NPX-Xtra Beads BETA testing thread!

[pinhead]

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.