I just setup NP BioPellets on my system

[guyduquette]

It's official... I just ordered the Nextreef XL and 2 liters of NP Biopellets from Aquariumspecialty.com. Probably arrive next week.

So, I'll be able to give, possibly, the first review on Nextreef's new Reactor custom made for NP Biopellets. Hopefully it'll give me some good tumbling?

 

[Liam]

It's official... I just ordered the Nextreef XL and 2 liters of NP Biopellets from Aquariumspecialty.com. Probably arrive next week.

So, I'll be able to give, possibly, the first review on Nextreef's new Reactor custom made for NP Biopellets. Hopefully it'll give me some good tumbling?

sorry to say its doubtful you will get them next week if you ordered from aquarium specialty,check out the vendor experience forum,they have a horrendous track record.

 

[Liam]

I gave up with the pellets,i was using a dose on the low end of the scale but i had nothing but cyano after a week or so,never had any problem before.
went back to my full zeovit regime.

 

[focus]

I gave up with the pellets,i was using a dose on the low end of the scale but i had nothing but cyano after a week or so,never had any problem before.
went back to my full zeovit regime.

Wow ditto on the cyano anyone else??

 

[guyduquette]

Well, they did send me an order status saying the Biopellets would ship today and the Nextreef reactor will ship from the manufacturer. So, this could be good news. Now it's up to the manufacturer to let me down.

I've read nothing but great things everywhere about The Biopellets so I hope to have good luck. And, hey, I already have some cyano in my refugium so can't get much worse, right?

 

[frank180reef]

cyno

Wow ditto on the cyano anyone else??

Yup I have cyno and never had it before

 

[guyduquette]

Are you guys using enough pellets? I've read that if you don't it doesn't work? That's why I purchased 2 liters right away.

How are your nitrates and phosphates? Are the pellets tumbling?

 

[frank180reef]

mine are tumbling aggressively and have been for around 3 weeks. I have 2000 ml

 

[focus]

Are you guys using enough pellets? I've read that if you don't it doesn't work? That's why I purchased 2 liters right away.

How are your nitrates and phosphates? Are the pellets tumbling?

Bottom 25% tumbling the top 75% are stuck together and pushed to the top. No detectable nitrates or phosphates. 1000ml total system volume around 120 gallons. LPS have had multiple bacterial infections and STN I am going to take it off line today and see what happens. Calcium 400 Alk 10 PH 8.1

 

[wilfx]

I am using 1000ml on a 120 with a 30 gallon sump. It is supposed to be enough pellets. They are tumbling pretty good. I really haven't seen any of th oatmeal stuff. They seem to be staying pretty clean.

 

[guyduquette]

Received email update from Aquariumspecialty.com and both the pellets and reactor shipped yesterday, the same day I placed my order. Includes tracking #'s and the goods are moving (not just origin scans).

I have to say though, you guys are really bumming me out though. I run a 265g FOWLR with hosted anemones, so I am hoping the Biopellets will improve my nitrate levels from 20 to zero. My system is not as complex as a full-on reef. Also, I run a wet/dry with live rock rubble. Also, a Reeflo Orca skimmer! (my favorite!)

 

[Andy V]

I am using the pellets and I am turning down the flow just enough so that they DON'T tumble. B from Skiptons suggested this. The thought was that the aggressive tumbling would release all the bacterial mulm into the system constantly, thus creating the same problem as overdosing vodka, i.e. cyano blooms.

Here's what I have found in my three months of using the pellets:

1) I can go more than a month without any detectable nitrates. I used to do a ~20% change every week, so I never had nitrates anyway. But usually by the second week of no water change the levels had risen significantly.

2) I cannot fairly say what this has done for phosphates, because I do not have a meter. First of all, I run GFO already so I never had an algae problem. I usually have to clean my glass 2x a week. I bought the pellets hoping that they would reduce this to 1x a week or less. Nothing has changed here. However, the pellets did give me the confidence to feed much more heavily than in the past. I feed one cube of mysis, one cube or spirulina, and one cube of coral food mix per day. This is significantly higher than what I was feeding before.

3) Water clarity is awesome and polyp extension is greater.

