steely185 Posted December 30, 2010 Author Share Posted December 30, 2010 Nope. I have no problems with the clown goby. Link to comment
steely185 Posted January 1, 2011 Author Share Posted January 1, 2011 Sorry for any duplicates Link to comment
animalmaster6 Posted January 2, 2011 Share Posted January 2, 2011 That clam is stunning. Link to comment
steely185 Posted January 3, 2011 Author Share Posted January 3, 2011 Thanks for the compliments guys. Here's the last of what didn't upload yesterday. Link to comment
steely185 Posted January 7, 2011 Author Share Posted January 7, 2011 Some of the local reefers have been using bio pellets lately and have had great success. I've been thinking of adding a brs reactor with bio pellets to see if I will have greater growth and color. I'm interested to see if there will be a drop off in algae growth as well. Link to comment
gutterguy Posted January 7, 2011 Share Posted January 7, 2011 Hey steely, I have been running a brs dual reactor since i set up the 40. (about 6 weeks) running gfo and carbon. I have noticed that every thing has grown since being in my BC29. Dont know if that is the reason. Do you know whats the difference between pellets and regular gfo? Link to comment
steely185 Posted January 7, 2011 Author Share Posted January 7, 2011 Bio pellets act as a food source for nitrifying bacteria and the pellets are literally consumed by the nitrifying bacteria. They don't get replaced, only refilled and last 3-6 months. They take about 8 weeks to really work well since it takes about that time for the bacteria to grow a large enough population in the reactor and on the pellets. They recommend using only bio pellets and no other carbon and gfo. They will reduce some phosphates but mainly nitrates. Bulk reef supply has all the info and a questions section the product. It seems to be a interesting product that works well in dropping nitrates to almost zero. Link to comment
steely185 Posted January 9, 2011 Author Share Posted January 9, 2011 I went ahead and picked up a vertex reactor and vertex pro bio pellets today. Still need to set it up but looking forward to seeing some results. I've heard lots of great things about using bio pellets so hopefully I have some good results too. Link to comment
glennr1978 Posted January 9, 2011 Share Posted January 9, 2011 I too am jumping on the bio pellet bandwagon. I've got a new 40 breeder that I'm setting up this week and I'm eager to see how well the pellets really work. I really like the fact that they are so simple, even more so than carbon and gfo. All that is necessary is replacing the pellets that are consumed over time, sweet. I've read that you can speed up the "seeding process" w/ mb7. I've been seeding some dry rock and some pellets in a 5g bucket for almost 2 weeks w/ it. You're tank looks great btw. TOTM worthy for sure. Link to comment
steely185 Posted January 9, 2011 Author Share Posted January 9, 2011 Thanks a lot. I've got my pellets soaking overnight before I try and fire it up tomorrow. I got all my fittings for the reactor cemented for any slip fittings. I just hope the pump I got is sufficient. They were out of mj1200's so I picked up a hydor pump rated at 300gph. The thing is super small. Hope it gets the job done. Link to comment
glennr1978 Posted January 9, 2011 Share Posted January 9, 2011 Thanks a lot. I've got my pellets soaking overnight before I try and fire it up tomorrow. I got all my fittings for the reactor cemented for any slip fittings. I just hop the pump I got is sufficient. They were out of mj1200's so I picked up a hydor pump rated at 300gph. The thing is super small. Hope it gets the job done. Yeah, flow is key. If there isn't enough then you will run into problems. I'm sure your pump will be fine though so long as it actually lives up to is gph rating. I've go an mj1200 running on mine and it tumbles the pellets very well. Link to comment
Trolldoll Posted January 10, 2011 Share Posted January 10, 2011 I'm also considering doing the bio pellets. How much does it cost to set up and maintain compaired to using carbon and gfo? Im not cheap I just like the best bang for the buck. Link to comment
tundrashaul Posted January 10, 2011 Share Posted January 10, 2011 Tank is looking great steely. Link to comment
steely185 Posted January 10, 2011 Author Share Posted January 10, 2011 Thanks. It doesn't run too much in comparison to other equipment. The cost of a reactor can range from 50-250 depending on brand (two little fishes posban, BRS, vertex, deltec, etc..). You need the pellets which depend on size but range from $40-100. They say to use 250mL for every 50 gallons and they last 3-6 months. You just add more once they are consumed by bacteria (don't change out). No need to use carbon or GFO either. Last thing you need is a pump rated around 300gph or more, enough to keep the pellets moving slowly without settling. A maxi jet 1200 works well. I'll post a video in a bit of my setup. Link to comment
d9hp Posted January 10, 2011 Share Posted January 10, 2011 Tank looks great man. Really something else. That clam is ridiculous! I love seeing new equipment so you'll have to let us know how the biopellets go. I can't imagine NOT running carbon but I haven't read anything about this route. I'm interested in seeing if your color makes notable changes. -D Link to comment
steely185 Posted January 10, 2011 Author Share Posted January 10, 2011 Thanks. One thing I'm interested in is the polyp extension. I'm hoping I will see better extension. The clown goby kind of messes with that some jumping from coral to coral resting on them. I know I should see a drop off in film algae and hopefully less slime algae (not much but some there). Link to comment
sammy113 Posted January 10, 2011 Share Posted January 10, 2011 I used biopellets for about 5-6 months. I never had any problems with nitrates and phosphates were low. I did see a 0.0 phosphates with hanna meter while using biopellets but at some point I think my tank went too much low nutrient. I mean, its good to have at least something for the system to do its thing and biopellets sucks up all. I never had any algae problems before using BP but then bryopsis came and now I can't get it out. It is actually recommended to use GFO along with biopellets if you have high phosphates. Pellets are not so great with it. There's a big thread in RC about it. Tank is looking great! Link to comment
steely185 Posted January 10, 2011 Author Share Posted January 10, 2011 Did you notice better polyp extension and color using the bio pellets? Link to comment
steely185 Posted January 11, 2011 Author Share Posted January 11, 2011 Now that the pellets have been in water for 24 hrs they are moving much more in the reactor. I was worried the pump wouldn't be strong enough but it looks good. Curious to see how quickly bacteria establishes in the reactor since it's a well established tank. Most say 8 weeks to start seeing results. This is much like vodka dosing only easier for those not that familiar with it. Link to comment
the_gats Posted January 11, 2011 Share Posted January 11, 2011 You my friend may have to snap a few tips off those SPS for me when I get my 40 set up. I would be willing to drive down to pick them up. Haha. Tank is looking great and interested seeing what the pellets do for it. Link to comment
sammy113 Posted January 11, 2011 Share Posted January 11, 2011 Did you notice better polyp extension and color using the bio pellets? Definitely, a lot better polyp extension than before. How much media are you using? You may get some cloudy water for a day or two when the bacteria takes over Link to comment
steely185 Posted January 11, 2011 Author Share Posted January 11, 2011 I'm using ~250mL. Polyp extension is one of the big things I'm looking to get out of using bio pellets so that's good to hear. Link to comment
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.