What's Your Problem With Bio-Pellets?

They are out there for sure. I have seen good short term reviews but not much from the hobbyist in the field yet. They are essentially calcium reactors with no CO2 feed. The one on the market allows independent control of the flow through the device as well as control of how much the media tumbles.
 
I have been using bio pellets for just under a year now with disappointing results. Skimmer was pulling out black stuff like crazy but the system was continuously using up a lot of potassium. All params were nsw and supplemented with balling light. I was dosing a potassium supplement daily and feeding zeovit supplements. Water changes were done using a premium salt. SPS were still suffering from basal STN. Something was not right so i decided a change in strategy.

I decided to go back to simple carbon dosing and i was looking for a product that would be dosable automatically and decided to go for redsea's nopox. I have started dosing 4ml/ day in a 220 net liter system.

When i pulled out the pellets, there was a very faint smell of sulphur even though the pellets were tumbling well.

Question to the chemists: is there a possible reaction between a possible Sulphur compound/byproduct of the pellets with K that could explain why the system used up so much K beyond the bacterial activity?


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Vertex

Vertex

Hey folks, i decided to take a shot at Vertex Bio Pellets. My system is large, 410 gals net water volume. It's alittle different then normal too. It's based on Steve Tyrees Environmental Gradient,(multi-tank), system. The cryptic tank has a DSB that's been up and running on it's 4th year now. The DT had a real GHA outbreak a few months ago BUT, not because of the DSB. It was because of neglect on my part due to the fact i'm building the same home i'm living in ATM. I've since been tackling the problem with agressive husbandry and winning my DT back . I also employ a small army of hungry grazers!.
At night, i doze via a liter meter 3 from a 5 gal bucket a solution of Kalk/vinegar. I have a T from my main return and from this i recently installed an omnifilter(with a sediment filter),and from that a TLF 150 phosban canister that has 2.5 cups of RX 0.8 carbon from BRS. Chained to THAT, i placed a 2nd TLF phosban canister and in this i placed 400ml of the Vertex. This is then returned to the DT, not the sump where the skimmer is. This amount is 1/2 the minimum required. I diden't add the Vertex to get rid of the GHA. I'm convinced i can do this how i stated above. I added it to see if it will help feed the life in the DT and sponges in the cryptic tank. My readings for NO3 & PO4 are undetectable. I had LET to much detritus build up from neglect.
I change out nearly 50gals of water per week by blowing out the rock then syphoning out the bare bottom of the DT. The ball valve of the T is wide open to get good movement in the Vertex canister and i can give it more by closing the ball valve to the DT somewhat. It's been running now for 3 hours now , the lights are out, a 3' filter sock is on and the ETS is running normally and the DT is not cloudy..YET . Before using Vertex i'd use liquid Bacteral solution i can't remember the name of it now but, i had good results with it. At first, i'd get this brown cayno like in patches all over but, i could easily blow it away with a powerhead and remove it and it would never persist. From what i understand the cayno was competing with the GHA and thus helping to remove it? Anyway, i diden't intend to jack this thread i hope i diden't. I'll try to update the results. I have some pic in my profile, not of the Vertex yet though. Soon, i'll attempt a vid and try to explain better i hope. Till then,
 
Vertex

Vertex

Here is an update :). It's been a couple of weeks now since i started using the Bio Pellets. For the first week, the water in the DT remained clear. However, i woke one morn to see a slight haze in the DT with lots of stringy Bact, hanging off everywhere in the DT, esp. on what GHA i had. This lasted 2 days, then cleared up. It seems i had exp. brown cayno inbetween weekly water changes where i would dose with a liquid bact solution, before i started using the pellets. Since using the pellets i haven't seen the cayno and it seems the GHA is slowly disappearing. The problem i HAVE been seeing was the method of water movement through the pellets. At first, i was using 1 TLF phosban reactor with a fiberglass screen on the bottom, to replace the mesh. I doubled up the screen. It ran OK for a few days then the flow through started to slow to the point where the pellets stopped moving. Also, the Omifilter i used with a sediment filted in line before the phosban reactors, was lasting only 4-5 days before it impede flow and have to be changed. I removed the sediment filter in that and will only use in conjuction with the carbon now. I then removed one of the screens and also devided the 400ml of pellets,(1/2 the min amount), among 2 TLFs phosban reactors. The flow was fed via a T off the main return pump. Again, after a couple of days, the same thing. So, this morn i removed the pellets from both reactors and placed them into a 6x12" 300micron mesh filter bag, which fits nicely into a DIY Acrylic box. I placed this box under the output of the ETS. Now, i just have to wait and see how that works. Any other ideas, i'm open to them :)
 
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timvdb said:
Question to the chemists: is there a possible reaction between a possible Sulphur compound/byproduct of the pellets with K that could explain why the system used up so much K beyond the bacterial activity?
Click to expand...

The only way that potassium will be depleted is if you are exporting or incorporating into tissues more than you are adding, and whole bacteria and otherwise whole organisms can contain substantial potassium (as can added foods). You might be skimming out more than you are adding back in foods.

Did you ever test the new salt water for potassium? Maybe it is dropping due to water changes.

