Biopellets: Let's here your thoughts

[Gadsby15]

I removed mine and returned to growing cheato, stripped everything out my tank and lps looked terrible

 

[reeffirstaid]

I used the Aquari-Pure nitrate filter for just over a year. (Aquaripure) While this product will lower nitrates, and keep them down around 0, it is very poorly designed. The output tubing always clogs up with bio-residue, it often smells an entire room up w/ a sulfur (rotten egg) stench. Dosing the right amount of carbon at proper intervals is tough, and it seems like the filter constantly de-cycles, generating nitrates in excess of 60 ppm before cycling again. The products creator is so confident in his filter, he fails to acknowledge its flaws or even admit that it has any, let alone work towards a better system.

That said I tossed the Aquari-Pure in lieu of bio-pellets. Bio-pellets require a stable population of anaerobic bacteria to work. These bacteria like low oxygen environments, they thrive in stagnant water. I used Continium Aquatics MbacterD to boost those levels when I installed my filter, The Aquamaxx reactor and Aquamaxx pellets. I had a breakout of black cyano shortly after the unit cycled. I have since run the outflow of the reactor into my skimmer chamber, allowing the skimmer to immediately grab that outflow before it leaves the sump. This has eased the cyano, but it still exists. Nitrates and phosphates are holding at 0, and the cyano is manageable enough that a 5 min stirring of the sand clears it up during the day, and at night it goes away on its own.

Anytime you encourage a specific strain of bacteria, providing it a medium to fuel growth and stay alive, you are bound to have some kind of consequence. The cyano is easily managed and not very noticeable, which is easier to deal with then excessively high nitrates. I know some folks continue to dose their biopellet reactors with a liquid carbon source and bacteria. This is unnecessary, the bio-pellets themselves are a carbon source and once a population of bacteria is in place, it can replenish itself naturally.

As for lowering alk and causing PH fluctuations. Anytime you introduce a bio-degradable carbon source into your system, it will break down alk and cause PH fluctuations over time. Close monitoring of alk and ph is a must, and re-inventing your dosing schedule for the addition of bio-pellets is necessary.

 

[Greenstreet.1]

I top off my pellets every four months what I notice is that if I don't I start to see a little cyano on my sand bed but once I add more pellets it goes away on its own.

 

[Orly20]

Imo it all depends on what else your running with the biopellets. I know plenty of people that run them and have had great succes, me being one of them. I run gfo, biopellets, and water changes once every 2 weeks. no dosing.

I would like for you to elaborate more when you say no dosing? Do you mean other forms of carbon, kalk, calcium, alk, etc...

You said that you do dose amino acids. Just curious