John October 13, 2011 Share October 13, 2011 (edited) I've been reading other forums about the use of biopellets. Most readings say that one should never allow the pellets to stop tumbling because the aerobic bacteria with suck up all the oxygen and effectively become anaerobic and die. I've been shutting off the reactor and skimmer during feedings (40 minutes), but now I'm thinking I should have the biopellets running 24x7 and only shut off the skimmer during feedings...is this what everyone is doing? Edited October 13, 2011 by John Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John October 14, 2011 Author Share October 14, 2011 Well, I raised this question because I have been fighting a nitrate problem the past few weeks and figured it was because these biopellets were stagnant for 40 minutes a day and the bacteria may have been dying. I cut the biopellets in half since I was running about twice the amount I should have been using...oops...cleaned out reactor, skimmer, and sump...we'll see... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Origami October 14, 2011 Share October 14, 2011 I can't imagine such activity that 40 minutes would deplete the water of oxygen unless the reactor is almost completely full of pellets, with little water. It seems a little extreme in my opinion. I can't point to a scientific paper though that gives much insight to the problem. You could, if you wished, look at how the pH in the reactor shifts in those 40 minutes. If oxygen consumption was really significant, you should see a significant pH shift in those 40 minutes as oxygen is consumed and carbon dioxide is released. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dakotasreef October 14, 2011 Share October 14, 2011 I don't shut mine down while feeding. I don't shut down my skimmer either. I don't know that I've read anywhere that says you should or shouldn't turn it off for feeding. But I personally have had no ill effects that I can detect from it being on while feeding. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John October 14, 2011 Author Share October 14, 2011 I was only shutting off during feeding since the recommended setup was to have the output of the pellets near the input of your skimmer...well, with the skimmer off, no sense in running the pellets...the idea was to limit excessive bacteria in the water column, but I plan on running pellets 24x7. I think the pH test in a good idea...I also don't think 40 minutes would have been killing anything, but chemistry was always my worst subject... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OldReefer October 16, 2011 Share October 16, 2011 I would keep them running. I had a big mass of pellets (about a kilo) and then my pump died for a week while I was out of town. That got REALLY nasty. You do not want to ever have that stink.! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now