Pellet Reactor Help

[adamsfour]

I have been using a Pellet reactor for years with outstanding results. One constant maintenance issue is having to clean out the reactor of what I assume is broken down Pellet. After about a week to 10 days I get a build up of what appears to be a string like slime (kind of like pasta) that is clearly the remains of the pellet. I am wondering if there is anything I can do to avoid this. I use NPX Bio Pellet. Could the type of Pellet be the caused or the rotational speed in the reactor. It not a big deal to clean but it would be nice if it didn't happen.

 

[blaxsun]

I don't believe so - other than cleaning/disposal. I always accumulated that slime in my pellet reactors.

 

[adamsfour]

Thanks. That’s what I suspected.

 

[Saltyanimals]

Thanks. That’s what I suspected.

Hey @adamsfour .

You mentioned using BP for years so you might have a perspective. You were affected by that string slime. I'm only 4 months in my BP journey and it seems to be effective for my nitrate problem with keeping a highly stocked tank.

I question the long term drawbacks. You mentioned the regular maintenance which I didn't experience the first 2-3 months. I'm now starting to get clumping which I have to open the BP reactor and give it a good stir which I assume is the mulm overtime buildup.

What were some of the other long term use draw backs did you encounter? Looks like you're constantly messing with it "... a week or 10 days..."

Have you encountered an residual build up on your pipes that may affect overall flow through the pipes?

I'm using BP for the low maintenance draw of it, but not if it requires unclogging every couple weeks as it ages. Thanks