What are the new Xport products from Brightwell Aquatics?

[FragIt Dan]

I have spoken directly with Chris (Brightwell) about these products and have some of each of the three Xport products on order to try out. He has confirmed the Xport PO4 is not GFO based, although 'there is an iron component that takes an active part in the adsorption process'. I asked if the Xport Bio and Xport NO3 were more of the bioplastics products and he has confirmed ‘they have NO BIOPLASTIC component to them’ and they are in fact 'ceramic based'.

From his comments I am under the impression all three products are completely new and not like anything else currently (Jan. 2012) on the market. They are simultaneously consumable (act as electron donors in the nitrification/denitrification nitrogen cycle), as well as biological, providing a large surface area for colonization.

If using all three products, they should be used in series from Bio to NO3 and then PO4 last. I asked if there is a need to supplement Organic Carbon (Vodka, sugar etc.) and Chris said that there is no need. The response was that the NO3 product, although mechanistically different, performs the same function.

I will be rotating off GFO/Organic Carbon (vodka in my case) dosing and onto the Xport products. Chris suggested an overlap of the Xport products with my Vodka dosing (no need to overlap the GFO) and to wean my tank off the organic carbon over a period of several weeks to allow the Xport products to seed properly.

Overall, Chris didn't seem to be too worried about any skepticism out there and seemed confident the results would speak for themselves.

There are others that would perhaps shed more light on this and I would welcome any input or suggestions/corrections people have. I am looking forward to trying them out and will report back over the next weeks with my experiences.

Dan

[mwminer]

Will tag along with this one. Looking to use these products on a new 450 gallon system. Am planning to try these out on an established 165 gallon system as soon as I can get this stuff. Chris Brightwell told me that they should be in retailers hands within the next week or so. I have some big messy eaters so controlling nitreates and phos. is challenging to say the least!

[hypnoj]

following. Please keep us updated

[atcaw94]

I just picked some of this up today, the first in my area to get it. I was ready order some bio pellets when my LFS called me to try these out. I will be running them in a reactor, so am unsure how much they should tumble, I know the instructions say to not fluidize them. Being as I can't seem to get my nitrates out of the 50 range, I"m up for trying anything at this point. Plus, if these work they will be much less expensive to run than bio pellets. I'll try and keep everyone updated.

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

I do not know what these products are, but I'd be careful taking too much of what Chris says at face value as some of his products are misleading and/or poorly designed.

[atcaw94]

Randy, I hear you. I had already bought the syringes and vodka to start vodka dosing until I wondered what you do if you are out of town for a week or so and can't dose. The every day necessity of vodka dosing made me start looking at the bio pellets.

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

That's one of the benefits of a dosing pump. Mine runs on auto pilot from a 1 gallon jug of vinegar for more than a month. I can also spread out the dosing during the daylight hours.

[FragIt Dan]

These are the XPort BIO cubes:

XPort BIO.jpg

I have been running them for a few days now in a couple of my tanks as per the instructions (seeded with Microbactor, non-fluidized etc.). My XPort NO3 and PO4 is on the way and should arrive later this week, at which point I will integrate them into my canister filters. I will be running all three products in three of my tanks under different conditions. I will also be making a lot of other changes over the next few months so I would not be able to say with direct confidence that any changes I see should be attributed solely to the XPort products. I can say that I have had nuisance level hair algae in my tanks for years and although I will be tinkering with various things over the next months, I don't expect anything i will be doing to affect the hair algae, so if it goes away I expect I will be attributing it to the use of the XPort products (we will see) .

1) Laydown 90g frag tank with 70g sump (140g twv), bare bottom ~60lbs LR in sump, no NO3 or PO4 problems but bits of hair algae here and there. Only 1 clown and no clean up crew. Xport products are in an external canister filter with a measured flow rate of 90g/hr. Currently dosing 20g anhydrous CaCl/day (along with appropriate ratios of other elements).

2) 90g, DSB with 50g sump (100g twv) ~60lbs LR, no PO4 problems but periodic NO3 levels up to 10ppm, typical old tank syndrome (been running about 5 years). Only 1 maroon clown, minimal cleanup crew, lots of inverts and various corals. Nuisance level of hair algae gets manually groomed every month or two. Xport products are in an external canister filter with a measured flow rate of 90g/hr. Currently dosing 15g anhydrous CaCl/day (along with appropriate ratios of other elements).

3) 75g, crushed coral substrate with 30g sump (80g twv) ~40lbs LR, no NO3 or PO4 problems but bits of hair algae here and there. One pair of clowns, minimal cleanup crew. Xport products are in an external canister filter with a measured flow rate of 70g/hr. Currently dosing 10g anhydrous CaCl/day (along with appropriate ratios of other elements).

Essentially, i don't maintain my tanks at ideal levels, but they still show good growth and colors in the corals. Although my parameters are good, I suspect the nuisance level of hair algae is keeping the parameters at or near zero and I would like to see if the Xport products will 'out compete' the hair algae for the products of the nitrogen cycle.

