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Bio-pellets vs GFO


racerfreak

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I'm am going to be adding a media reactor to my 20G tank, what is better to with, NP bio-pellets or GFO? The tank will have a skimmer that can handle double the tank load.

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GFO and Carbon Dosing are two very distinct things. While they both deplete phosphate concentrations within the aquarium, there are other things to consider as well.

1) Purpose- I suppose you're looking to lower phosphate levels, a thing every aquarist should strive for. They was that each of these filtration media go about accomplishing it is quite different.

Carbon Dosing-

2) Price- A pound of GFO runs $24 plus shipping. A 500mL bag of NP-biopellets off marine depot will cost you $54 plus shipping.

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I went with pellets and took out my GFO. I have a clam and GFO can cause problems with them. Also with pellets, not only are you reducing the phosphate levels, but nitrates as well. Plus with the pellets you can't over-dose. A 250 ml jar of ecobak pellets runs me about $20 bucks. This will last me about a year. They are easy to replenish as all you have to do is replace what disintegrates. I can teel you my corals and the water clarity has never looked better! ;)

 

You do need a skimmer for the pellets to be effective.

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I went with pellets and took out my GFO. I have a clam and GFO can cause problems with them. Also with pellets, not only are you reducing the phosphate levels, but nitrates as well. Plus with the pellets you can't over-dose. A 250 ml jar of ecobak pellets runs me about $20 bucks. This will last me about a year. They are easy to replenish as all you have to do is replace what disintegrates. I can teel you my corals and the water clarity has never looked better! ;)

 

You do need a skimmer for the pellets to be effective.

 

 

IIRC the main reason why a skimmer is a must is because it is needed to replace oxygen, right? I've been seriously considering bio pellets for my tank but my skimmer doesn't pull skimmate for crap (no pun intended). Btw, I'm using a 9002 in my 20L.

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I'm about 90% sure I'm going to go with bio-pellets, but not sure what brand. I'm going to be using a Warner Marine H1 skimmer, so I'm not worried about skimming.

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Just an added note... If you change your mind and decide to go with GFO then proceed with caution. Adding to much to fast will cause major problems. Take it slow, and use / add very small amounts.

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If I do go with GFO I'm probably going to go with bulk reef supply and I would only go through a cap full a month. The reason why I like the bio-pellets is because they help with nitrates & don't have dust, while still lowering phosphates. Now there seems to be lots of bio-pellets on the market (thought there was only a few but looks like it's the next big thing in reefing). They all cost about the same, $20 for 250ml is the same as $40 for 500ml, you only start seeing a difference when you buy a 1000ml bag. Any ideas of what is better and why?

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Bio pellets are definitely the next "big thing". They seem promisisng, and I will surely try them at some point. It may not be on my current system since I don't have issues with nitrates or po4, but I will likely try them on my next system (which is already in the works).

 

I'm not sure what you meant when you said "capful". The GFO that BRS sells (which is what I use too) comes in various amounts. That being stated, the container size varies as well, as does the cap obviously. Fwiw, when I started using GFO in my 20g I used 1tsp. After waiting about a week I upped it to 2tsp, and I seem to have found a happy medium with 3tsp. I've been using 3tsp without any issues, or detectable po4 (api test kit) for quite a while now.

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Just an added note... If you change your mind and decide to go with GFO then proceed with caution. Adding to much to fast will cause major problems. Take it slow, and use / add very small amounts.

 

 

Why is this?

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Bio pellets are definitely the next "big thing". They seem promisisng, and I will surely try them at some point. It may not be on my current system since I don't have issues with nitrates or po4, but I will likely try them on my next system (which is already in the works).

 

I'm not sure what you meant when you said "capful". The GFO that BRS sells (which is what I use too) comes in various amounts. That being stated, the container size varies as well, as does the cap obviously. Fwiw, when I started using GFO in my 20g I used 1tsp. After waiting about a week I upped it to 2tsp, and I seem to have found a happy medium with 3tsp. I've been using 3tsp without any issues, or detectable po4 (api test kit) for quite a while now.

 

 

Sorry for being so vague about the capfull, I'd go with the smallest size container seeing as I have a smaller tank so I would use less than on a big tank. So basically about a tsp to a TBS, and if that's the case a container would last me a while.

 

I'm debating between Vertex and Warner Marine for bio-pellets based on reviews. The Vertex seem to be great but have a rotten egg smell, haven't read anything about the WM having that smell. Basically it comes down to the smaller the better, and they are both the same size. From What I can see WM last longer, need less flow, and are less sticky. hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm?

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Because reducing po4 rapidly causes coral bleaching. GFO is pretty potent and can absorb po4 very quickly.

 

Makes sense. But if po4 is already low due to some other reason, adding a bunch of GFO should not really impact much right? It would just end up with the po4 staying low for longer due to the larger amount of GFO present and available to absorb? Hope I am not hijacking the thread. Figured this info might be good to help with the GFO versus Bio-Pellets conversation since there is such a price difference.

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Makes sense. But if po4 is already low due to some other reason, adding a bunch of GFO should not really impact much right? It would just end up with the po4 staying low for longer due to the larger amount of GFO present and available to absorb? Hope I am not hijacking the thread. Figured this info might be good to help with the GFO versus Bio-Pellets conversation since there is such a price difference.

 

No, this is good info. My opinion is different than everyone else and I hope this helps other people too, as I could not find a bio-pellet vs gfo thread any where.

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Makes sense. But if po4 is already low due to some other reason, adding a bunch of GFO should not really impact much right? It would just end up with the po4 staying low for longer due to the larger amount of GFO present and available to absorb? Hope I am not hijacking the thread. Figured this info might be good to help with the GFO versus Bio-Pellets conversation since there is such a price difference.

 

 

Well, logically your point makes complete sense. However, don't say I didn't warn you, lol.

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interested in which reactor as well.

 

i have a 17g and a 40g.

 

I think a lot of people used to use the sapphire nano reactor but sapphire went belly up. I was thinking about getting the kent phos marine reactor but it got mixed reviews on marinedepot

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IIRC the main reason why a skimmer is a must is because it is needed to replace oxygen, right? I've been seriously considering bio pellets for my tank but my skimmer doesn't pull skimmate for crap (no pun intended). Btw, I'm using a 9002 in my 20L.

 

Sorry - So I don't get this post? I have the tunze 9002 as well and I don't pull much skimmate either. So getting a reactor and using bio pellets would defeat the purpose?

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I use the BulkReefSupply dual reactor and love it (I run carbon/GFO). I may try the pellets though, as my nitrates seem to settle around 5-10ppm...

does it hang on back?

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does it hang on back?

 

If you look on their website, you will see the white bracket that comes attached to it. You could screw this into a wall if you wanted, as it has pre-drilled holes for that purpose. I have mine sitting on the ground next to my sump, although I know people that have put it inside of their sump as well. I may end up hanging it, but room is a little tight under my tank and I want to be sure I can change the canisters without having to take the whole unit down.

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