Annap729 November 29, 2011 Share November 29, 2011 Need help...182 gallon system. How big of a reactor do I want and approximately how many grams of pellets should I be tumbling? I only want a basic reactor so ill take recommendations for appropriate reactor. I'm also going to need same answers for carbon and gfo- how big of a reactor and how many grams of each? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BowieReefer84 November 29, 2011 Share November 29, 2011 BRS has a calculator for carbon and gfo. Avast sells reactors and pellets. Figure out how much you need than look what the capacity of the reactor is... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
onux20 November 29, 2011 Share November 29, 2011 From Avast's site "Use 500ml per 100 gallons of the total water volume. Please calculate the total water volume without live rock and sand. ATB cannot be held accountable for any loss of livestock and or any other damages due to misuse of this product." From BRS's site "Holds up to 350ml (~1.5 cups), suitable for tanks 75g and smaller." 1liter ~ 4.2 cups. It might depend on the brand of pellets. But I would say you need a reactor that can hold 4-5 cups of pellets. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ridetheducati November 29, 2011 Share November 29, 2011 I am sure you did the research, I will keep it short... Be prepared to run GFO until the pellets bio builds to the appropriate density. It may take several months. Biopellets will eliminate all nitrates like candy, but tends to need a little persuading to eat vegetables (phosphates). Try to keep some nitrates around so the bio can consume PO4 and NO3 in proper ratios. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zygote2k November 29, 2011 Share November 29, 2011 Not that I'm specifically for or against bio pellets, but I have to wonder if your'e already at zero n03 and P04 or something close? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Annap729 November 29, 2011 Author Share November 29, 2011 So if it's 500ml for 100 gallons and I have 1.82x where x=500, don't I need roughly 7 cups of pellets in my reactor? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
onux20 November 30, 2011 Share November 30, 2011 So if it's 500ml for 100 gallons and I have 1.82x where x=500, don't I need roughly 7 cups of pellets in my reactor? Nope I see it as 4 cups or 1 liter. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
onux20 November 30, 2011 Share November 30, 2011 Funny I spent most of my lunch hour looking in to the benefits of biopellets. I am leaning hard that way. The next BRS GB I will probably make the plunge. Please post before and after stats. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
onux20 November 30, 2011 Share November 30, 2011 Not that I'm specifically for or against bio pellets, but I have to wonder if your'e already at zero n03 and P04 or something close? But if you are creating a system that will always out compete macros for NO3 and PO4, is that a bad thing? My question is will the macro or nuisance algae already present either in the sump on the your live rock, like a bumper crop of Bubble algae, will it wither and die once the pellets are colonized? Ron Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vadim November 30, 2011 Share November 30, 2011 i bought the BRS bio reactor, it's awesome for the price. make sure you have a mag 3 or equivalent and you'll need to dial it down a little bit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Annap729 November 30, 2011 Author Share November 30, 2011 Which one and How big is your system Vadim? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vadim November 30, 2011 Share November 30, 2011 my tank is 125 gallons, and i have the 350ml capacity reactor. But i have 2 of them and put in 1.5 cup in each one. i am running 1 cup per 50 gallons. Since i just got my 125 gallon up a little over a month ago. I don't expect to see a lot of results just yet from the biopellets. Everything that i've read said it takes about 9 - 12 weeks to actually see any results. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zygote2k November 30, 2011 Share November 30, 2011 I tried biopellets when they first came out. I had mixed results on various systems. On one that already had nonexistent nitrates, but had p04, it led to the growth of cyanobacteria. In fact, all 3 tanks that I ran biopellets on, cyano grew. After nearly 6 months of use and not seeing the results that were supposed to be occurring, I decided to remove all of it. I think the jury is still out on this. Isn't there something called Zeovit for ULNS? