Np pellets
- Thread starter JT3069
- Start date
Finland
Member
You will get some very mixed reviews on bio-pellets. I have been using them for close to a year and had good success.Good growth, decent colors, no rtn or stn. Others have had problems with rtn, poor color, bacterial blooms, etc..The thing with bio-pellets, imo, is you have to watch the corals closely for signs of fading, bleaching or color loss. Bio-pellets, once they kick in will strip the water to well and the corals will suffer. Just feed the fish heavy after nitrates and phosphates are reduced to near 0. If you have high nutients before starting, reduce the amount of bio-pellets that is recommended or you will most likely get a bacterial bloom. When I first started using them, I had a bout of cyano, but started up the gfo reactor and the cyano disappeared. This is my experience using them.
Finland
Member
I took the gfo offline when I started pellets, then after a month I started the gfo back up. I think I read somewhere that the bacteria from the pellets will consume nitrates and phosphates, but eventually phosphates will creep back up. Someone can correct me if I am wrong, but I seem to remember something of that sort. It's been awhile.
JT3069
New member
I finally got my npx pellets
mj 600 on tlf reactor with mesh screens
they seem to clump asap when i put them in
i noticed lil air bibbules on the so i bounced them around and they tumbled nicely.
I checked a few min later and same thing (this happened all night)
any suggestion
thx
mj 600 on tlf reactor with mesh screens
they seem to clump asap when i put them in
i noticed lil air bibbules on the so i bounced them around and they tumbled nicely.
I checked a few min later and same thing (this happened all night)
any suggestion
thx
collie man
Stoney Reefer
soak them in r.o. or just let them sit in the reactor over night. they will break up
I got a little clumping initially, but it eventually fixed itself.
With biopellets, it is best to go slow. I started with only 1/3 the recommended amount and let it run for well over 2 months before increasing. It is now at 2/3 the recommended dosage and the tank is doing well. It takes quite a while to 'break in' the biopellets, and if you increase the amount before break-in, you are risking a shock to your system with resulting bleaching and rtn.
With biopellets, it is best to go slow. I started with only 1/3 the recommended amount and let it run for well over 2 months before increasing. It is now at 2/3 the recommended dosage and the tank is doing well. It takes quite a while to 'break in' the biopellets, and if you increase the amount before break-in, you are risking a shock to your system with resulting bleaching and rtn.
JT3069
New member
ill do the best i can
okay i came home tonight and found all of them stuck together at the top of the reactor ( i think this i because i had micro bubble entering the reactor via
the skimmer return) so i stirred the pellets and moved the mj600 way from the skimmer return and i now have a nice rumble in the reactor
also water was not crystal clear but soon after creating a rumble in the reactor, and i mean soon (like minutes) my water was crystal clear.
i've ran gac and gfo but nothing has cleared water this fast
so ill start this off as day one on the biopellets ill post pics tommorrow when i have more time to sit and doodle
dzrtrataz
New member
If you still have clumping later on. Try a bigger pump. When I started mine, I used about a quarter of what was recommended, it ran good for a week or so and then it started clumping. From looking at some of the videos on the flow through the reactor. I decided I needed more flow. Its been great ever since. I have the Super Reef Octopus Biopellet Reactors.
texgv
New member
I run pellets in my system from day 1, and I love it, I've read a lot of people having problems with pellets in a already mature system, you should take it really slowly, if I were you I would keep running GFO for a few more months or you will have a ciano outbreak after the pellets kicks in, in 30 days or so start increasing very slowly the amount of pellets until you are using the recommended dosage . You will notice a dramatical nitrates change in a few weeks time, so keep an eye on your corals.
Finland
Member
It took awhile for me to notice anything as far as nitrate/phosphate reduction. At least a month.Then my nitrates started slowly lowering and the corals started to lighten up. That's when I started feeding heavier and nitrates still stayed low. Never really had a green algae problem. Just a little cyano. Your algae most likely is growing faster because you took the gfo offline and the pellets haven't kicked in.
