Bio media reactor with vibrant

Amtrack5899

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I am presently using vibrant to clean up a moderate case of turf algae. (I am 4 weeks into the vibrant treatment ) My nitrates have consistently been around 20-25. I plan on setting up a reef octopus 140 bio pellet media reactor to lower nitrates along with a BRS GFO reactor for phosphates. The GFO is already running. Can I use the bio media reactor while dosing vibrant or should I wait the entire 8 weeks and start the bio pellet reactor after the vibrant treatment. I am trying to cure the cause of the turf algae so that it doesn’t return. It is a 120 gallon tank and is about 14 months old. I do weekly 10% water changes.
 

BostonReefer300

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Please take this advice with a grain of salt because sometimes I feel like the only thing I'm good at in reefing is growing nuisance algae. Anyway, I'd recommend against doing biopellets or any carbon dosing right now unless you've got a monster case of turf algae. You're already using GFO and vibrant (Vibrant Reef, yes?) in addition to regular good-sized water changes, so I'd recommend patience. If you add carbon dosing, you are definitely piling on and you run the risk of completely crashing your nutrient levels and then getting a big dino outbreak. Vibrant can take several weeks to really show a difference.
 
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Amtrack5899

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Thank you, I am not sure if after the 8 weeks if I will continue to use vibrant or try to ween off of it. I’m concerned that once the vibrant treatment Is over and I stop using it if I don’t correct the nutrient issue the turf algae will just come back. Ill be at a crossroads in about 4 weeks as to continue to use vibrant using the clean water tank dosage or eliminating vibrant and control my nutrient level with the media reactor. Do you use vibrant as a continuous DOS or just when you need it?
 

BostonReefer300

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I use it just when I need it because I like to run macroalgae in my refugium. I'm actually currently dosing Vibrant so my macros are in my QT tank. Plenty of people run Vibrant regularly though. Regarding biopellets, I had a very bad experience. I could never get the amount right and always ended up with huge (I mean buckets of white cotton candy snot in my sump) bacterial blooms. I finally gave up and put the reactor in storage. Good luck!
 
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Amtrack5899

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Thank you, I have a backup 10 gallon macro algae tank. I put my chaeto in it while I am treating my display tank with vibrant. I could never grow Chaeto in my fudge. I finally bought a Kessel 360 and my Chaeto started to grow unfortunately the turf algae had already taken hold. Ill probably use the bio pellet reactor with 1/4 amount of required pellets along with some Chaeto. If my nitrates drop I can shut the reactor off.
Thanks for helping, Ive talked to you in the past.
 
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Amtrack5899

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How do you restart your fudge after the vibrant treatment. Do you do several large water changes first or do you just add the Chaeto?
 

BostonReefer300

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That is a very good question. I actually posted a poll about this on R2R but got very few responses and I also emailed Underwater Creations, but haven't heard anything back. Based on my research, best I can figure is to wait a month after last Vibrant dose before putting macroalgae back in. Evidently gracilaria can be started sooner than the other algae.
 

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I just came across your thread so may be too late to be of use. However, I've had the pleasure of turf algae so I imagine your still struggling with it after all this time. I used every bacteria additive I could get my hands on to wipe clean turf algae from my system to no avail. I ended up removing the rock and treating it with hydrogen peroxide 3 % to finally eliminate it from my system.
During that time I was also running bio pellets and could observe no ill effects while dosing Vibrant. Vibrant may have worked but found it impossible to be patient for 6 weeks for it to be at its peak effectiveness. I had struggled with turf algae for 5 months and no matter what I did it seemed immune from any treatments.
I still dose Vibrant and I still run bio pellets. I can only imagine that whatever strain of bacteria is in Vibrant benefits from the food source bio pellets provide.
Hope this helps and hope your battle has resolved. If not, try hydrogen peroxide 3% as I found a ton of joy watching turf algae turn a ghostly white and falling off my rock for the next 10 days after the treatment.
 
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Amtrack5899

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Thank you for the response. It is week 7 of the vibrant treatment and I am still fighting turf algae although it does not seem to be as stubborn. I am in week 2 of running the media reactor and I am up to 1 cup of pellets . My nitrates are still 20 - 25 ppm. I am hoping that once I get my media reactor at full strength and my nitrates lowered along with the vibrant treatments Ill defeat the turf algae. Once the turf algae is gone I plan on sticking with the media reactor and minimum dosing of the vibrant. I like the way it brightens the tank and i have seen no ill effects on my coral or fish.
 

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