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Annap729 November 30, 2011 Author Share November 30, 2011 <br />my tank is 125 gallons, and i have the 350ml capacity reactor. But i have 2 of them and put in 1.5 cup in each one. i am running 1 cup per 50 gallons. Since i just got my 125 gallon up a little over a month ago. I don't expect to see a lot of results just yet from the biopellets. Everything that i've read said it takes about 9 - 12 weeks to actually see any results.<br /><br /><br /><br /> Yes me too- Apparently the stuff has to build up on the pellets enough to slough off and be skimmed out. I'd guess a healthy daily or weekly micro Bacter7 dosing would help... Gosh, decisions decisions decisions... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Annap729 November 30, 2011 Author Share November 30, 2011 <br />I tried biopellets when they first came out. I had mixed results on various systems. On one that already had nonexistent nitrates, but had p04, it led to the growth of cyanobacteria. In fact, all 3 tanks that I ran biopellets on, cyano grew. After nearly 6 months of use and not seeing the results that were supposed to be occurring, I decided to remove all of it. I think the jury is still out on this.<br /><br /> Isn't there something called Zeovit for ULNS?<br /> <br /><br /><br />Haha zyg...like you dont know zeovit..... Yes zeovit was another I was considering and researching. I've read comments from reefers for years of how their tanks have never looked so good. Im sure one question would be in relation to the reactors-what needs to be different about them vs the bio pellets or gfo/carbon? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buucca November 30, 2011 Share November 30, 2011 http://reefbuilders.com/2009/10/29/ulns-load-detritus-ultra-nutrient-system-desert/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Annap729 November 30, 2011 Author Share November 30, 2011 (edited) Great read. I just want a LOW nutrient system as in >5. AKA OLIGOTROPHIC Edited November 30, 2011 by Annap729 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lowsingle November 30, 2011 Share November 30, 2011 I have been using bio-pellets for some time and really like the results......that said, I do not only rely upon them for nutrient removal and under dose the recommended amount. My view is take it easy and take your time with things that can alter your chemistry. Most problems I have seen were from people trying to solve nutrient imbalances quickly by dosing large amounts of bio-pellets as some form of a silver bullet. My experience is that their is no silver bullet (although I wish their was one). I consider bio-pellets the lazy Zeovit approach =) cheers, Darren Here is a pic of how I plumbed my AVAST reactor into my existing skimmer: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BowieReefer84 November 30, 2011 Share November 30, 2011 It doesn't get any easier than prodibio... Biodigest, Bioptim, and Reef Booster. The first two are a bacteria and a fuel, and the third is a "food." The first two WILL drop your nitrates and phosphates. They are potent, and you must closely monitor your tank. Many people sugest running your Alk around 7-8 when dosing this stuff, and report burnt sps at 9+ Alk. I use it, but nowhere near the recommended dose. I add it every few months at a lower than recommended dose to drop things just a bit if needed. I am also not trying for ZERO nitrates. Nothing bad happens as long as they are under 5-10 ime. Phoshphates have always been more of an issue for me, and I am using GFO for that... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Der ABT November 30, 2011 Share November 30, 2011 (edited) Love the skimmer mod, did you just drill and tap the hole?? very nice idea putting it right into the bubble....i like it. been running biopellets for about 2 years now and have liked them alot I have also dosed porbidio and liked it as well... I had mine in a TLF reactor at first and kept getting clumps (which you dont want)....i decided to give the avast reactor a try and it was night and day difference how much better it was. Avast has a great cheap reactor (i use the mr-5 18in) and also sells biopellets if im not mistaken. I think they have worked well for me, i noticed that i would only have to clean the glass every 2-3 days vs every 12-24hours. i actually had my feed pump (mj1200) break an impeller shaft and didnt notice as i was out of town for two weeks in a row.....came home and could barely see thru the glass despite my dad swearing he cleaned the glass with teh mag scraper 2 days prior. Also have really cut back on my GFO use, pretty much dont use it any more unless i know im going to be away for a while. Edited November 30, 2011 by Der ABT Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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