Questions about the effects of Bio-Pellets

Jason R

Jason R

New member
I am debating about starting Bio-Pellets on my tank. My setup is a 100 Gallon Tank draining into a filter sock containing 2 bags of Chemi-Pure Elite. There is a SKIMS MS-161 skimmer and heater in the first chamber of my refugium. The middle chamber has been used for growing chaeto though I know this won't be possible if I switch to Bio-Pellets. And of course the third chamber is my return pump.

I am mainly interested in LPS corals and maybe a few softies. I may consider SPS at some point in the future but I think that my tank will probably always be LPS dominant.

My questions are:

1. If I run Bio-Pellets in my tank will it have a negative effect on my LPS corals? Has anyone out there with an LPS tank had any luck running Bio-Pellets?

2. Since a Bio-Pellet reactor would essentially kill the chaeto in my refugium would I be getting PH drops at night or would the increased bacteria load compensate?

Right now my Nitrates are low but I lost my bubble tip anemone the other day. My water is testing fine but I did have a significant Bryopsis bloom recently which is starting to recede.
 
i run pellets and have lps dominate tank ran them on my last tank as well only thing id say is make sure you keep track of your water quality and feed more than normal i feed all my acans and others alot more now in my fuge i still have cheato growing just not as fast as before my fuge is a seperate tank then my sump and when you start the pellets dont fill up that reactor all at once start gradual so you dont shock the tank right away
 
My questions are:

1. If I run Bio-Pellets in my tank will it have a negative effect on my LPS corals? Has anyone out there with an LPS tank had any luck running Bio-Pellets?

No problem running bp's with LPS. It's SPS that can have issues, if your alk is 9+ or if your nitrates drop too fast. If your nitrates are already fairly low then you shouldn't have any issue with dropping rapidly. Some softies have done worse in my tank since bp's but my LPS have thrived :)

2. Since a Bio-Pellet reactor would essentially kill the chaeto in my refugium would I be getting PH drops at night or would the increased bacteria load compensate?

I kept chaeto for a long time after I started, it just didn't grow much. It shouldn't kill it off. If you're running your chaeto on a reverse light cycle then you might see a swing in the pH if you remove the chaeto. A biopellet reactor should have a pH lowering effect, if anything, since microbes are digesting the pellets and respiring, adding CO2 to the water which would lower pH. However, the effect is very minimal though.
 
Here's my two cents. If you are looking to keep LPS and softies, reconsider the pellets. They thrive on slightly dirtier water than SPS. Keep the refugium stocked with macroalgae and do regular water changes, and you should be fine.

I'd only carbon dose with LPS and softies if you are having major algae and/or nitrate issues. And even then I'd be conservative. My suggestion is to run at 50% or less of the recommended dose if you decide to run pellets. I run biopellets at the recommended dose on my 90G mostly SPS tank and I am to the point where I've had to increase bioload and feedings quite a bit to keep the corals from starving. Once they kick in, they really kick in and can strip your nutrients so quickly that things can head south quickly.

Good luck!
 
I was thinking of running them at a lower than recommended dose. I am just not sure if a standard consumer sized refugium can actually put a dent in nitrates. I've heard some people say you need a refugium as large as your tank to actually have much effect. My nitrates are low but I am battling an algae bloom. My original plan was to use GFO but with all of the hype about Bio-Pellets I began to wonder if I would be better off going straight to pellets.

How do anemones do in dirtier water? My LPS are doing great but my anemone died. That was made me consider the bio-pellets.
 
Pellets do little if anything to help with phosphates. If algae is your battle then GFO is the best.
 
EricTheRed said:
Pellets do little if anything to help with phosphates. If algae is your battle then GFO is the best.
Click to expand...

According to Bulk Reef Supply:

http://www.bulkreefsupply.com/store/brs-bio-pellets.html

BRS bio pellets are made from 100 % natural Polyhydroxyalkanoates. PHA is a natural substance produced by bacteria to store carbon and energy which makes it the ideal solid carbon source for denitrifying bacteria in the aquarium. BRS bio pellets are produced by a leader in the industry, designed specifically for denitrification in aquaria and we believe it to be the best product available. Use of bio pellets will also remove phosphates, combined with wise food selections it can be the only type of phosphate control required.

According to Dr. Tim:

https://store.drtimsaquatics.com/NP-Active-Pearls_c_88.html

In the aquarium environment, bacteria use NP-Active Pearls to assimilate phosphate and nitrate in the water to grow, producing bacterial biomass which is then easily harvested.
 
