Warner Marine Now Has A Pellet Product
- Thread starter Stuart60611
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poolkeeper1
New member
I Say use Caution
I Say use Caution
In my case i used it once and it solved my issue with no losses or side effects. This was during Vodka Dosing which was causing Cyano problems with lots of people and it was so severe that if it was left to it's own devices it would have killed my whole tank anyway. In my experiance it worked and worked well as it never came back in that tank ever again. There are just to many variables to just say never in this hobby IME and condem a product without any documented proof that it is this that caused a specific problem like crashing a tank. When you are at a loss about to lose everything if you do nothing is that the best way to just let it all die? Most times the directions were not followed or dosages were modified to the point of causing a problem that IMO they could have avoided by proper usage of the product, Human Error is the major cause of losing tanks in this hobby that i know of and I see it done all the time by people that just make simple little errors of judgement that does major harm to their systems and they wonder what happened and just don't understand how they killed everything in an instant.
If i had a choice of do something or lose it all by doing nothing, I will use the CC again if in the same situation as before. JMHO
Bill
I Say use Caution
In my case i used it once and it solved my issue with no losses or side effects. This was during Vodka Dosing which was causing Cyano problems with lots of people and it was so severe that if it was left to it's own devices it would have killed my whole tank anyway. In my experiance it worked and worked well as it never came back in that tank ever again. There are just to many variables to just say never in this hobby IME and condem a product without any documented proof that it is this that caused a specific problem like crashing a tank. When you are at a loss about to lose everything if you do nothing is that the best way to just let it all die? Most times the directions were not followed or dosages were modified to the point of causing a problem that IMO they could have avoided by proper usage of the product, Human Error is the major cause of losing tanks in this hobby that i know of and I see it done all the time by people that just make simple little errors of judgement that does major harm to their systems and they wonder what happened and just don't understand how they killed everything in an instant.
If i had a choice of do something or lose it all by doing nothing, I will use the CC again if in the same situation as before. JMHO
Bill
I've used chemiclean years ago,I wouldn't use it again particularly when I was trying to grow bacteria . Siphoning,less food and cleaning up the water get rid of it as noted above. You need to siphon out what you can when using chemi-clean in any case.Some cyano has toxins which I suspect could be released when it dies .
FWIW I've been dosing vodka for 2yrs with only minor patchy cyanobacteria early on; none since I added a bit of vinegar to the dose .
FWIW I've been dosing vodka for 2yrs with only minor patchy cyanobacteria early on; none since I added a bit of vinegar to the dose .
Tom.....can you briefly elaborate on your vodka/vinegar dosing schedule? I may go this route instead of the pellets. I am battling cyano due to phosphate ;easing from dry rock on installed back in March when I installed my new Miracles tank.
I have a 180-display and another 40+ gls in the sump, so roughly 220 total gallons. I am really interested in a dosing type schedule to see how it helps with my cyano, etc.
Many thanks.....Tony
Tom.....can you briefly elaborate on your vodka/vinegar dosing schedule? I may go this route instead of the pellets. I am battling cyano due to phosphate ;easing from dry rock on installed back in March when I installed my new Miracles tank.
Each tank is different in a number of ways such as surface area ,flow nutrient levels,bioload , etc.
FWIW I dose 18ml vodka (80 proof or 40% ethanol) and 64 ml white vinegar (5% acetic acid) in the am and another 8ml of vodka in the pm, daily for 550 gallons of water . I started at about 1/4 of that amount and worked up slowly.
Each tank is different in a number of ways such as surface area ,flow nutrient levels,bioload , etc.
FWIW I dose 18ml vodka (80 proof or 40% ethanol) and 64 ml white vinegar (5% acetic acid) in the am and another 8ml of vodka in the pm, daily for 550 gallons of water . I started at about 1/4 of that amount and worked up slowly.
Don't know if the vinegar is important per se but small amounts of the acetic acid isn't likely to harm things. I use some of it, only 25% of the total carbon dose(40 proof vodka is 8xs stronger than vinegar in terms of dilution), since this mix eliminated the small amounts of cyano I was getting in my system . Various carbon sources engender different bacteria and and activities on the road from carbohydrates(polymers) to monomers(sugrs), ethanol,acetate and so on .
poolkeeper1
New member
Vodka, Vinegar, Sugar are all Carbon sources they are different in that the amount of each needed varies due to their strenght, Or how much of each is required to achieve the same results. Vodka is much more potent than Vinegar or sugar and requires more to achieve the same result.
Randy Holmes Farley goes into detail on this very subject in several articals he wrote that you can find in the archives. I would read all you can about dosing before you start as it is very easy to overdose if you do not follow some guidlines for starting this process. Most people that i know have stopped dosing due to the Cyano issues and are now using Pellets (Solid carbon source) which is isolated to a reactor verses the whole tank, With out the break outs of Cyano. There are several brands and some good reading on just this subject right here on RC. I have done both and after many years of dosing have had better success with Eco-Bak pellets with none of the work of dosing twice a day and trying to remember did i or didn't i dose LOL JMO
Bill
Randy Holmes Farley goes into detail on this very subject in several articals he wrote that you can find in the archives. I would read all you can about dosing before you start as it is very easy to overdose if you do not follow some guidlines for starting this process. Most people that i know have stopped dosing due to the Cyano issues and are now using Pellets (Solid carbon source) which is isolated to a reactor verses the whole tank, With out the break outs of Cyano. There are several brands and some good reading on just this subject right here on RC. I have done both and after many years of dosing have had better success with Eco-Bak pellets with none of the work of dosing twice a day and trying to remember did i or didn't i dose LOL JMO
Bill
Actually sugar is more potent than vodka since it has no water in it. It is roughly 2.5 times more potent in terms of carbon content than 80proof vodka which is 40% ethanol and 60% water and roughly 20xs more potent than vinegar which is 5% ethanol and 95% water.