Basic setup details:
1) I use RO/DI water and have tested it once with a Hannah Phosphate checker at 0.05ppm
2) I use dosing pumps and ATO's on all three tanks listed above
3) I feed coral and fish foods with little to no phosphates
4) I have efficient skimming and run GAC as per suggested use guidelines
5) I will no longer be running GFO as the XPort PO4 is intended to replace it
6) I do NOT do regular water changes (maybe 40% every couple of months)

There are many other variables in this that i will not account for here (feeding, supplement dosing etc.), you are welcome to ask but for now I will leave it off this initial post. I'll let you know when I get the other XPort products integrated,
Dan

[FragIt Dan]

Originally Posted by atcaw94

I just picked some of this up today, the first in my area to get it. I was ready order some bio pellets when my LFS called me to try these out. I will be running them in a reactor, so am unsure how much they should tumble, I know the instructions say to not fluidize them. Being as I can't seem to get my nitrates out of the 50 range, I"m up for trying anything at this point. Plus, if these work they will be much less expensive to run than bio pellets. I'll try and keep everyone updated.

Based on the consistency of the XPort cubes (crumbly, hard foam), I would NOT be tumbling these. The directions specifically say to NOT fluidize them. If you were to ignore this I would suspect you will erode them and end up with powdered media sprayed across your tank. If you are using as Phosban reactor and have no other choice, you might want to pack some porous sponge between the Xport cubes and the top of the reactor to keep them from fluidizing.
Dan

[FragIt Dan]

Originally Posted by Randy Holmes-Farley

I do not know what these products are, but I'd be careful taking too much of what Chris says at face value as some of his products are misleading and/or poorly designed.

Randy: Thanks for the heads up, I started the thread to see what others are finding with the Xport stuff as it gets integrated into the market to indeed see how people are finding it. Do you have any resources or references on critique of the Brightwell Aquatics line? I would be interested in finding out more.
Dan

[atcaw94]

Originally Posted by FragIt Dan

Based on the consistency of the XPort cubes (crumbly, hard foam), I would NOT be tumbling these. The directions specifically say to NOT fluidize them. If you were to ignore this I would suspect you will erode them and end up with powdered media sprayed across your tank. If you are using as Phosban reactor and have no other choice, you might want to pack some porous sponge between the Xport cubes and the top of the reactor to keep them from fluidizing.
Dan

The instructions say you can use a reactor, but not to fluidize them. I took fluidize to mean a strong/rapid tumbling, much like what you see on youtube of biopellet reactors in action. Correct me if I am wrong. Would you suggest just putting them in a media bag in the sump?

BTW, I have an email in to Brightwell asking this question, as well as if I should start out with half the amount needed like is suggested with bio pellets.

[atcaw94]

Originally Posted by Randy Holmes-Farley

That's one of the benefits of a dosing pump. Mine runs on auto pilot from a 1 gallon jug of vinegar for more than a month. I can also spread out the dosing during the daylight hours.

You dose vinegar vice vodka now? What brand dosing pump are you using?
Thanks

[FragIt Dan]

Originally Posted by atcaw94

The instructions say you can use a reactor, but not to fluidize them. I took fluidize to mean a strong/rapid tumbling, much like what you see on youtube of biopellet reactors in action. Correct me if I am wrong. Would you suggest just putting them in a media bag in the sump?

BTW, I have an email in to Brightwell asking this question, as well as if I should start out with half the amount needed like is suggested with bio pellets.

I think of fluidizing as any tumbling at all. I would think you will be fine as long as there is no movement or grinding between pieces. You could put them in a bag inside your reactor.

As for starting out with half dose... directly from the BA website:
http://brightwellaquatics.com/products/xport_biot.php
"In all systems, begin with a ratio of 150 g Xport-BIO per 300 US-gallons (1,136 L) in system"

This is your starting dose. If you are running a heavily stocked system, wish to overfeed or are having other issues (i.e. high PO4 in tap water and no RO/DI), it would make sense to increase your treatment size from there. If you are vodka/other organic carbon source dosing, you will want to slowly wean your system off, perhaps over several weeks. For example if you are using biopellets, after a week or so you might want to take 5% out every day for the next few weeks.
Dan

[Buzz1329]

When I started reading this thread, I kinda felt like I walked in on the taping of an infomercial.

[j.p. harrington]

look like croutons lol let us know how it works looking to beef up my filtration even more

[FragIt Dan]

Originally Posted by Buzz1329

When I started reading this thread, I kinda felt like I walked in on the taping of an infomercial.