The whole phosphate thing is a load of bull. I never saw a significant reduction in phosphates running 100% recommended dose of BioPellets on my 180. Within 1 month of starting back up GFO after the BioPellets went live, my phosphates are practically non-existent. I am actually due up to change out my GFO again this week.

The BioPellets seem to work best on a system that is moderately or heavily stocked with fish, heavy feedings, and paired up with an efficient skimmer. But this is only in regards to stripping nitrates out of the water. You still definitely need GFO or some other phosphate control alongside it.
 
Hmm, I don't know if I fully agree with biopellets not getting rid of phosphates too. I think initially you will see the nitrate reduction, but over time your phosphates decrease as well. I know they work because I kept PO4 records before and after BPs with my Hannah checker. I watched them go from I think .06 to .00 (too low). At the same time, my cheato stopped growing and my xenia (other form of nutrient control) receded as well. Nothing else changed, so I know it was the biopellets. Now GFO will strip the PO4 immediately, but BPs just take a while to get going on the PO4. I wouldn't recommend using both concurrently or PO4 could be stripped too quickly, stressing out your livestock.
 
Alright, so I guess after 4 months my BioPellets must be defective since they don't do jack for phosphate reduction. :-/
 
George, I think mine took out the PO4 after approximately 8 months. Then my BPs went into overdrive and my challenge is throwing enough food and fish in the tank now to keep corals from starving ;)

Seriously.
 
Ok, so there is a long haul until they do anything for phosphates. Until that point, you still definitely need some other form of phosphate control like GFO. Maybe in another 4 months I will see this benefit. I regret not running BP on my last tank to see what the longer term results were. What I understood from research was that 10-12 weeks put the pellets in their prime. Never read anything about waiting 32+ weeks to see them perform another useful function.
 
Jason R said:
Use of bio pellets will also remove phosphates, combined with wise food selections it can be the only type of phosphate control required.
Click to expand...

They can claim anything they want. I know several people who have been using pellets for years and the phosphate reduction is minimal, at best. Sure they might reduce phosphates but you would need to be very low to begin with for them to keep you within an acceptable range. Here's a statement from 2LF's description in there pellet ad..." the accumulation of phosphate from the food may require the combined use of NPX Bioplastics and PhosBan granular ferric oxide media, in separate reactors." 2LF's seem to be the only ones providing a realistic expectation...

You can certainly do whatever you feel is best but if you're looking to lower your phosphates then go with GFO or something specific to phosphate reduction, not something that by design reduces nitrates with a possible and minimal side effect of phosphate reduction.

BTW..what is your phosphate level?
 
My experience was not so great :( Lost to many to things to list...

Here is a picture of my tank in it's PRIME before BP.. Is like the saying goes "Don't fix it if not broken ". Should have listen to the wife when she said NO :banghead: The old school way was working great 10% WC, GFO and carbon. But I wanted to push the limit :rolleyes:

DSC06723.jpg


My tank does not look like this anymore and very sad :(

Ran BRS BP for 7 months until recently.. I started real slow by doing 25% and stoped at 75%. Kept my Alk around 8, Cal +400

Also have read that carbon dosing causes issues with DSB.. Which in my case not sure!

I just feel that this should have been used when I 1st started vs a established tank. Still haven't giving up using BP. My next build will have one ;)
 
EricTheRed said:
They can claim anything they want. I know several people who have been using pellets for years and the phosphate reduction is minimal, at best. Sure they might reduce phosphates but you would need to be very low to begin with for them to keep you within an acceptable range. Here's a statement from 2LF's description in there pellet ad..." the accumulation of phosphate from the food may require the combined use of NPX Bioplastics and PhosBan granular ferric oxide media, in separate reactors." 2LF's seem to be the only ones providing a realistic expectation...

You can certainly do whatever you feel is best but if you're looking to lower your phosphates then go with GFO or something specific to phosphate reduction, not something that by design reduces nitrates with a possible and minimal side effect of phosphate reduction.

BTW..what is your phosphate level?
Click to expand...

According to the test kits my phosphates are practically non-existent but I think that is because the algae was consuming them.
 
Lil BamBam said:
My experience was not so great :( Lost to many to things to list...
Click to expand...

Did you start with a full dose or did you start with a small dose and build your way up? I hear that starting with the full dose is a MAJOR cause of BP related tank crashes.
 
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