Vertex Pro Bio Pellets

[jason2459]

I was wondering if he ended up going back to the IO suspended PCL stuff.

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[larryfl1]

are the vertex pellets pha?? is that the preferred composite at this time???

 

[thebanker]

thebanker any new updates on these pellets for your system?

Still rockin the vertex pellets. Actually I couldn't find this thread, so I was posting to the regular biopellet thread.

Long story short, they are working very well for me. N=0 on salifert tests. I modified my TLF150 reactor with a dish shaped bottom plate, and removed the red diffusion grate they typically come with. I'm getting MUCH better movement and tumbling action in there.

Recently I had to refill my pellets, so I mixed in the TLF brand of pellets. I think their shape is superior to the shape of the vertex pellets.

I have not gone back to the IO stuff, it's just way too expensive. Works though.

Also, I gave up on that Fluval clearmax stuff. As a PO4 remover, I'm using a resin-based system now. Brightwell's PhosphatR is now my PO4 remover of choice. It's cheaper, easier to handle, and can be regenerated 8x by the cheap Brightwell pre-mixed regen stuff. Unless I have any major issues, I will not be going back to GFO.

 

[cfsindorf]

thebanker: So are you running pellets and PO4 remover? I thought pellets were supposed to do both?

 

[thebanker]

I am running both. From what I understand, bacteria require a specific ratio (the Redfield ratio) of C:N. It is different for every specific strain of bacteria. In my tank, the Carbon part of it is abundant enough from the biopellets. The Nitrogen part of the ratio is supplied by the nitrates in the tank, and the Phosphorus from the phosphates.

The nitrates and phosphates are utilized at different rates. Once the nitrates are reading zero, the bacteria can't proliferate anymore, leaving an excess of phosphates. So I need a PO4 absorber to pick up the slack.

 

[thebanker]

Except the Stylos, Pocillopora and Montis, at least in my rig, started bleaching @ 12dKH. I had to take evasive with the water changes. This of course, was my setup, so to each his own. If your heavy in these Genuses then I would consider doing gradual partials until it comes down a bit. It seems the break point for my setup was about 10dKH.

DJ

DJ this is interesting, I had a similar experience recently when I added new phosphate media. I usually ran my alk around 10-12 dkh, to give the system plenty of "wiggle room". I'd never reduced PO4 as low before, and I got bleaching in Pocillopora, Stylo, and Seriatopora and all 3 colonies died. (montipora was okay thankfully). Now I run my dkh around 6.5-7 so I can avoid that sort of event.

I thought it was rapid PO4 reduction that caused the trouble, but now I realize it was the combination of ultra low nutrients and an artificially high carbonate alkalinity.

Always learning!

 

[StarF]

does any have a video of how fast their pellets are tumbeling. ? after a week, there is no change in no3 here...

 

[Newbie Aquarist]

What rated gph pump do you have on them? I am running one at about 700 gph.

 

[StarF]

i just started up slow, so i put on a newjet 800L/hour pump, so thats around 200 gallons for 100ml of pellets.. (i had a newjet 1200 on before.. just tryed a smaller pump)

 

[sneaton]

I'm getting great results using these pellets. I have been using them for about 6 months now and have gone through pretty much every stage that everyone has reported about throughout this entire thread(yes I read all 13 pages:thumbsup.

Some tips:

For those of you getting the brown slime on the rocks or in the reactor or both, use MB7 and it clears up in a matter of a day or so.

All this business about turning the flow up too much and having too much bacteria getting into the display tank is not really a concern. The bacteria is going to get into your display no matter what and be cycled through your tank. This is a good thing(forgive me, I don't remember who was telling me this, but this comes from someone at Vertex). Take that for what it is, but I have a TLF 150 reactor and a MJ1200 with it about half full of pellets and tumbling pretty fluid like. I got white cloud during the first week or so and did a water change to help lighten it up a bit...I was mainly just worried about the light penetration. Then.....LOTSA brown slime. Read up more on the science of probiotics and found that MB7 really is the tool to use with this stuff.

On the subject of how much to use, just like some were suggesting, start with a small amount and work up until you start seeing changes. Gage your response according to those changes and you will be fine.

Clumping happens and you don't want it. In my reactor, I don't have the sponges at all, nor do I have any mesh screening or anything. What I did do is take the long black plastic screen that comes with the MJ1200 and I superglued it over the outflow hole on the underside of the reactor cap so the pellets wouldn't escape. The rumors that the pellets escaping into the tank will cause a negative effect is false.

Cyano is showing up in spots in my tank and I just use some Brightwell Carbon Source to add to the tank to get rid of it.

what amount of mb7 did you use to get rid of the brown slime?

 

[thomas.reenberg]

Eheim