Not sure why you need a specific test tube. I would think any tube would work, as long as you have the right reagents and the right measuring instruments.

I've been running the new style beads for almost a month and here are some observations:

-I never had problems with clumping or with any cloudiness or discharge from the reactor.

-I had the flow adjusted properly right from the beginning and the beads were tumbling as in the videos.

-I didn't add any bacterial suppliment and let they bacteria colonize the beads naturally.

- Nothing much happened for about 2 weeks and then I had a gradual appearance of cyano

- Cyano was pretty bad but controllable. I didn't siphon it out of the tank but instead stirred up the patches on the sand. It was limited only to the sandbed.

- I have noticed some changes over the last few days. I usually have to clean the glass with the magfloat once a week and really didn't need to this week. Cyano is declining and polyp extension on some of encrusting corals is more apparent.

- My test kits were pretty well expired, so I don't have any measured values for phosphated or nitrates.

Overall I'm pretty happy with the beads. If the Cyano fully disappears, I know it is a result of the reactor maturing because I haven't made any changes to the fish popluation or feeding patterns since I started the pellets.

When will the Xtra beads become available?

I've got what appears to be this type of algae spreading all over now. Haven't been feeding much but then again the tunze 9002 skimmer is a piece of crap. I wonder if it's not skimming well enough to be using these pellets/beads?

From Melev's site: maidenhead algae

http://www.melevsreef.com/id/other/maidens_hair.jpg

The Extra Beads will be available starting Wednesday this week in limited quantities until our large order arrives from the manufacturer.

Retailers can order the Extra Beads any time but will not ship until Wednesday.

Thanks!

Maiden Hair Algae!! That is actually considered a desirable Algae, very strange! There has been some cases of people experiencing limited issues with Algae and sometimes Cyano when implementing any type of PHA beads; however, nine times out of ten it can be attributed to an inefficient skimmer.

50% of the equation with the beads is the skimmer, without efficient skimming the metabolites, dead, and or overflow surplus of bacteria have no where to go but eventually settle back into the tank. Skimming must be a priority and be as wet as possible in order to accelerate the nutrient export.

Hope this helps!

Wait so you mean I can frag and sell this algae? Best of all folks...it does great in areas not receiving much light!

Yeah my skimmer is junk. Tunze for the FAIL. I'll crank the air up more and try and skim wetter. It does great for a day then it can't push bubbles high enough to do its job. Frustrating.

Edit:

"This species is sensitive to high levels of nitrates"

Hmmm =) Speaks well for the beads maybe. I'll have to get pics to confirm this actually IS the same algae.

So, tonight I've decided to temporarily suspend use of NPX-Xtra pellets on my tank.

The nitrate is down, the phosphate is down, that part is great. But what has me puzzled and a little troubled is the bleaching now going on in my tank among the two carpets, my green bubble coral, and the acan's. It all started roughly two weeks ago and has been getting steadily more noticeable every day. The coincidence in timing with the pellets is unfortunately very difficult to ignore.

The one thing that might set my tank apart from others is the fact that I dosed kalk at night to maintain Ca/Alk levels, so I have to wonder if it could be interference with the kalk that could be the issue.

So for now I've turned off the pellets and turned off the kalk as well just to see if I can reverse that trend. My two gigantea carpets are more important to me than the PO4/NO3 numbers so I'm really hoping that this can be fixed.

Is there any downside to shutting these things off for a while and letting them sit? Then starting them up again? I have a feeling they'll fuse into some solid mess but I'm not sure...