Dilution is not the only difference ,however. Each of these carbon sources create different bacterial activity and by products. Sugar for example has been known to cause difficulty for corals which has been my experience and there are several studies linking elevated glucose levels and coral disease.
Dilution is not the only difference ,however. Each of these carbon sources create different bacterial activity and by products. Sugar for example has been known to cause difficulty for corals which has been my experience and there are several studies linking elevated glucose levels and coral disease.
poolkeeper1
New member
That's Correct
That's Correct
This is exactly why i said read, read, read, before you dose, dose. Lots of way's to be successful Tom, Just trying to save someone the grief i already went through, After all is that not what this site is about. Helping each other by sharing are experiences, Sorry about the mis statement on Sugar strength but the intention was to have him make an informed decision on how to proceed. Nothing more.
Bill
That's Correct
This is exactly why i said read, read, read, before you dose, dose. Lots of way's to be successful Tom, Just trying to save someone the grief i already went through, After all is that not what this site is about. Helping each other by sharing are experiences, Sorry about the mis statement on Sugar strength but the intention was to have him make an informed decision on how to proceed. Nothing more.
Bill
falconut
New member
I believe I figured out my issue with the EcoBAK. I've been running the EcoBAK since June '10 along with GFO. I had issues with elevated PO4, but after running them they're now down to 0.00 on my Hanna Checker. I was adding a 1/3 lb of GFO weekly, then switched to monthly. This helped lower my PO4, but the EcoBAK never appeared to be dissolving.
I think the GFO was eatting too much PO4, so the EcoBAK didn't have enough to utilize. I removed the GFO and just kept the pellets running. I noticed that the glass algae started to come back almost every other day. But now after a month of running just the EcoBAK, the glass algae is now taking like a 5 days to return. Plus, the PO4 is still testing 0.00 on the Checker. So, looks like my setup may finally be GFO free. Which is what I was hoping for in the beginning.
I think the GFO was eatting too much PO4, so the EcoBAK didn't have enough to utilize. I removed the GFO and just kept the pellets running. I noticed that the glass algae started to come back almost every other day. But now after a month of running just the EcoBAK, the glass algae is now taking like a 5 days to return. Plus, the PO4 is still testing 0.00 on the Checker. So, looks like my setup may finally be GFO free. Which is what I was hoping for in the beginning.
poolkeeper1
New member
That is why people did not suceed
That is why people did not suceed
I was in the same position at 4 months, Thinking this does not work but stuck it out and It's the best decision i made. Glad you got the results after hanging in there as many just quit before it kicks in.
IMO it is much simpler than daily dosing and is very cost effective.
Bill:wave:
That is why people did not suceed
I was in the same position at 4 months, Thinking this does not work but stuck it out and It's the best decision i made. Glad you got the results after hanging in there as many just quit before it kicks in.
IMO it is much simpler than daily dosing and is very cost effective.
Bill:wave:
falconut
New member
Definitely cheaper and cleaner than running GFO. Just add new pellets as the old ones start to shrink. No where near as much as the constant replacement of GFO. No messy brown dust, either.
Buganddoug
X NJRC Vice President
In the long run it will be much cheaper than GFO. I am very happy with EcoBAK. I will need to add more very soon.
Been dosing vodka for years. I stopped dosing a month after putting the eco bak online. Two months later I had an algae outbreak and had to resume vodka dosing. I'll leave the pellets online for a bit longer and hope they kick in and start working, but so far its been a disappointment.
poolkeeper1
New member
Takes Time
Takes Time
They sometimes take a long time to see results, But it will take over sooner or later. Being Patience was the game changer. JMO
Bill
Takes Time
They sometimes take a long time to see results, But it will take over sooner or later. Being Patience was the game changer. JMO
Bill
I know the pellets are different sizes, but has anyone noticed that the pellets are flaking apart? On the top of the reactor I can see what looks like plastic flakes (maybe like a dozen pieces or so). Kinda of like vegetable pea skins. Is this normal? In two days the EB's will be running for 3 weeks. The flow in the reactor has been low. Pellets gently roll over on top, some doesn't even make it all the way to the top before heading back down now, then to travel all the way back up. So, it's not like they are getting beaten up with high flow....
Never had cloudy water or algae bloom as of yet.
TIA
Never had cloudy water or algae bloom as of yet.
TIA
Last edited:
TheFishMan65
New member
Are they sheets of bacteria? I remember reading in one of the bio pellet threads that some form sheets of bacteria. Can't remember the 'proper' name.
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