Old Biopellet users; question!

[hypnoj]

Please post:
If you used biopellets on your system, for a length of time, and considered them to be successful (ie brought nitrates down) but still decided to take them off-line, why? What happened?
I know lots of people started to use them and took them off-line quickly due to clouding and other things, but I don't mean those users. I mean users who had them for multiple months, saw that they worked, but still took them off-line. Please post away!!

 

[exoticar]

Good luck with replies, I posted something regarding biopellets and no one had an answer or reply

 

[karsseboom]

I have been running bio pellets for a year now with no issue, nitrates are always zero and po4 is zero as well. I don't see taking them of line any time soon in fact I just bought more to top off the reactor.

 

[BigKahuna]

When something succeeds in doing what you set out to do with it you aren't likely to stop using it. People that had bad experiences with BP's would take them offline but they haven't been around so long that there will be many success stories with subsequent removal of them. I've had good results with them but YMMV.

 

[sirreal63]

I have been running them off and on since June or July of 2010, the only issue I had was trying to run the recommended amount, which stripped my tank of nutrients, to the point that no algae grew, chaeto died and corals almost followed. After greatly reducing the amount of pellets I have had no issues, nutrients stay in check and things are pretty much on auto pilot. I have used them in a fast moving reactor, a slow moving reactor and just tossed into the bottom of a canister filter. All ways have worked but for me, I have had the best function with them in the canister filter, the fast tumble just seemed to wear them down and did no better than the slow tumble with nutrient removal and with them in the canister they work the same and last longer. YMMV

 

[Crkbaby]

I have been using them over a year. People that had clouding issues where due to bacterial blooms and reguardless of what they might say its because there was to much introduced at once. If you start with a 1/4 of the recommended amount and add another 1/4 per every 3-4 weeks you are fine. Also it is my belief that you should not base the amount you use on the amount of water in your system you should base it off of necessity. I stock my tank pretty heavily and have 0 nitrates but also skim a ton.

 

[hypnoj]

I've been using 2 different brands in 2 different tanks for over a year now and my nitrates have been great with them. I don't feel that I've changed anything in my system, but then got massive cyano outbreaks on both tanks at nearly the same time. Nitrates and PO4 still as low as it's ever been. Thinking flow problems, I've cleaned everything like crazy a few weeks back and make sure my flow was as high as normal. Still problems. I keep thinking this may have something to do with my pellets. Anyone else stop using them b/c of cyano?

 

[Crkbaby]

I am reading that carbon dosing can cause bacteria blooms and cyano can feed on the bacteria as well. I have been having cyano on my sand bed for quit some time now. I have ruled out what I believe to be any possible cause for this. I think I am well equipped to test if it is the cause. I can test it out for you if you want to hit me up in about a week. I have no phosphates in my top off or mixing water. I do 20% a week at least water changes running 2 mp 40s for flow with a mag 24 return pump. 2 skimmers sro 3000 int and vertex royal exclusive 250 skimmers, fresh carbon and gfo in large reactors. Ill stop running them tonight if it is related the good bacteria in theory will get used up and the cyano will starve if that is what it is feeding off of. I was never really to concerned with my nitrates being a cause of alarm so stopping them does not really bother me.

 

[BigKahuna]

Be careful shutting down a BP reactor for a long time and restarting it back up again because if you allow it to go anaerobic it could dump a whole bunch of hurt back into your tank when you start it back up again.

 

[sirreal63]

Be careful shutting down a BP reactor for a long time and restarting it back up again because if you allow it to go anaerobic it could dump a whole bunch of hurt back into your tank when you start it back up again.

This is true of any reactor, not just BP's.

 

[Crkbaby]

I would never just dump crap water back into my tank and if the cyano does vanish I will start adding it back probably at half the capacity I am now and see if it starts reappearing. Thanks for looking out though

 

[BigKahuna]

This is true of any reactor, not just BP's.

Very true but it never hurts to remind of dangers that are real easy to fall prey to

 

[Crkbaby]

So just an update. pellets have been off one week now and 1 water change has been done since. Doing my weekly change tonight. The cyano growth has not stopped but it looks like it may have slowed up some compared to normal. Ill update same day next week to see if results change.