EcoBak Pellet Journey
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Maximus
Valuable Member
Same thing happened to me. My acros started to bleach so I pulled them. To be honest, I can't be 100% sure it was the ecobak but when I pulled it, the acros started to recover. Perhaps it was too efficient and took out too many nutrients, thus starving the acros?
I think you hit the nail on the head here. With any bacteria driven system the nutrients can be removed too fast causing the corals to lose color and turn pale. It all depends on your parameters before you start. People the have high N and P may not experience this.
anyone running thes pellets and having problems with millis? i have two frags that looked good till i started running the pellets then they stoped opening and no growth and the color faded. i keep my alk at 8-8.5 and i went and raised it to 9 and the one started to rtn i since left it come back down and the rtn stopped. so i'm wondering if they favor a low alk with the pellets, i'm thinking about letting it go down to 7 and see how they respond. anyone have any experience with this?
HighlandReef
Chalice Monger
I am glad I saw this, I almost ordered the pellets but I am going to hold off now cause peeps seem to be having issues with running them, that's too bad
Maybe something will come out of running it with lower alk but I run a ca x and I don't know if I can get my alk down to 7 with my reactor going.
Let us know how it goes with running the pellets at like 7
Maybe something will come out of running it with lower alk but I run a ca x and I don't know if I can get my alk down to 7 with my reactor going.
Let us know how it goes with running the pellets at like 7
ReeferRob
Give me your Brains!
I choked back my MJ1200 so the pellets are in a light tumble now instead of boiling, if that makes sense. I did this about 1 week ago. I am seeing a noticeable difference in the regularity of needing to clean the class. I have noticed that I am about 100% rid of the red velcro algae!!! I've noticed a slight milky color on inside of the vinyl tube coming from the reactor to the sump? My green cyno is growing or coming back much much slower after water changes, water clarity is noticeably improved as well. I still have some tufts of HA here and there, but my trates are still 25-50 on a salifert and PO4 at .18 I had quite the alk scare last week as well where it got up to 16.5 and it took me 4 days to slowly bring it down to 10 where its been for at least 4 days now with no ill effects.
I wish I hit this sweet spot before I killed or browned out all my SPS other than my palmer blue, which is a touch pail......
I wish I hit this sweet spot before I killed or browned out all my SPS other than my palmer blue, which is a touch pail......
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Are you running any carbon or GFO?
ReeferRob
Give me your Brains!
Yes I have 3/4 of a cup GAC in a BRS reactor but no GFO. I've been thinking about adding a touch just to hopefully suck up what the HA is eating to hopefully get me over the hump. Im practically starving my tank and fish at this point.
Akwarius
2500 Club Member
I've been running EcoBak for almost 4 months and swear by them, but use other means of nutrient export as a failsafe, eg. GAC, GFO, vinegar, and macros. I had an incident where my reactor went offline while I was on a weekend getaway and when I came back: nuisance algae everywhere. My acros looked great, but my zoas were being choked out by bubble and some sort of invasive macro. Lesson learned. Had I been running a refugium with thriving macros this situation could have been avoided. Now I use the Ecobak in conjunction with other husbandry methods and feel like this gives me the safest option for nutrient export. BTW, my alk is a consistent 9 and I keep sps vibrant: torts, millies, prostrata, stag, tables, you name it.
Steve W
Community Member
ecobak
If your having problems with the millis it's probably because the pellets and skimmer combo are too good. Try bypassing the skimmer and feeding the output of the reactor back into the tank and doing the skimming on the return pass through the system before going back into the reactor. Millis and many other sps's depend on the bacteria and pytoplankton growing in your system to feed and thrive. That was the whole point originally with the probiotic approach. The reduction in nitrates and phophates was gravy. By reducing the phosphates and nitrates to near zero levels you are starving your live rock and reducing the phytoplankton production to levels that can not support the filter feeders in your tank including the sps. While they can live on light alone, they will not thrive.
Steve W.