Some kits seem to not read potassium very accurately also. :)
 
S2minute said:
Here is an update :). It's been a couple of weeks now since i started using the Bio Pellets. For the first week, the water in the DT remained clear. However, i woke one morn to see a slight haze in the DT with lots of stringy Bact, hanging off everywhere in the DT, esp. on what GHA i had. This lasted 2 days, then cleared up. It seems i had exp. brown cayno inbetween weekly water changes where i would dose with a liquid bact solution, before i started using the pellets. Since using the pellets i haven't seen the cayno and it seems the GHA is slowly disappearing. The problem i HAVE been seeing was the method of water movement through the pellets. At first, i was using 1 TLF phosban reactor with a fiberglass screen on the bottom, to replace the mesh. I doubled up the screen. It ran OK for a few days then the flow through started to slow to the point where the pellets stopped moving. Also, the Omifilter i used with a sediment filted in line before the phosban reactors, was lasting only 4-5 days before it impede flow and have to be changed. I removed the sediment filter in that and will only use in conjuction with the carbon now. I then removed one of the screens and also devided the 400ml of pellets,(1/2 the min amount), among 2 TLFs phosban reactors. The flow was fed via a T off the main return pump. Again, after a couple of days, the same thing. So, this morn i removed the pellets from both reactors and placed them into a 6x12" 300micron mesh filter bag, which fits nicely into a DIY Acrylic box. I placed this box under the output of the ETS. Now, i just have to wait and see how that works. Any other ideas, i'm open to them :)
Click to expand...

I have a BRS reactor and had the same problem. I removed the filter and placed a mesh. Still did it. Note I also have a filter on the pump itself to keep dirt out but still gets in there. I use a Mag 5. I removed the mesh and made an acrylic piece that I drilled a bunch of holes. Lasted longer. Finally I just did away with it all of it and just threw it in there with no screen at all and its works perfect now. Going on two months. Since they dont float and as long as you tumble it enough that its not going everywhere it stays in the reactor
 
Another update. The day after i placed the mash bag with 1/2 the min amount of pellets,(400 ml for my net water volume), in the box where the skimmer output is, i had and am currently dealing with a Bact. explosion. It, overwhelmed the ETS and created a thick slime coating of the sump water surface and made the DT water cloudy with lots of stringy Bact all over. I removed the mesh bag while a very tiny amount..maybe 50 ml of it found itself on the sump floor ,(due to me spilling some). I left this there and cleaned out the ETS plus adjusted the gate valve for "wet" foam. I'm using 3 foot 200 micron filter socks too. They are helping but for now i'm having to rotate them while cleaning in the washing machine,(w/o the soap!!). SO, it seems you only need to use VERY LITTLE of the pellets. My dose was 1/2 the min required! When the Bact bloom clears up, i will use 1/16th the min. required and just let it lay on the bottom of my sump....like it is now.
 
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Constant rotation of filter socks, using a powerhead to blow off stringy bact. in DT..and a big fish net to scoop out the 1/4" thick dirty film that devoloped on the surface of the 150 rubbermaid sump!...I finally bested it...i hope :). Boy that is nasty stuff. About 50 ml of the pellets remain scattered on the sump floor near the skimmer intake now and i'll leave it there and see what happens with just that amount. I exp. a real issue with a Ph drop during the course of the day. It dipped down to 7.6 and i was getting very concerned. Instead of a water change i buffed with esv part 1 a few times. I know i should not buff to raise Ph but, this was a one time thing. Lights are out now and the Ph seems to be holding steady at 7.95. I'm currently not using any filter socks now as alot of the slimey stuff has been removed. I'd also like to note that before i started using the Vertex, i always doze at night, a solution of kalk/vinegar. I mix approx 95ml of Kalk to 500ml of vinegar and mix with 5 gals of RO water. This lasts 4 nights of dozing. Interested to see what the morn brings!
 
feersomen said:
It seems like from reading this thread; biopellets are more trouble than they are worth. amiright?
Click to expand...

I wouldn't base a conclusion like that from a thread whose purpose is to identify problems with bio-pellets. You're not going to get many success story responses. There are many people using them successfully, including me. Does that mean they will work equally well in all tanks? As you can see from reading this thread, Nope.
 
I am using the recommended dose of Two Little Fishies NPX Bioplastics in my nano. I can see a BIG difference.

Now, i have to scrub my glasses 1 or 2 times a week and the hairy algaes do not grow anymore.

All my livestock doing well : LPS, softies, nps, zoan/paly and anemones.

I'm dosing Element trace, amino acid and phytoplankton 2 times a week.

I'm feeding my corals 2 to 4 times a week with coral frenzy, dried phyto, homemade food and pellets.
 
