Bio Pellets - Exhausted?

[aedds2]

I've had the reactors running for about 6 months (on 2 tanks) and can't identify if the pellets become exhausted and can't consume anymore. Both tanks are showing a higher phosphate level around .50 and nitrates seem to be higher at around 50 on the Red Sea Kit. Didn't have phosphate issues prior but nitrates never go down. Haven't changed feeding habits and have multiple tangs wrasses and triggers that are pigs.
I have a 7 stage RO/DI with the chlorinator monster, 1 reactor running 2 little fishes bio pellets, other reactor runs off brand, 2 week water changes, carbon is in bags and replaced frequently and running phosguard now to help bring down the levels. Chaeto is growing like crazy. Was dosing a small amount of Red Sea nopox and now acans are slowly showing white skeleton, some mushrooms are ticked and closed and torch lost a head. Weird thing is my goni looks happy.

So my question is do pellets become exhausted? This is the only thing I can think of that hasn't been changed out. TIA

 

[hhaase]

Biopellets are different than your normal reactor media like carbon or GFO. Rather than absorbing or adsorbing contaminants, or releasing things into the water, They get consumed rather than consuming something else. The closest analogy for comparison would be the zeolite media used in the zeovit system. Over time they will slowly shrink as bacteria consumes the biopellets. You don't replace, you restock if the amount of pellets becomes too small.

How big is your system, and how much biopellets do you have?

Do you have sufficient water flow through the reactor? You've got to pump a lot through, you want the entire reactor full of biopellet media to be tumbling energetically. It's also highly recommended to have the reactor outlet be located near the inlet of your skimmer. The biopellets don't actually remove anything themselves, they convert nitrates and phosphates to bacterial waste that is very easily skimmed from the water column. Without the skimmer to export that waste, the biopellets are performing no function.

I've found in my system, 150 gallons and 1 liters if biopellets, that they drive nitrates down to zero pretty darn quick, but are far less effective at eliminating phosphates. They need both nitrates and phosphates to work effectively. So once the nitrates hit zero, the phosphate consumption stops, and phosphates begin to rise, which creates a lot more issues due to the imbalance.

 

[aedds2]

Biopellets are different than your normal reactor media like carbon or GFO. Rather than absorbing or adsorbing contaminants, or releasing things into the water, They get consumed rather than consuming something else. The closest analogy for comparison would be the zeolite media used in the zeovit system. Over time they will slowly shrink as bacteria consumes the biopellets. You don't replace, you restock if the amount of pellets becomes too small.

How big is your system, and how much biopellets do you have?

Do you have sufficient water flow through the reactor? You've got to pump a lot through, you want the entire reactor full of biopellet media to be tumbling energetically. It's also highly recommended to have the reactor outlet be located near the inlet of your skimmer. The biopellets don't actually remove anything themselves, they convert nitrates and phosphates to bacterial waste that is very easily skimmed from the water column. Without the skimmer to export that waste, the biopellets are performing no function.

I've found in my system, 150 gallons and 1 liters if biopellets, that they drive nitrates down to zero pretty darn quick, but are far less effective at eliminating phosphates. They need both nitrates and phosphates to work effectively. So once the nitrates hit zero, the phosphate consumption stops, and phosphates begin to rise, which creates a lot more issues due to the imbalance.

Thanks! We have a 270 gallon tank with sump and have a 150 gallon tank with sump. We have large skimmers and plenty of water flow in the sump areas. Just seems the phosphates have creeped up. I'm very concerned with the corals that this is affecting. Could that range of phosphates affect the corals?

 

[hhaase]

I think the high nitrates would be the bigger issue than the phosphates. But I think the issues you are seeing are likely outside my experience to give suggestions. I'd hate to steer you wrong.

-Hans

 

[WVNed]

The bioplellets should shrink and disappear over time. They are a growth media. I run a reactor with 1500ml to start and just recharged it when it got down to 800ml. It took about 3 months if I remember right.
I run Nopox as well and every time I decrease it bad things like cyano happen so I just leave it alone now.