What's the consensus on Biopellets???

Bolo Tran

Bolo Tran

New member
So I bought a bag of Aquamaxx biopellets but am very hesitant on setting it up. I've read mixed reviews on them and their pros and cons and success as well as horror stories. That's why I turn to the knowledgeable refers here at RC to share their thoughts. Should I set it up? I'm running a 65 total gallon tank and my po4 is at about .07-.09(I know kinda high).

The reason for my high po4 is most likely due to my high fish load. I just added 3 Bartletts anthias so it takes a lot of food to keep them happy.

I look forward to hearing your thoughts and btw how is the Aquamaxx biopellets for those who've used them
 
Lots of success stories - lots of failures. I am in the failure camp. I don't know what I was thinking. Had low phosphates, zero nitrates and couldn't leave good enough alone. I am running my tank a bit dirty right now and things seem to actually be doing better. ULNS are too tricky for me. Liking old school more and more... Rebuilding with a more traditional approach right now. 8 years in this hobby. Seen way more success with a simple set up than since I started over analysing... SPS dominated 120.
 
I run 1/2 dose on my sps dom breeder. Love what they do, but I would never run anywhere the rec dose.
 
Most of the horror stories I have heard had to do with operater error, and all the horror stories I have heard were non recirculating reactors. When used properly in a recirc reactor they work great at controlling nitrates but not much for phosphates.
 
So in order for it to be successful it has to be a recirculating reactor? That throws more confusion into the equation and makes my choice a little easier and it's telling me to just stick to the traditional Gfo. Anyone can attest to this?
 
It does not have to be in a recirc reactor to be succesful but it allows you to control how clean it strips the water.
 
I just put them on my 125 reef 3 weeks ago because i had hair Algae take over my tank, before i set it up my nitrate and phos read zero but im pretty that because the Algae was consuming it all. After three weeks 95% of all Algae is gone, even Though it says it takes 6~8 weeks to start working.
 
stick with gfo if you have low to no nitrate. if nitrate is up in 5 to 10ppm carbon dose either with vodka or vinegar... also how old is the tank...what skimmer are you running..
 
Biopellets only helped substantially with my nitrates. It does allow you to feed quite a bit more, but it always seemed to strip my water a little too clean. Also say goodbye to your coraline. If you ran sps only, and only used 1/2 to 3/4 recommended amount, I'd say go for it with caution..
 
ReLPSef said:
Biopellets only helped substantially with my nitrates. It does allow you to feed quite a bit more, but it always seemed to strip my water a little too clean. Also say goodbye to your coraline. If you ran sps only, and only used 1/2 to 3/4 recommended amount, I'd say go for it with caution..
Click to expand...

How does it affect Coraline growth?
 
I've been happy with them. I've been using them for about 2 years now and haven't had any need for GFO.
If you do decide to use them, start SLOW. I would start with 1/4 of the recommended amount and then each week, add more until you reach the recommended amount
 
I've been happy with them. I've been using them for about 2 years now and haven't had any need for GFO.
If you do decide to use them, start SLOW. I would start with 1/4 of the recommended amount and then each week, add more until you reach the recommended amount
 
I have a mixed reef, although, predominantly SPS, I've been using the BRS pellets for over two years with good success. I was able to get the NO3 down to '0', but it wouldn't get the PO4 down below .08 on a Hanna meter. So, I redeployed the GFO to polish it off. Tank is healthy, with good growth and PE, Coraline grows non stop.
 
I've always wondered why it's works for some and not for others. hmmmm.... I know each tank is different but what about the tank makes pellets effective or not effective
 
Wonder if the people that have had issues are running the reactor return into the sump/tank directly. What i understand (and I'm far from an expert) running all of the return through a Recirculating skimmer is the way to go.
Wonder if we could get some if us that have issues with the BP to respond how they handled the return.
 
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i believe these work by colonizing denitrifying bacteria? Possibly has something to do with the bacteria being released( allthough needed in zeovit) and it maybe harms the tank...never tried them
 
I tried them and it was a failure... I'm confident that success/failure of BP depends on nutrients availability. Corals need food! If you will run BP in low nutrient system you will strip water and corals will suffer. If your Alk is on a higher range (over 8) you can get RTN and bleaching. Most success stories come from people with high nutrients load system.. Their nitrates are in 5-40ppm range and using BP just get them back to few ppm or a bit lower... means corals still have food in the water. So if your nitrates are in few ppm or lower range - I wouldn't recommend BP unless you'll discover solid way to feed your corals. I tried amino (cyano as a result), fish food, more fish with no help. In ULNS like Zeovit they DO provide way to feed corals. With BP I wasn't able to balance a system.

PS. Some reefers disagree with my theory saying corals don't 'eat' nitrates. I never said they did. Though some could be observed through the skin but.. amount of nitrates shows how much food 'were' available when it was in 'food' form :). So I think there is correlation here.
 
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