Can BIOPELLETS reduce PO4 and NO3 holistically?

[ReefKeeperElite]

Hit my NO3 goal today with BP and daily MB7.
Will continue to monitor the PO4 which still seems high relative to NO3.

Cut out the MB7 for a few weeks, and running on BP alone. Large drop in N, and P has stabilized as shown below. I have not added BP to the reactor since December, just letting them melt down for now, with my reactor about half full now versus of being maxed out before. Seems like BP are really kicking in now since starting in August 2022. A long 6 months from N=62 and P=(blinking 200), full of headaches and lessons learned. Will keep a close eye on the N for another month which hopefully stabilizes as well. Looking forward to adding some sticks after that.

 

[Saltyanimals]

Quick update back to this thread on my own experience: Nutrients almost bottomed out again. I stopped testing No3 and PO4 on Feb 2nd which is exactly 28 days ago from this post. I tested NO3: 0.2 and PO4: 0 (zero). PO4 at zero was tested yesterday and I assumed test error. And retested again.. still zero. NO3 is almost zero. Net net is BPs are running too effectively again.

What has changed?
- No changes to BP. Did not add anymore or change any flow. Continues a healthy tumble.
- No change to passive GFO bag. Last change to passive bag was 51 days ago
- Chaeto light was replaced/upgrade to a stronger light. That was about 7 days ago which may have boosted a bit of NO3 consumption, but chaeto is expected to have min impact to PO4. My NO3 was fairly flat for awhile that's why I stopped testing.
- I did up my pH chasing game over the last 30 days. May be unrelated except for overall coral growth associated with increased pH. That growth while not obvious visually to me would consume No3/PO4 as appropriate for usual coral growth. However I didn't see any magnificent growth to say yes it sucked up nutrients along the way to say there is a hard correlation. This was done through NaOH (lye dosing).
-Alk raised again related to pH chasing game.
- Trace dosing continues. No MB7 or BacterClean added so no additional intentional boost to bacteria population



Action: back to chasing numbers only because I'm afraid of zero zeros. Will do the usual with overfeeding and will add a small amount of Nitrate booster. Will reduce chaeto lighting period since new light is much more powerful. Back to an exactly opposite lighting period with my DT lights limiting only to 9 hours a night.


Biopellets working too well?!? Remember I'm running 2/3 the recommended BP amount too.

 

[Saltyanimals]

Revisiting this thread about 9 weeks after my last post since it has the most active BP discussion lately. =)

Overall my tank continues to do fine with biopellets keeping my Nitrates in check with 35+ fish in a 180 mixed reef. Things have been consistent that I now check No3/PO4 every 3-4 weeks. My guess is that I might have consumed about 1/3 of my original BP load which is in line with BP consumption over time. At this rate, I should only need to replace BPs annually which will be great.

I have however noticed my BP getting clogged up more from the mulm which is exporting close to my skimmer intake as required. I saw a healthy tumble initially for months, but now this situation. So I ask myself (and now the R2R) maybe it has to do with the flow through the reactor. Specifically the tube size. Currently running 1/2 ID into and out of the reactor. I do feed my reactor off a manifold so any bigger tube size will affect my overall plumbing pressure although I have a gate valve to fine tune the flow into the reactor.

I can't see going smaller than 1/2 in since the next step down is 1/4 which may be too small and subject to more mulm clogging. However going smaller should increase pressure into the reactor and provide more tumbling force.

Is there a real solution here for long time BP users? Or is this regular unclogging just part of an expected regular BP maintance schedule?

 

[Saltees]

Revisiting this thread about 9 weeks after my last post since it has the most active BP discussion lately. =)

Overall my tank continues to do fine with biopellets keeping my Nitrates in check with 35+ fish in a 180 mixed reef. Things have been consistent that I now check No3/PO4 every 3-4 weeks. My guess is that I might have consumed about 1/3 of my original BP load which is in line with BP consumption over time. At this rate, I should only need to replace BPs annually which will be great.

I have however noticed my BP getting clogged up more from the mulm which is exporting close to my skimmer intake as required. I saw a healthy tumble initially for months, but now this situation. So I ask myself (and now the R2R) maybe it has to do with the flow through the reactor. Specifically the tube size. Currently running 1/2 ID into and out of the reactor. I do feed my reactor off a manifold so any bigger tube size will affect my overall plumbing pressure although I have a gate valve to fine tune the flow into the reactor.

I can't see going smaller than 1/2 in since the next step down is 1/4 which may be too small and subject to more mulm clogging. However going smaller should increase pressure into the reactor and provide more tumbling force.

Is there a real solution here for long time BP users? Or is this regular unclogging just part of an expected regular BP maintance schedule?

I share the same issue when running it through my Aquaforest Media Reactor AF90, the entire output hose is caked with slime in a month, especially since I run at a very slow flow where only the topmost layer of pellets is tumbling. I also realise that running it slow, the pellets are consumed at a much faster rate than when over half a canister of pellets are tumbling. The choked tube will impede the tumbling resulting in clumping of pellets.

I have since switched back to the NYOS TORQ 2L where I "glue fixed" the larger hole separator screen to the top of the TORQ 2L canister instead of using the original foam supplied. The flow remains as former, slow flow. The external wall of TORQ 2L canister will build up with a thick slime coat over a month and occasionally some will fall off and be skimmed by the NYOS 160 skimmer residing in the same chamber. Insofar using the TORQ 2L in this way, I don't have slowing of flow and clumping of pellets.

Should there be a need to clean the thick slime off the external walls of the TORQ 2L canister, just a simple twist and in it goes to the sink, as compared to disconnecting pump, reactor, removing hose, etc. of running of any typical media reactor in the like of the Aquaforest AF90..

IMHO, there's no different in the effluent/skimmate from running either biopellet reactor.