Vertex Pro Bio Pellets

For those suffering from uneven flow as described above, what solved the problem for me was to add more pellets. My reactor holds 2 liters. When running 1 liter had very uneven flow. Added another 1/2 liter and problem solved. In my case, I had too much unused reactor space which caused the uneven flow.
 
I just come back from a LFS, he showed me how the vertex pellet actually stick together.

He tried on two different reactor (scheunn sp? and a vertex 2L), tried with alot of pellets and half pellets, and different sized pumps. In the beginning they seems to tumble really well, as the week goes on, after a week, they all cramp together into a block and require to break apart and stir. And he did not notice any increase in skimmate for the both systems.
 
I am running 2 liters of pellets in a Vertex 3 liter zeovit reactor. I had clumping and just turned the reactor up a little and now for about the past week its been great with no clumping. My Nitrates are undetectable and my P04 is also reading 0 on a colormeter. I have noticed that my ORP has dropped but seems to have leveled off. I will continue to monitor the ORP but other than that everything is great.
 
Id like to start using the pellets. But... My skimmer is fed directly from my tank overflow, Then into my sump then back to tank. Problem is that i cant put the output from the reactor to my skimmr input. Anyone have a solution? What happens if i just run the reactor in my sump and let it go right to my dt?
 
I've been using the Vertex pellets for a little over a month now and have noticed a drastic decrease in NO3 but my PO4 is higher than ever at .14. I've also been dosing MB7 for around two weeks now.

Any thoughts?
Adam
 
If the pellets smell like rotten eggs, I'd guess the reactor went anoxic. I'd clean the pellets well and restart the reactor with more flow.
 
tozzi said:
Id like to start using the pellets. But... My skimmer is fed directly from my tank overflow, Then into my sump then back to tank. Problem is that i cant put the output from the reactor to my skimmr input. Anyone have a solution? What happens if i just run the reactor in my sump and let it go right to my dt?
Click to expand...

Probably nothing....your skimmer may not get a chance to skim out all the bacteria. The best way is to have the output into the skimmer but if you can't I dont think it will be the end of the world.
 
From what I understand, if your reactor goes to your DT instead of your skimmer, all the waste from the bacteria will go to your display and have undesired effects. Reactor needs the output near skimmer intake to remove excess waste, or you will not have the low nutrient levels that you are looking for by using this system.
 
I suspect that the placement isn't that critical, although it might be. My guess is that skimming is a multi-pass kind of filter. It takes a while for skimmers to get gunk out of the water column. That said, if you can dump the reactor into the skimmer easily, that's a fine idea.
 
I should have read this thread before I started with the Vertex pellets.

I added them 3 days ago to my 93 cube tank. I used The Simplicity Reactor from Bulk reef Supply. I thought it would be a good choice to get the pellets mixing well. But there is no way to put the output directly into the skimmer, since it flows up through a screen.

I added 500 ml, and on day three, the tank is cloudy. I'm going to pull them out for now until I get a better reactor.
 
I noticed less aglae on my glass and clearer water. I been running them for three weeks in a two chamber brs reactor using alot of flow. The roten egg is how they smell after beong in water, I guess thats what the bacteria are attracted to. :)
 
Started Vertex pellets about a week ago now I guess. Dug out an old TLF phosban and loaded it up with about 200ml give or take. T'd off my return pump that is oversized for my tank and things are running pretty well. For the first 5 days I dosed Seachem Stability per the instructions for a first week regime. No bloom, noticeably clearer water, skimmer working hard on top of less algae on the glass. So far pretty happy wit the results.

all is subjective though as my tank is still cycling to a degree. Zoas in there are doing great so things can't be that bad.
 
I don't think that the reactor output position in the sump matters much, if at all. Bacteria are ridiculously minute with a very, very tiny mass - they are not going to fall out of suspension from a trip through the DT. They'll come back to the sump, where they'll go right through the skimmer.

I've been running 250 ml in my 135g (~150g. total system) for about 5 days now. Tank was going through the cycle - it was in the diatom phase when I started the pellets. Just about all traces of diatoms are now gone. I had a few patches of GHA starting to develop on starting as well. These are now completely gone. This was started after NO2 was almost zero. This could be a helpful product in removing nuisance algae during a cycle as well as a maintenance product.

Edit: also, the pellets are going at a very slow tumble, and I experienced only a very slight cloudiness of the water for two days.
 
One problem you may have without having the reactor output going to the skimmer is a lower pH and lower oxygen level in the water. Not running it directly to the skimmer would likely make a big difference in these two.

CJ
 
my pH hasn't moved since adding the pellets. With all of the oxygenation provided by surface agitation, drain, skimmer, I don't see dissolved O2 as a problem -- at least in my system using only 1/4 dosage.
 
I put my reactor online yesterday and not my skimmer is not producing anything (foam head completely killed)

i have a vertex In100 skimmer
 
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