Warner Marine Now Has A Pellet Product

Agreed

Agreed

Would SB be any different than MB7 or just the Different strains of Bacteria is the Key (Possibly) Here? Or are they actually the same thing basically. I am not familiar with SB so this is why i ask.

No one knows what kinds of bacteria are in any of these products. So comparing them is impossible except by experience.

I have noticed a much more faster growth of Algae on my Glass since stopping all my MB7 dosing!

OK, let us know how it goes. Bear in mind that the skimmer change complicates interpretations, but certainly the observations you are making are useful to know what works best in your tank. :)

A note on the Skimmer Change, I went from an ATB Econo 840 W/Mini airstar Pump to an Vertex Alpha 170 W/Red Dragon Pump. This like a Chevy to a Caddiliac and the Vertex is even before breaking in pulling considerablely more Skimate from the Water column.
So in reality it should be a lower reading in my mind, As this Skimmer is much more efficient in removing wastes.
Just a thought as to why it really should not be a factor in the negative anyway.
I will continue for a while longer, But if it continues to get worse I really do not want to degrade my tank to any great lenghts that will be hard to reverse or time consuming.
Thanks for your Quick reply Randy!
Bill:wavehand:
 
Absolutely, once you seem to be clear what is happening in the tank, try switching back by adding it again annd see if things get better again. That's a good way to do the testing. :)
 
Will Do!

Will Do!

Absolutely, once you seem to be clear what is happening in the tank, try switching back by adding it again annd see if things get better again. That's a good way to do the testing. :)

Also I have a Private Matter I would Like to Discuss with you but cannot get a PM to you!
If you want to Contact me at Poolkeeper1@yahoo.com I will explain my proposal to you. It concerns being a Speaker @ a Frag Swap in 2012 if you are interested LMK (All Exspenses Paid)
Thanks in Advance
Bill
 
This has been my experience with Ecobak. First a little history.

Ive been vodka dosing this tank for close to 4 years. I added Ecobak about a year ago, but until recently I saw no results/benefit to using it.

When I started EcoBak I stopped the vodka dosing. Within a few weeks the tank experienced a hair algae outbreak. I don't test so I don't know what my P04 or N03 where/are. I resumed vodka dosing and the algae died off. I repeated this scenario a few times. Recently I noticed the algae didn't return after i stopped the vodka dosing.
Its been about two months and all seems fine with the tank. I haven't needed to dose vodka.

So the question is, why did it take a year for the EcoBak to start working?

As randy pointed out, not much is known about what bacterial strain/strains utilize this stuff. Did it take that long for the vodka loving bacteria to die off and for this other bacteria to take hold?

Would I have decreased the time it took to establish these bacteria with one of the bottled bacteria on the market? :hmm2:
 
Added Bacteria Strains

Added Bacteria Strains

This has been my experience with Ecobak. First a little history.

Ive been vodka dosing this tank for close to 4 years. I added Ecobak about a year ago, but until recently I saw no results/benefit to using it.

When I started EcoBak I stopped the vodka dosing. Within a few weeks the tank experienced a hair algae outbreak. I don't test so I don't know what my P04 or N03 where/are. I resumed vodka dosing and the algae died off. I repeated this scenario a few times. Recently I noticed the algae didn't return after i stopped the vodka dosing.
Its been about two months and all seems fine with the tank. I haven't needed to dose vodka.

So the question is, why did it take a year for the EcoBak to start working?

As randy pointed out, not much is known about what bacterial strain/strains utilize this stuff. Did it take that long for the vodka loving bacteria to die off and for this other bacteria to take hold?

Would I have decreased the time it took to establish these bacteria with one of the bottled bacteria on the market? :hmm2:
This is something that has not been proven or dis proven IMO and relates to the posts above yours.
I am trying what Randy suggested and doing a very unscientific test with the Bacteria having been added then stopped and look for signs of change to the Negative or Positive or no Difference at all.
So far I have seen an increase in Algae on my Glass and a slight raise in Po4 but can not Directly account for this due to stopping the Dosing. I will let this continue for a while longer and then restart my dosing regimine and see if this remedies my Algae Issue that was not present until I stopped dosing.
If it then dissapears after starting dosing again i will have to say they are related in some fashion, But leave that conclusion to Randy who is a Chemist as I am just a Hobbiest.
We shall see what Transpires?
Bill:idea:
 
f it then dissapears after starting dosing again i will have to say they are related in some fashion,

I think that would be pretty good evidence of being useful in your tank. :)
 
I got my new 180 up and running two weeks ago and now have started up my pellets again. When directing the output to the skimmer does it have to be right at the intake or in the vicinity? My ATB that I used to cure my rock seems to very sensitive with the output of the reactor flowing directly into the intake of my skimmer pump. No matter how much RO water I run through the air line within 5 min's the foam head drops back down into the skimmer body. The other skimmer I was running with the pellets on my 125 wasn't this radical.
 
I started using pellets about a month ago. Last few days I have noticed it seems that the pellets have changed color slightly. They look to have a slight light brown film on them almost like diatom. Is this the bacteria on the pellets? All the pellets are getting enough flow to have a slow tumble.
 
Does anyone know for certain if WM is still producing Ecobak? There are only a few select online stores currently carrying this product and WM's own website doesn't have a working link to it. I have been using the Ecobak for 6 months and love the stuff. Tried Vertex version and it was garbage. I would be pretty disappointed if I could no longer get it.
 
Update: I've been using 500ml of EcoBAK in a TLF reactor for almost a year. I started using EcoBAK and GFO. I had years of algae outbreaks coming and going that were really discouraging. I beleive that my LR had absorbed PO4 and was leaching it and fueling the algae. I started to change my GFO weekly and the PO4 levels started going down. Around 6 months, I removed the GFO. After almost 6 months I've been using just the EcoBAK and my Hanna 713 is still reading 0.00 and there is no algae. I'm still using the original 500ml and it doesn't appear to have dissolved much. So, maybe my bioload isn't as bad as I thought.

My cheato has suffered. It has turned a very light green and appears to have stopped growing. But this may be due to the low levels of PO4 & NO3. If the EcoBAK winds up completely replacing the cheato, that's fine with me.

jnc914 - I hope he's still making this product. It seams to work great, so it'd be dissappointing to see it gone.
 
I plan to use a Mag 3 pump. The pump and reactor is in the sump so no head pressure. I will get 350gph. Is that too much? How can I slow it down a bit? What is the ideal gph flow?
 
Do you think my flow is ok? Not too fast? This is with my Mag 3 with a ball valve almost close. I can't slow it down anymore if I want to keep all my pellets moving. This is about 125ml or about half of what I need. I will add more later.

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Do you think my flow is ok? Not too fast? This is with my Mag 3 with a ball valve almost close. I can't slow it down anymore if I want to keep all my pellets moving. This is about 125ml or about half of what I need. I will add more later.
That looks a little faster than I typically tumble mine. But if you're adding more, it'll probably tumble a little less then.
 
Yes I would tumble it slower. When you add more pellets that will also help slow the pellets down. Since you said your ball valve almost closed. I would add more pellets to slow down the tumble. More pellets will not hurt the live stock.
 
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