Question of the Day: Biopellets

[spyd]

This question is for those who are running Biopellets on their system. How often do you need to top up your Biopellets? Please state what size tank you are running them on as well.

I loaded my Biopellets up about 3 weeks ago and find they are ready to be topped up again. Just trying to figure out if this is normal or not. I run a Vertex Uf-15 with 1000ml of pellets. I have added the additional plastic screens as well so I know they are not escaping.

 

[Darryl_V]

6-12months for top up......3 weeks sounds really strange.

Did you get much bacteria growth in the start?  What brand are you using?

 

[Salty Cracker]

1 year and I haven't topped up yet.  125 gallon.


The tinfoil hat guy in me says that sooner or later the companies are going to make them break down faster, they don't want people only buying them once a year, so this could become a trend, who knows.

 

[pulpfiction1]

is there any chance that the pellets are getting past your screen

Sent from my HTC Incredible S

 

[spyd]

There's no way they can be getting past the screen. I have 2 screen pieces in there and the 2nd one has very small holes. A pellet could not get through it. I definitely had a bacteria bloom when I bumped up the amount of pellets and dosed some Prodibio. Since then though, it definitely appears to have gone down quite drastically. I am not overly tumbling them either I don't think anyways. The flow looks similar to yours Darryl.

 

[pulpfiction1]

are you talking about these screens?i found they got by these,around the side as they reduced in size,i made my own screen,i use the ul-20 for my pellets

 

[Noodle]

I have a 100 Gallon tank.  Mixed sps and about 8 fish.  Average load.

I find they pellets produce too much food for the bacteria and I get slime growing.  (bad bacteria). 

It does keep the other items down like nitrates and phosphates. 

I run in them in a canister filter so they aren't as effective as some of the reactors I see.

I have yet to have them melt away.

 

[Salty Cracker]

I have a 100 Gallon tank.  Mixed sps and about 8 fish.  Average load.

I find they pellets produce too much food for the bacteria and I get slime growing.  (bad bacteria). 

It does keep the other items down like nitrates and phosphates. 

I run in them in a canister filter so they aren't as effective as some of the reactors I see.

I have yet to have them melt away.

Usually if you have slime, you have phosphates.  How are you testing for phosphates?  I would suspect your feeding schedule over your biopellet production.

 

[Noodle]

That is what I continue to read, it was phosphates.  But none can be detected.  I think because the slime is a bacteria the bio pellets are feeding it.  But that is just my theory due to having such low nitrates and phosphates.

 

[spyd]

If you research it, there are actually a lot of cases out there where people are finding that they get cyano from running bio-pellets. Many of them run ULNS SPS tanks, with no phosphates, nitrates and high flow. There is very little information out there as to why this occurs. Cyano is a very tough problem to overcome. It can be caused by so many different things which makes it very difficult to find a proper solution in removing it.

I had cyano in my old tank which is why I have moved to a SSB. This way I can siphon it constantly if need be without causing a horrendous mess. Red Slime Remover works but it is only a band-aid fix and it is proven that, if the cyano comes back, it gets more immune and harder to get rid of it each and everytime.

 

[Noodle]

Yea, I think the trick is balancing the pellets melting with your waste, but hard to do as its always changing.