Biopellets question.

[epleeds]

I have been running them for 4 months now trying to get rid of small patches on cyno. It hasn't gotten rid of all of it but some of my LPS are not pleased with the biopellets and some of my SPS have gotten really faded.

 

Can I just shut them off or do I have to wean the tank off of them.

 

If anyone has any suggestions please let me know.

[AlanM]

In my opinion you can just shut them off.  That's what I've done in the past.  I think it's starting them up that has to be done with care, but even that is milder than vodka or vinegar dosing.

[jbarre03]

I had it happen to me a few years ago. I shut it off for about a month. I also realized then whatever it says to dose cut that in half for the first couple of months and build it up.

 

 

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[Zaphodent]

Biopellets can make cyano worst. I gave up on biopellets, few have success

 

 

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Edited March 25, 2017 by Zaphodent

[zygote2k]

I've been running BP's for nearly 6 years on various tanks and they do indeed work. Cyano can flourish with BP's as an added food source if you already have nutrient laden water.

Once you remove the other nutrient sources and only have the BP's, then the cyano goes away.

In other words, if cyano is present and you can't get rid of it, don't add biopellets.

Corals do seem to thrive from the bacteria though and the only noticeable side-effect is increased mulm in areas neaer/around the reactor output. If running the outflow directly into the skimmer feed, then this mulm is considerably lessened.

Giant sized reactors usually require giant sized pumps and large quantities of pellets, I recommend using small reactors with pumps large enogh to tumble the pellets with no clumping. Reactor size and tumbling action will determine the amount of pellets that you should use on any given tank.

[astroboy]

I ran biopellets for a couple of years and always had some trouble with cyano. One reason, I suspect, I had a pretty deep sanded that I think simply accumulated a lot of organics that water changes and filtering couldn't reach, so to speak. Perhaps you're having a similar problem. 

 

The main reason I gave up biopellets and went to vodka dosing was that on two occasions the circulation through the biopellet reactor stopped for about 24 hours. (Plug to pump got knocked from the outlet, other time something got lodged in the pump itself, I think, anyway. In any case I know the circulation was off only about 24 hours). Both times the reactor did a great job of growing something that gave off a hideous rotten egg/sulfide smell when the pump started up again. The corals did OK but I lost a couple fish, they immediately were on the bottom, barely breathing. Massive water changes saved most of them. 

 

But, unless you're 100% sure your pump is never going to fail, I think biopellets are playing Russian roulette. I suppose some sort of wet/dry drip would work very well, though.

[zygote2k]

I've had pumps stop on the BP reactor and indeed, the BP's make Hydrogen Sulfide or something similar and noxious.

To just pump it into the tank without rinsing it seems like throwing caution to the wind. Rinse out the pellets and turn the pump back on.

Noxious chemicals can certainly kill fish....

[astroboy]

I've had pumps stop on the BP reactor and indeed, the BP's make Hydrogen Sulfide or something similar and noxious.

To just pump it into the tank without rinsing it seems like throwing caution to the wind. Rinse out the pellets and turn the pump back on.

Noxious chemicals can certainly kill fish....

 

Yeah, the pumps started pumping on their own while I was fooling with things in and behind the tank. I didn't realize they were off. Lost a powder blue tang I'd had for three years. Interestingly, the corals came through it like champs. 

 

That's one reason I keep enough salt water on hand for a 100% change. Not a good thing to do, I'm sure, but better than doing nothing when things blow up.