Running GFO and Bio Pellets?
 

I'm running Bio Pellets in a reactor now, and want to know if running GFO in another reactor also, would be a waste, or a benefit to the tank?

I am pretty sure that Kien and a few others are running the big 3 as I call them ( pellets, GFO and Carbon ) I will be soon as well.

Actually it's generally not a good idea. For the biopellets to work its best not to disrupt the ratio of phosphates to nitrates. If you suck up all the phosphates with GFO or similar, the nitrates can build up because there isnt enough phosphates for the bacteria to reproduce (and consume nitrates).

I run carbon, rowaphos, and pellets. The only reason I run rowa phos is because I found that pellets reduced nitrate faster then phosphate and once one of the two element has been depleted, the bacteria can not remove the other, so the rowa finishes the rest of the phosphate.

In theory you aren't supposed to run a phosphate remover while doing probiotic nutrient removal because you may make phosphates a limiting species and thus brig the probiotic system to a halt. However, most people find that bacteria based nutrient systems don't really cut it for phosphate removal, so they run GFO or rowaphos.

I'm running Rowaphos and will be starting vodka dosing at the end of this month.

i run all 3

It's pretty hard to phosphate limit the bacteria. I run a small amount of GFO with bio-pellets as a safety net and have no problem...still zero nitrate.

I have been doing exactly the same thing for over a year now.

I have tested my tank with a Hanna Checker ULR. I have a phosphate level, of 4ppb. Which is .0004 ppm. I don't believe running a phosphate reactor is nessesary. And fear, it could acctually harm my corals, by stripping the water totally, and causing the bio-pellets to not do their job properly, or bleach out my corals. Could this happen?

The pellets can only reduce PO4 so long as they can reduce NO3. Once NO3 is 0, they cannot reduce PO4 any further. Thus, there is a case to be made to run both GFO and pellets.

Carbon should be run on a reef tank regardless. Not a good idea at all not to have carbon in there as there are too many allelopaths released by corals, (softies and leathers are especially bad for this), plus it polishes up the water clarity. Here's a good writeup on the topic: http://joejaworski.wordpress.com/200...k-need-carbon/