PS: I shoot for a phosphate level of 0.01-0.05 and nitrate levels below 3 and everything is thriving in my tank. My live rock looks great with good coraline algae growth and I only clean the glass about twice a week and that is mostly spot cleaning to get spots my nerites missed.
I am firmly of the opinion that you can run too clean a tank to the detriment of many of its inhabitants. A healthy reef should be a complex system. Simplying your biotic diversity maybe especially at the microbial level is probably not a good thing in the long run.
SKW
If your having problems with the millis it's probably because the pellets and skimmer combo are too good. Try bypassing the skimmer and feeding the output of the reactor back into the tank and doing the skimming on the return pass through the system before going back into the reactor. Millis and many other sps's depend on the bacteria and pytoplankton growing in your system to feed and thrive. That was the whole point originally with the probiotic approach. The reduction in nitrates and phophates was gravy. By reducing the phosphates and nitrates to near zero levels you are starving your live rock and reducing the phytoplankton production to levels that can not support the filter feeders in your tank including the sps. While they can live on light alone, they will not thrive.
Steve W.
PS: I shoot for a phosphate level of 0.01-0.05 and nitrate levels below 3 and everything is thriving in my tank. My live rock looks great with good coraline algae growth and I only clean the glass about twice a week and that is mostly spot cleaning to get spots my nerites missed.
I am firmly of the opinion that you can run too clean a tank to the detriment of many of its inhabitants. A healthy reef should be a complex system. Simplying your biotic diversity maybe especially at the microbial level is probably not a good thing in the long run.
SKW
Last edited:
Acronuts
Well-Known Member
So far the ECO BAK product seems to be yielding various results. While with me I have had no problems from day one. On my med/heavy stocked 180g, I currently run 1 liter on a Next Reef MR with a pump that makes my pellets boil, as one other member here puts it. I only feed once per day and twice a month I feed an array of phytoplancton, copepods, etc. I do need to mention that I have a two to three inch sand bed in the display. I know that some kind of bacteria is in the bed carrying out some kind of denitrification. Without the pellets the live rock and sand bed were not enough to keep phospates and nitrates low. The use of a reactor with phos/nitrate removing media was used but would be exhausted by months end.
I do greatly agree that any changes that one makes to the system has to be done slowly. I started with only 250 ml, till I was upto 1 full liter. While some say that the product can only show its results unless you use all of the product at once, I took it slow and so far, knock on wood, I am having awesome results.
If you are interested in knowing what my levels were to what they are now, I have posted my weekly results on this very thread.
The questions still remain, do we still need supplimental bacteria dosing? Maybe
Do we need to stop using GAC or skimmers? Probably not
By stripping the water of all food sources, our corals who are accustomed to feeding throughout the day are most likely starving. By feeding our fish and corals we are placing some of the corals food source. While the EB does a great job for me I am EXTREMELY interested in how the product will break down and feed my corals over time.
IMO
I do greatly agree that any changes that one makes to the system has to be done slowly. I started with only 250 ml, till I was upto 1 full liter. While some say that the product can only show its results unless you use all of the product at once, I took it slow and so far, knock on wood, I am having awesome results.
If you are interested in knowing what my levels were to what they are now, I have posted my weekly results on this very thread.
The questions still remain, do we still need supplimental bacteria dosing? Maybe
Do we need to stop using GAC or skimmers? Probably not
By stripping the water of all food sources, our corals who are accustomed to feeding throughout the day are most likely starving. By feeding our fish and corals we are placing some of the corals food source. While the EB does a great job for me I am EXTREMELY interested in how the product will break down and feed my corals over time.
IMO
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Lot's of good information here. I started running 500ml in an Avast MR yesterday and my water is super cloudy today. Has anyone else experienced this? How long does it generally take to clear back up?
The questions still remain, do we still need supplimental bacteria dosing? Maybe
People have success without dosing supplemental bacteria with just using vodka or vitamin C so I would not think we "NEED" to with the pellets. If anyone is having issues with it not working then my guess would be they need to add more pellets not necessarily a different kind of bacteria. I am having success without supplemental dosing so far.