Vertex Pellets

Vertex Pellets

Another update: With only approx: 50 ml of the pellets now sitting on the bottom of the sump, the Bact. bloom is clearing by the day and the stringy stuff is slowly going with it. The ETS 600 skimmer which is powered by a Iwaki 55 RLT, is no longer sucking out matts of dead dirty Bact but is instead producing tons of tinted foam that is alittle on the wet side. I had to switch from a 1 gal jar to a 5 gal bucket to catch all of it lol :hmm5:
Once this finally stablizes i will take some tests. Origionally, my NO3 and PO4 read undectable SO i really don't know why i'd get such a bloom. The GHA i had seems to be taking a hit. Though i do have poor lighting from an ailing MH setup. My Ph has been on the rebound since too. It now levels off at 7.88 at night and seems to be steadily improving each day w/o using esv pt1.
Whether this stuff works for you or not depends i guess on what your looking to have it do. In my case, i just want the Bact to continuiously feed the tank inhabitants like the sponges and various species of other filter feeders. However, i DO believe you only need to use an amount well below the min required. The amont lying on the sump floor now is only about 1/16 the min for my water volume,(about 50 ml). I think this is going to do just fine. IF not, then maybe i'll add 25 or 50 ml more. I get enough flow in the sump to eliminate any dead areas but not enough to make them bounce around in there,(it's a 150 gal rubbermaid sump so the pellets are spread nicely). If you can do that somehow with your setup that might work much better and at the same time , free up some of your equipment too. Till next update! :spin2:
 
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Current set up is 125 gallon with a 35 gallon sump. I have been running pellets for 4 months now and I went through the cyano out break as well as everyone else but I did a 30 gallon water change and it got rid of it after a couple of days. Another thing I can verify is the protein skimmer (Reef Octopus) HOB was getting the nasty black stuff while I had the TLF 150 reactor dumping directly into the intake of the protein skimmer. I haven't had the cyano for months now and the tank looks great and the corals are doing awesome. I do daily dose coral accel and coral vite. I never have nitrate, phosphate, or low K problems. I use Coral Reef Pro salt. I've never had to add K yet.
 
quick update:

DT has cleared up. It looks CRYSTAL clear. The ETS is going nuts with semi-wet foam i had to switch to a 5 gal bucket. Did a 50 gal water change just after a tank blow out with powerhead. Everything looks VIBRANT...for now >;). Waiting to see if/how much cayno i get. It never lasts. Noticed some new sponge growth in the cryptic tank. This could get interesting...or very ugly :).
 
Dr. Tim's pellets are said to be awesome. I went to a meeting down here and he gave very good insight to what bio-pellets are how they work. If I was going to try them I would DEF use Dr. Tim's as he does have a PHD in bacteria. However I am still on the sidelines...
 
Well, i obtained a 2nd 1000ml bag of the "Bio Sphere" pellets too. P.A. was out of the Vertex so they sold me that for the same price. I'll try them in the future. I must say though, the manufactures min requirments at least for the Vertex is WAY off. Read my above posts and you'll see the min amount i've used. I have a 3' 200 micron filter bag that i use when i preform tank maint. Sometimes, i'd leave it on and in 2 days it be ready to change. When i left it off, after a week, i'd notice enough detritus on the sump floor to warrent a syphon during maint. I haven't used a filter sock since the bact bloom settled down and now i've noticed a distinct deduction in the buildup of detritus. So far, i'm impressed with this product but, like anythig new you try for your tank, you have to tweek it to fit your needs. Till next time!
 
I started a new 120-gal in early January 2012. My equipment list includes a NextReef SMR1 bio-pellet reactor that is driven by a Mag 7 that is fed through a manifold that is also feeding a BRS carbon reactor. Bio pellets are WM Ecobak. My skimmer is a Reef Octopus 2000SSS. I started the tank with about 75lbs of Marco Rock that was cured for about 3-4 weeks prior to transferring into the new setup. Sand is Caribsea Sea Flor Special Grade, 50% new sand and 50% old sand that was thoroughly cleaned.

I started using the bio-pellets on day 3 of filling my tank. I started with 1/4 of the recommended dose, as I read about the importance of not overdoing it. My tank stayed clear for the first week and then, as expected, got cloudy. I expected the cloudiness to go away after a few days, but it did not. The glass began getting very dirty and I was having to re-clean it within about an hour two after completely cleaning all 3 sides. I figured this was a bacterial bloom and it would go away. This began in late mid to late January and to this day, my tank is still cloudy. My pellets are tumbling well, not violently and not too little. Effluent is going straight into the skimmer. I have not added any additional pellets, still at 1/4 the recommended amount for my size tank. I am at my whits end trying to figure out what to do to get the cloudiness/dirty glass syndrome away. I do have fish and corals in the tank now, as I was forced to take down the 110-gal holding tank and transfer everything over to the new 120 (nagging wifey wanted her room back). The bacterial bloom began and stayed with only a small tail spot blenny in the tank, but I obviously have a higher bio-load now, with no changes. I started dosing MB7 based on a recommendation from a fellow reefer, but stopped after not seeing an improvement after about a month of use. I am to the point that I will be unplugging the reactor and going back to running GFO if I can't figure this out soon. This has been the most frustrating experience in my reefing career, hands down. I have spent thousands on a brand new setup and have been looking at a cloudy tank for almost 3 months now. Needless to say, I'm willing to do anything/everything to go back to having a tank I enjoy looking at.

Anyone have thoughts?
 
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