Biopellet, GFO, Carbon Reactors

[msl5078]

Hi everyone,

I wanted to get some input on BP, GFO, and Carbon for my new 90 gallon tank. I am getting ready to cycle the tank and would like to get everything up and running during that time. I have an old RO/DI unit and plan to break it down and turn it into a 3 independant chamber media system. I was planning on using chambers 1 and 2 for bio-pellets and using the third chamber for a 50/50 mix of GFO and Carbon. I was looking at the following:

Using chambers 1 & 2 to lower an nitrates in the tank.
Chamber 3 to clean and remove phosphate from the tank.

The tank will be use for a mixed reef tank that is SPS dominated.

What are your opinions I know that bio-pellets are the hot thing right now.

thanks,
mike

[reeftivo]

If the pellets are in the first chamber the bacterial mulm will clog the second quickly. The mulm will need to be directed to the skimmer. If you put the pellets in the last chamber then your flow rates wont work because gfo functions better at lower flow rates than carbon and definatley pellets.

better to run the pellets independently, and run the carbon and gfo in the unit only.

[xCry0x]

Pellets need their own reactor, pellets defeat the purpose of GFO. What you need is two reactors, one for pellets one for carbon.

[aleonn]

Bio pellets have a tendency to clump without adequate flow. You'd need a good reactor (my TLF, and dual BRS reactors did not work well for BPs) such as the Next Reef SMR1, Aquamaxxx, JNS Alpha, etc.

[scarface70706]

running gfo and BP together isnt a bad thing. thats like saying using two filter socks is defeating the purpose of using one.

[xCry0x]

Yea but that raises the question of what is the first one doing wrong that makes you need a second one.

[DrBegalke]

If you run GFO with a biopellet reactor, you are depleting the nutrients (phosphate) that the bacteria on the biopellets need.

It is an OK idea if your phosphate is quite high, say over 1, but once the biopellet reactor kicks in and the phosphate is lower the 1, I would stop the GFO.

I have a JNS alpha 1, happy with it.