Do we need to stop using GAC or skimmers? Probably not
I was always under the impression that not only using a skimmer but using a sufficient size skimmer was mandatory with pellets or any other bacterial driven system.
People have success without dosing supplemental bacteria with just using vodka or vitamin C so I would not think we "NEED" to with the pellets. If anyone is having issues with it not working then my guess would be they need to add more pellets not necessarily a different kind of bacteria. I am having success without supplemental dosing so far.
Do we need to stop using GAC or skimmers? Probably not
I was always under the impression that not only using a skimmer but using a sufficient size skimmer was mandatory with pellets or any other bacterial driven system.
I have a milli that is thriving with no issues. I run my alk around 9-10. I always read about high alk causing issues when carbon dosing. When I dosed vodka I ran my alk in the 9-10 range with no issues either. I'm not saying high alk isn't causing the issues for these people, but it never has for me. My 75 that I dosed vodka in had a 5.5 year old 6" DSB in it and my 110 gallon temp system with all new water in it has no sand bed but two small tupperware containers with 3 inches of sand for my clams. The only reason I mention the sand is that I previously thought the dsb may have been a reason but now that I have very little sand I see that isn't so.
Ricordea
Community Member
Paul,
I see where you mentioned about still needing GFO and pellets.I think a lot of folks using pellets no need for GFO anymore.I was thinking the same thing when this product came out.If you NEED both that can be costly to maintain.So why pellets to begin with vs.Vodka dosing.I know Vodka can be more radical method vs,amount needed.I thought when this product came out,the GFO wouldn't be needed anymore.That the pellets and bacteria would solve lowers levels we all are looking for.
Oh by the way I'm still using GFO with my pellets.It needs to be changed out.And I surely don't want to order more GFO.But by using both,not very fond off additional costs.I know it's a new product,and we are stilling trying to find our way here.But if this is the case,I think we should have been told,that this method needs both.
I see where you mentioned about still needing GFO and pellets.I think a lot of folks using pellets no need for GFO anymore.I was thinking the same thing when this product came out.If you NEED both that can be costly to maintain.So why pellets to begin with vs.Vodka dosing.I know Vodka can be more radical method vs,amount needed.I thought when this product came out,the GFO wouldn't be needed anymore.That the pellets and bacteria would solve lowers levels we all are looking for.
Oh by the way I'm still using GFO with my pellets.It needs to be changed out.And I surely don't want to order more GFO.But by using both,not very fond off additional costs.I know it's a new product,and we are stilling trying to find our way here.But if this is the case,I think we should have been told,that this method needs both.
goody
Well-Known Member
I'm about a month and a half into using ecobak pellets. I started with 250ml and am now up to 500ml for my 90g. They are currently in a BRS single reactor with an mj1200, but I don't like the way the tumble, so I may move to a TLF150, but I'm not sure I can get the full 500ml to fit.
I didn't go through any white, cloudy water or algae bloom; however, I do have some hair algae on my overflow which was there before I started using the pellets. Current readings are phosphates .02ppm and Nitrates 0ppm (going to double check this with new Salifert test kit). I am concerned that I may be starving my sps coral. Some are looking pale, but most have good PE. I have some AA, do you think this would help if I started dosing? I also have my reactor output going into the skimmer section of my sump, should I move this to the middle section where my return pump is?
I do want to state that the pale color could also be in part to switching from 6xt5 to 2x120w LED fixtures (currently 8in. above water).
I didn't go through any white, cloudy water or algae bloom; however, I do have some hair algae on my overflow which was there before I started using the pellets. Current readings are phosphates .02ppm and Nitrates 0ppm (going to double check this with new Salifert test kit). I am concerned that I may be starving my sps coral. Some are looking pale, but most have good PE. I have some AA, do you think this would help if I started dosing? I also have my reactor output going into the skimmer section of my sump, should I move this to the middle section where my return pump is?
I do want to state that the pale color could also be in part to switching from 6xt5 to 2x120w LED fixtures (currently 8in. above water).
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