All in, I do not think these pellets are going to revolutionize the hobby as some really experienced people were predicting. They are certainly beneficial, but you have to decide whether or not the incremental benefits are worth the price. I will continue to use them though.

For reference:

I have a 30g tank with no sump. I run 150W 20K Ushio MH. I have a Sapphire Aquatics custom skimmer for the JBJ Nano Cube. I run BRS ROX Carbon and Pellet GFO in a BRS dual reactor, as well as the biopellets in a separate BRS single reactor. I have no mechanical filtration. I dose 2-part daily using a peristaltic pump. All controlled by DA RKL controller. Parameters are very, very stable. I also have a chiller.

Livestock:

Five Bar Mystery Wrasse
Yellow Coris Wrasse
McCosker's Flasher Wrasse
Firefish
Diamond Goby
Splendid Goby
Hi Fin Goby
Clownfish
2 pistol shrimp
Several Hermits
2 Turbo Snails

Mixed Corals, mostly SPS and LPS

 

[JohnK]

It seems that the effectiveness is limited by the avialable nitrate. That is, once the nitrate is used up, the bacteria is again limited and can't take up any more phosphate (hence the fact that people are not seeing all nusiance algae disappear).

Also, there has been so much talk about tumbling, but if you tumble the pellets and do not have that output going directly into the skimmer then you are not removing the nutrients, your just binding them up in bacteria that is staying in the system.

Personally I'm running 500ml on a 50 gal system that is basically new. I still see some normal film algae on the glass, but overall the lack of nusiance algae is quite noticable at 6 months in on the new system. Cyano disappeared not long after starting the pellets. My pellets are not tumbling.

 

[Joel A]

Is this the point where i get to say "i told you so"?

I wasn't routing for these to fail.. but it just irked me that everyone thought they would be the "be all end all" of reef tank filtration...

sounds like they do work to an extent.. but it's not magically going to make all of your issues go away.. in fact it may even cause some issues of its own..

 

[frank180reef]

so is the concensces to turn down the flow?

I have started an algae scrupper also and that is starting to show some algae after about a week

 

[JohnK]

I'd still call this experimental (though no one is actually doing any controlled experiements)

 

[SteveDola]

Is this the point where i get to say "i told you so"?

I wasn't routing for these to fail.. but it just irked me that everyone thought they would be the "be all end all" of reef tank filtration...

sounds like they do work to an extent.. but it's not magically going to make all of your issues go away.. in fact it may even cause some issues of its own..

my fathers tank had tons of HA covering all rock and some sandbed. Tried for year to fix but nothing would fully rid the tank of the algea. Set the pellets up in mid march and after seeing it today, 99.9% of all HA is gone. Sand bed and rock are perfectly clear.

Overall these pellets have been a great. worked better than I expected. You can keep your "told you so" for someone else because Im giving the man that advised these miracle pellets a big thanks and handshake when I see him next. I no longer have to field questions and come up with ideas about my fathers' HA problem as its a thing of the past...thank god.
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On a side note:
I bought a new stronger pump to put on the reactor because I thought these were supposed to be running with a tumble. Hooked up the new pump so the pellets were tumbling and after 2-3 days not sure if everything responded well. things are a little more retracted since. Im going to have him reduce the flow so they barely tumble. The results of the lower flow were perfect...shouldnt have bothered with it.

 

[jackthestrat]

Is this the point where i get to say "i told you so"?

I wasn't routing for these to fail.. but it just irked me that everyone thought they would be the "be all end all" of reef tank filtration...

sounds like they do work to an extent.. but it's not magically going to make all of your issues go away.. in fact it may even cause some issues of its own..

I think that it is premature to consider your criticism validated, considering that there are lots of people who are having excellent results. There are a lot of variables to consider given everyone's unique husbandry skills. This is just another tool.

 

[Joel A]

I think that it is premature to consider your criticism validated, considering that there are lots of people who are having excellent results. There are a lot of variables to consider given everyone's unique husbandry skills. This is just another tool.

I think people aren't understanding my position here.. i'm not even involved enough with it to have a valid opinion.. so i can't really criticize... all my position ever was is that if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.

 

[JohnK]

In all fairness, IMO it's pretty hard not to get a little sick of "reefing trends".

I hear ya Joel