to bio-pellet or not to bio-pellet, that is the question.

[SCreefer]

So I'm reading a lot of mixed reviews about bio-pellets. Some people say they work some people say they don't. It seems to me that it's like any other thing in the salt water biz. You just have to be smarter than what your working with. The hard thing is that bio-pellets are pretty smart so to speak. I'm thinking they do work, but are a complicated method, as any carbon dosing is. I'm trying to simplify this argument a lot. I know it's not really fair to try to simplify such a complicated subject, but that's what I'm asking.

[seabass]

Bio-pellets seem to be a little less complicated than other forms of carbon dosing. I'm still not sure how I feel about their use, but I plan on experimenting with them a little in the future.

 

The argument for the other forms is more precise control of the addition of the carbon source.

[nickjqz]

I am about to use biopellets my self and I think the key is to independently be able to control the suspension of the pellets as well as the water moving in and out of the reactor itself so kind of similar to a recirculating skimmer. I will be following this build (I hope you are able to see it) almost exactly but I will be using an mj 900 or 1200 maybe.

Now I just have to figure out what biopellets I want to use.

That build will cost you less than $60 if you already have an old MJ

[obaptista]

I have a heavily stocked 25 and I feed 4-5 times a day from an auto feeder. My Phosphates and Nitrates are undetectable w/no visible algae present. Started with Sugar/Vodka but moved to a BRS dual reactor with Carbon/BRS pellets. No Cyno once they dialed in. Took about 5 weeks to migrate from manual dosing. I will not set up a tank again without them. The only maintenance is that every two weeks I clean the sponges in the reactor, change the carbon and do a 5 gallon water change of the 55 gallon total system volume to import depleted salts, Mag/Cal/Iodine etc. Bring a big skimmer, My NAC6a gets full fast with dark skim. I plumbed the reactor off my Mag 9 return and the flow is about 200gpm. The system has gone 6 weeks with no detectible levels of Phosphates and Nitrates and no water changes. By then the flow through the reactor is about half because the sponges are clogged. HTH