Reef Dynamics Bio-Pellet Reactor ?

[ClownBubbaJoe]

A reefer near me was getting out of the hobby for good, so he's selling off the equipment. He sold me at a very low cost, a almost new looking Reef Dynamics Bio-Pellet Reactor. I know their out of business, but I've seen a few YouTube video's. It looks like a high quality tool.

I'd like to speak to a owner here to ask questions.

These question's is for anyone using a pellet reactor.

What type and brand of pellets work best in this type of reactor ?

If you have a power outage which stops the rotation of the pellets, is the pellets bacteria now dead ?

If you were using the pellets as a big bioactive part of the system, with either your live rock or if using the dead white rock, is the loss of the pellets going to be a huge problem now for your load ?

 

[mcgyvr]

1)Ill let others answer which pellets they like.
2)The bacteria colonizing around the pellets are no different from bacteria in other places of your tank. It typically takes a few hours before things in the tank (fish..corals..bacteria..etc..) start to die.. There is no instant die off that is going to happen in the reactor but not elsewhere in the tank.
3)As pellet supply starts to dwindle (you forgot to refill or whatever) your bacterial numbers will typically decline and nutrient levels will increase slowly.

 

[ClownBubbaJoe]

So I would have enough time, three, four hours before the bacteria die ?
Just get the power back on asap ! Lol

We live in a area when we'd have a big storm the power would go off, but several years ago, our town was able to be connected to a large city power.

We have lost power more than an hour for quite a while, but I want to buy a generator big enough to power the tanks, and a fan in the bedroom, that would make me happy ! lol

I like that this unit is outside the sump.

Any other ideas or advise ?

 

[mcgyvr]

If your power is out the last thing you worry about is your bacteria/reactor...
Everything else will be dead before your bacterial polulation is killed off..

 

[solitude127]

I've been using Ecobak pellets for probably 7 or 8 years now. If you're new to BP, slowly add them and it's better to under fill than over fill. Also, don't mix different brands of pellets. They all have different hardness and when tumbling together, the harder pellets will pulverize the softer ones.

 

[solitude127]

oh, also answer your question about bacteria in the reactor if the power goes out.... Rarely do we lose power but if we do, the first thing I try to hook up to the generator are the return pumps and the pump for my BP reactor. There's a ton of bacteria living in there and you don't want them to start dying off because of no circulation.

 

[ClownBubbaJoe]

We don't have power outages like we used to, but I'd still want to prepare with a generator just in case. We live 10 miles from our capitol city, so years we were on our own, but we now have their power now.

How much can a reactor aid in removal of nitrates and phosphates ?
Like if you had 50 ppm and after you brought them down using a reactor to.....

 

[solitude127]

We don't have power outages like we used to, but I'd still want to prepare with a generator just in case. We live 10 miles from our capitol city, so years we were on our own, but we now have their power now.

How much can a reactor aid in removal of nitrates and phosphates ?
Like if you had 50 ppm and after you brought them down using a reactor to.....

The pellets I use will primarily bring down NO3. How big is your tank?

 

[ClownBubbaJoe]

I've been a reefer for a long time starting back in the 90's, sold out and now back into the hobby a couple years ago. Were setting up a in-wall 125g mixed reef. We have a lot of original ocean reef rock and many lbs. of the white dead rock to use.

I don't know if we'll use a lot of it or like what people are doing today, the use of the "minimal rockscape'' ?

Today the ''reactor'' is popular for everything.....so if we have quite the low amount of rock in the display, we're thinking of a reactor.

 

[solitude127]

Are you going to have any corals in the tank?

 

[ClownBubbaJoe]

Oh yes... mixed reef. More of LPS's than SPS's, leathers, softies etc. At some point, I'll set up a SPS tank with very little fish.

 

[solitude127]

many people will say that there's no needs to start pellets early in cycle but I feel like the longer you can give the pellets to colonize the bacteria, the better. Also, start with at most 1/2 of the recommended amount as well.

 

[ClownBubbaJoe]

My reason would get the cycle going sooner than later, either for the main display, if needed for a different tank, or like starting a QT. No harm no fail.