Biopellets

reef keeper

reef keeper

Super Active Member
Joined
Nov 19, 2014
Location
Hamilton, Ontario
i was reading my salifert nitrate test wrong and thought I had nitrates around 50. Looking at it again, thru the side..... They are 10 and my phosphate is around .03. I've been running biopellets for a week or 2 and my glass is getting dirtier faster. I'm wondering if I shouldn't switch back to gfo?
 
TORX

TORX

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Joined
Nov 27, 2010
Location
Blenheim, Ontario
Website
www.thefragtank.ca
Umm, biopellets is for nitrates and gfo is for phosphates. Keep the pellets going, they can take up to 6-8 weeks to become fully effective. Combine running both with a good skimmer if you are having issues with high nitrates or phosphates. Some people advise to put the output of your pellets towards your skimmer to skim out the crud from the pellets.
 
curiousphil

curiousphil

Super Active Member
Joined
Apr 15, 2013
Location
London, Ontario
I have the TLF pellets too... the container says NP biopellets but I have no idea if that means they actually are for both nitrates and phosphates... so I run the gfo as well.

I know that there are some biopellets out there that are truly "all in one" but I haven't found them at any of the common reef stores.... I think they may be a European thing.
 
AdInfinitum

AdInfinitum

Super Active Member
Joined
Jan 12, 2012
Location
Thorndale, Ontario
I use the regular ones like many here.

Don't know if it is true but I have heard some people claim that the all in ones have just had fine GFO embedded into the bio-plastic. I doubt that's true or the remnants would accumulate over time....
 
R

Reef Hero

Super Active Member
Joined
May 27, 2012
Location
Lucan
reef keeper said:
i was reading my salifert nitrate test wrong and thought I had nitrates around 50. Looking at it again, thru the side..... They are 10 and my phosphate is around .03. I've been running biopellets for a week or 2 and my glass is getting dirtier faster. I'm wondering if I shouldn't switch back to gfo?
Click to expand...

What are you using to test phosphate levels? Salifert? If so, I recommend the Hanna phosphate checker and get that to read 0.00 or get the phosphorous and aim for 0.03 - 0.08ppm
10ppm nitrate is not that bad by any means....
As for the pellets and the algae on the glass.... Two weeks is not long enough to allow for the pellets to build a proper bacteria. Keep running them and continue observing and testing. Like mentioned, any living organism will consume phosphate but at very very very small amounts and for some we still need to run GFO in order to keep our po4 levels within range.... Just depends on how much po4 is getting into your tanks seawater....


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R

Reef Hero

Super Active Member
Joined
May 27, 2012
Location
Lucan
AdInfinitum said:
I use the regular ones like many here.

Don't know if it is true but I have heard some people claim that the all in ones have just had fine GFO embedded into the bio-plastic. I doubt that's true or the remnants would accumulate over time....
Click to expand...

I thought I read somewhere (can't remember where now) that they are using LC in these pellets to battle the po4


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Jewel

Jewel

Guest
Joined
Oct 11, 2011
Location
Wingham Ontario
Biopellets should take a lot longer than two weeks to make a noticeable difference, I never had a Nitrate problem and had a very healthy fuge so Biopellets were taken off line quickly, GFO and Carbon 24/7 and the Fuge work well for me.
 
AdInfinitum

AdInfinitum

Super Active Member
Joined
Jan 12, 2012
Location
Thorndale, Ontario
+1 on pellets taking a while to get going and if your PO4 is already low you may need to take it offline to let the bacterial culture to flourish.

When it gets going you will notice the change in your skimmate.
 
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