SPS & Bio-Pellets Yes/No

[dan-in-gr]

Hi, I have a 120 tank with 30 plus SPS and no softies/LPS. There is 175 lbs of rock and it has been setup for nearly a year. I have a reactor with carbon and use to have one for GFO. I am thinking of dropping bio-pellets, any opinions and having carbon and GFO only, have constant 1 ppm for nitrate. Yes or No what do you guys do and recommend. One thing I notice is a thin brown film similar to nitrate on sandbed, but have only 1 ppm tested every couple of weeks, my alk is about 9.5 dkh and cal is 440, mag is 1380. water is changed about 12% each Sunday.

 

[t4zalews]

My answer is No.

But, if you do want to go the biopellet route, incorporate them VERY slowly. They really strip the water column clean. Understand that SPS need some nitrate to grow. Really seems like overkill tho if you do weekly water changes, and use carbon/GFO

 

[OneReef]

Use either. I've used both with success on sps. To me, the biopellets are easier since you don't have to change out the media like GFO and carbon.

 

[downbeach]

I have a mixed reef, but it's predominantly SPS. I run all three reactor's, GFO, GAC and bio-pellets. If you are going to eliminate the pellets, what are you going to use to make up the difference? Why are you considering dropping the bio-pellets?

 

[dan-in-gr]

I have a mixed reef, but it's predominantly SPS. I run all three reactor's, GFO, GAC and bio-pellets. If you are going to eliminate the pellets, what are you going to use to make up the difference? Why are you considering dropping the bio-pellets?

Mostly curious as to others feelings on bio-pellets with SPS only tanks, basically pros and cons wanted.

 

[downbeach]

I would redeploy your GFO, bio-pellets by themselves will not get your PO4 down to a level that would be best for your SPS corals showing their colors. I would use something like the high capacity GFO from BRS, and the ROX 0.8 carbon, following the amounts recommended in their reef calculator located on their home page. I'd replace the carbon about once a month, and GFO when needed ( I use a Hanna meter for PO4, and replace the GFO when I see it start to increase), in my case it's about every second month.

 

[curlykid]

hmm, i thought bio-pellets reduced phosphates and nitrates?

 

[DrHarryLopez]

Yes. My P&N are 0.3 to 0.1 consistently using them for over two years. I have a predominant Sps reef with over 30 fish and about 300gals of total water.

 

[OneReef]

I've run biopellets only on my SPS reefs for the last 3 years. Nitrates stay at 0, phosphates on Hanna digital are always less than .05. Feed you SPS since the biopellets strip water down, but I know from experience they work great on SPS tanks

 

[dvanacker]

Bio-pellets work great on a SPS tank. I have tried running them with and with out GFO (always ran rox carbon with) and I can say from experience that if I dont run a small amount of GFO the PO4 rises.

 

[Bill@IA]

Bio-pellets work great on a SPS tank. I have tried running them with and with out GFO (always ran rox carbon with) and I can say from experience that if I dont run a small amount of GFO the PO4 rises.

I agree. The way I understood it, the ratio of nitrate eating bacteria to phosphorus consuming bacteria cells growing on the pellets is about 17:1
Using biopellets will remove 17 x more nitrate than phosphate so another method, such as GFO, to reduce more phosphate, may be needed in some systems.

 

[MHG]

I run pellets and my growth is for sh$%. However I have a low bio load. I am now dosing Pohls products and have seen some improvement on some corals but most still have poor growth. However my lights are still not as high as they will be as I am slowly turning them up to 500 par on the top of the reef. Once I am there for a month I can better comment...

 

[hypnoj]

I've been running biopellets for 1.5 yrs on my sps tank. I only change the water a few gallons every 4 months or so for old times sake. I run carbon and GFO and have to feed my corals 3 x week to keep the nutrients high enough; otherwise the tank is too clean.

 

[karsseboom]

With bio pellets your still gonna need gfo.

 

[rowdy29can]

I am a believer in bio pellets. However, i have been told its better to start a new tank with bio pellets than a long established tank. Just take it slowly, but also it takes like 4-8wks for the pellets to kick in. So in theory that is taking it slow i guess. LOL! Good luck!

 

[dan-in-gr]

Hi, My bio-pellets have been in this tank when setup last October and have run carbon and GFO on and off together, but mostly GFO. Right now, I have a 900 ml of bio-pellets in reactor, which is more than recommended, and having more does not seem to have any adverse effect.

My main question is dropping them and running GFO and Carbon, but from responses, it looks like you guys like yours, have carbon in other reactor now, need to pick up one for GFO, sold the reactor, it was way to big for a 120 tank and sucked up a lot of valuable room.

I thought of dropping bio-pellets as tank is established (stuff came from previous 90), and have about 175 lbs of rock and tons of flow with two Tunze 6105's. Will leave them in as Nitrates are consistant 1 ppm month in and month out. Will probably take out sandbed, so I can get more flow and have other non SPS corals on bottom.