOL :wildone:

mine looks exactly like this:

but on the glass instead.

 

[ethank77]

Dave save your money man. I got one and I'm not that impressed. I still don't know what my phosphates are. I turned the GFO off in my tank 2 mths ago and the Hanna still says 0.0. Yet the corals and bacteria seem to be responding positively. An old reefer told me once that I didn't need all those tests just watch my coral. Maybe he was right!

 

[sjfishguy]

But my question is anyone running the pellets and GFO in the dual reactor at the same time. I am just wondering if the flow rate for the pellets is too much for the GFO in the 2nd chamber?

 

[Toadally]

But my question is anyone running the pellets and GFO in the dual reactor at the same time. I am just wondering if the flow rate for the pellets is too much for the GFO in the 2nd chamber?

Which reactor are you using? I'm using a dual BRS but only running the pellets in one side.

 

[DJREEF]

OK, results for 8-1-10

PO4 - 2.0 flat from last test (down from 3ppm overall)
NO3 - 5-10ppm (API test doesn't differentiate colors btwn the 2) down from 20ppm (down from 60ppm overall)

All in all I'd say that they're working for me. Understand that I'm only floating a pond bag W/ 1 liter combo Vertex/Ecobak in the sump (no reactor), but also have two SRO skimmers running.


Total system volume 140gal high bioload.


DJ

 

[daveonbass]

glad to hear yours are doing good DJ.

 

[180+55reef]

This may sould like a dumb question, but is anyone running the pellets have thriving healthy elegance......Mine dont seem to do well and I am trying to rule things out.. and yes my parms are good (430, 11 , 1.025 and mag =1400)

thanks Frank

 

[bluereefs]

I have, few pieces, but they do not count to much because they are my cultured elegance, I rise them last 7 years and they are tolerant to everything.
Do you have bacterial bloom with bio pellets? What is wrong with your elegance? Corals do not like drastic sudden nitrate/phosphate removal. If you have bacterial bloom or nitrate/phosphate are drop too fast that can be potentionaly dangerous to corals.