Vertex Bio Pellets vs. NP Pellets what is the difference

[globaldesigns]

Originally Posted by Skimmer King

what do it take out NO3 and phosphates

Hey, they are pretty good, helps to create a NLS (nutrient low system) eating up all those nasty things like nitrates.

There is a trick to using them, keeping them tubmling vigorously on top, but very very slow at the bottom of the reactor. Also exporting the water from the reactor in front of the skimmer intake. If setup properly, they do a good job.

[The Grizz]

Originally Posted by globaldesigns

Also exporting the water from the reactor in front of the skimmer intake. If setup properly, they do a good job.

That is my other question where does everyone have the water output from there reactors? I know Rick has his going back in front of his skimmers, what about the rest of you?

[kien]

Originally Posted by The Grizz

That is my other question where does everyone have the water output from there reactors? I know Rick has his going back in front of his skimmers, what about the rest of you?

Output of reactor close to intake of skimmer. I believe this is typically recommended by the manufacturers, and makes sense. As the bacteria consumes pellets they too will generate waste and you typically want that waste exported via the skimmer. Of course, not all if the bacterial waste will get skimmed out. Some will escape back into the tank and will become food for corals and other filter feeders.

[The Grizz]

I have search for this info but have never been able to find it any where, maybe I was looking in the wrong place. My output hose is now down right in front of the pump that feeds my 1st skimmer.

[Tom R]

I have a 400G system with 2 reactors.

1 x converted 3qt ZEOvit reactor with 1500 ml of pellets
1 x Vertex UF20 with 1100 ml of pellets

The ZEOvit reactor drains just in front of my skimmer intake.
The Vertex UF20 drains directly into my sump.

Tom R

[globaldesigns]

Greg,

The reason for having the export from the pellets infront of the skimmer intake is for 2 reasons:

1.) The pellets do depleat the water of oxygen, so the skimmer re-oxygenizez the water
2.) To remove any excess that the pellets do create, anything not removed becomes food for the coral.

I hope this helps.

[chris121277]

Don't mean to hi-jack your thread.....but I wanted to know, out of everyone here who is now running these type of pellets......did you see a noticeable difference from before you starting running them to after?


I guess what I'm getting at is it worth buying another reactor and running 3? (1 carbon, 1 phos remover and 1 bio pellet)

[kien]

Originally Posted by chris121277

Don't mean to hi-jack your thread.....but I wanted to know, out of everyone here who is now running these type of pellets......did you see a noticeable difference from before you starting running them to after?


I guess what I'm getting at is it worth buying another reactor and running 3? (1 carbon, 1 phos remover and 1 bio pellet)

Did I see a different from before the pellets to now? Yes.

Before running the pellets I had a refugium going with chaeto and my nitrates hovered around 8ppm.

Two weeks after running pellets.


4 weeks after running pellets. "Lo" means undetectable



<ramble>
These pellets are a form of nutrient export and we all know that there are a crap load of ways to export nutrients from our tanks (Refugium with macro alage, zeoVit, mangroves, Vodka, sugar, massive skimming, water changes, bioPellets, etc..).

If you currently do not have ANY form of nutrient export, I think any of the above listed method will work more or less the same (depending on how you implement the methods). There are beautiful tanks out there that just rely on water changes, awesome tanks with just refugiums, awesome tanks running zeoVit, awesome tanks running mangroves, awesome tanks running bioPellets.

As to whether or not it is worth it to run three reactors? I think so yes. In fact I run 4 reactors. Two for biopellets, one for carbon and one for a small amount of GFO. I personally find running biopellets to be the easiest of all the methods. Drop in some pellets, turn on the reactor, tumble away. Top up pellets every few months.

Anyway, that's my experience and opinion There are still reports of many people trying bioPellets with poor results, but the same can be said with all the other methods as well
</ramble>

[chris121277]

Thanks for that man, I've just read so many threads about people saying that there tanks were worse off when running only the Bio pellets, but at the same time I've seen a bunch that said there great as long as you run a phos remove like the BRS stuff.

You are the first to show me test results though, I appreciate that. Now I've heard some people saying they noticed a big difference in there corals.....have you noticed any such change?

[kien]

Originally Posted by chris121277

Thanks for that man, I've just read so many threads about people saying that there tanks were worse off when running only the Bio pellets, but at the same time I've seen a bunch that said there great as long as you run a phos remove like the BRS stuff.

You are the first to show me test results though, I appreciate that. Now I've heard some people saying they noticed a big difference in there corals.....have you noticed any such change?

Again, I think the same can be said about all the other methods as well. There are a bunch of people who say they tried zeo with poor results, or they tried vodka dosing with poor results, or their refugium gives them poor results. While at the same time there are tonnes of people who do use those methods and get great results

Did I notice a change with my corals? Yup. some of my corals certainly did respond by exhibiting lighter colours. Growth didn't really change though as phosphates were virtually zero in both cases (before and after pellets).

One thing I did notice with the pellets is that while they did great at stripping nitrates, they didn't perform so well with phosphates. I have no idea why. When I started using the pellets I took my GFO reactor off line because the pellets are supposed to strip N and P together. Well, I observed my phosphates climb from zero to 0.14 and hovered around there while just running the pellets. While I certainly wouldn't lose sleep over a phosphate reading of 0.14, I still did not like it so I put the GFO reactor back on line and once again have my phosphate reading at zero. So contrary to what is typically recommended with these pellets I do run GFO as a phosphate remover in conjunction with the pellets.