Ha I am not paid by or work for Brightwell Aquatics and am not selling the XPort products (I paid for my supply of Xport stuff too), so have no financial interest in it. I only know Chris from asking him some technical questions about his stuff and thought I would share the info I got from him here. I figured the first post should have some basic background on the product 'cause it would be the one that people would go back to see what this is all about. Re-reading it I can kinda see what you are talking about, but no free steak knives with the Xport stuff . If it turns out to be crap, or people have problems with it, it will no doubt come out here, otherwise maybe we have something new to work with... only time will tell
Dan

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

Originally Posted by FragIt Dan

Randy: Thanks for the heads up, I started the thread to see what others are finding with the Xport stuff as it gets integrated into the market to indeed see how people are finding it. Do you have any resources or references on critique of the Brightwell Aquatics line? I would be interested in finding out more.
Dan

It's a couple of years old, but there's a thread where I detail which Brightwell products of that time concerned me:

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/sh....php?t=1762160

[atcaw94]

Originally Posted by j.p. harrington

look like croutons lol let us know how it works looking to beef up my filtration even more

That's funny, I thought the same thing. Looks nothing like bio pellets.

[thebanker]

Tagging along here. I saw an ad for these products, and needless to say I'm curious. I don't think people should discount these products before they are vetted and proven in the public's tanks. (Randy, your opinions are the exception here, since you are a chemist)

I'm not saying these products work or don't work, but biopellets were met with similar skepticism when they were first discussed.

Anyway, this looks interesting. I wonder how frequently one needs to change out the media. My last experience with Brightwell PhosphatR resin had me a little disappointed, because it created a drastic PO4 drop, and needed to be regenerated after 24 hours or so of use.

[tkeracer619]

Originally Posted by j.p. harrington

look like croutons lol let us know how it works looking to beef up my filtration even more

As scary as it sounds. They could be croutons. Bread and rice were experimented with as a carbon source. If they found out a way to keep them from breaking apart/dissolving then they would be able to sell croutons in a pretty package for 4000x markup. Makes sense to me. What does it taste like?

[FragIt Dan]

Originally Posted by tkeracer619

As scary as it sounds. They could be croutons. Bread and rice were experimented with as a carbon source. If they found out a way to keep them from breaking apart/dissolving then they would be able to sell croutons in a pretty package for 4000x markup. Makes sense to me. What does it taste like?

They aren't half bad with a bit of salad dressing . They seem to be a rocky type substance like foamy lava rock and have a distinctive chemical smell to them, not a harsh smell, but when doing the initial rinse with RO/DI a scent something like a gentle cleaning solution comes off them. The water runoff is also pretty milky. No crackling or reaction seems to be taking place, and no evidence of heat that I can tell. As for consumption, I think Chris said something like a 25% monthly rotation starting after a few months (I think kinda like GFO), but don't quote me on that. He also said they continue to act as biological filtration after saturated so not to throw them out... Just move them to your sump or leave the old stuff in.

[sirreal63]

I am amazed that I have managed to keep acros happy since 2004 with never using any Brightwell products. While I am sure he has some realistic products, a lot of the time they seem to have more of a placebo effect than a measurable one. It is hard to replace good husbandry and maintenance. Water changes and carbon dosing are pretty cheap and proven, and have measurable effects. I don't know of anyone who can claim failure because of water changes and regular tank maintenance yet there are many who do fail from lack of it. We know what is contained in carbon dosing and water changes, Chris is hesitant to list ingredients because someone will question the science or alchemy behind it.

Subscribed because I like to see what people are doing that is new and am curious how well this works.

[atcaw94]

Originally Posted by FragIt Dan

I think of fluidizing as any tumbling at all. I would think you will be fine as long as there is no movement or grinding between pieces. You could put them in a bag inside your reactor.

As for starting out with half dose... directly from the BA website:
http://brightwellaquatics.com/products/xport_biot.php
"In all systems, begin with a ratio of 150 g Xport-BIO per 300 US-gallons (1,136 L) in system"

This is your starting dose. If you are running a heavily stocked system, wish to overfeed or are having other issues (i.e. high PO4 in tap water and no RO/DI), it would make sense to increase your treatment size from there. If you are vodka/other organic carbon source dosing, you will want to slowly wean your system off, perhaps over several weeks. For example if you are using biopellets, after a week or so you might want to take 5% out every day for the next few weeks.
Dan

Guess I'll put them in a bag in the reactor. Being as I'm not dosing any other organic carbon source I'll go with the entire 150. Should be putting them in tomorrow afternoon after their 24 hour "bath".

[FragIt Dan]

Originally Posted by sirreal63

I am amazed that I have managed to keep acros happy since 2004 with never using any Brightwell products. While I am sure he has some realistic products, a lot of the time they seem to have more of a placebo effect than a measurable one. It is hard to replace good husbandry and maintenance. Water changes and carbon dosing are pretty cheap and proven, and have measurable effects...

I was commenting on another thread that IMO if you are doing regular water changes with a good salt, dosing a lot of the supplements becomes redundant. The cost ends up being the same to dose vs do water changes, so for me it is not about cost savings... I travel for work extensively for portions of the year and so need to set things up to be low maintenance for about 5 months, but my tanks suffer for it. My hopes for the XPort products are to reduce the suffering on my tanks.

[FragIt Dan]

Originally Posted by atcaw94

Guess I'll put them in a bag in the reactor. Being as I'm not dosing any other organic carbon source I'll go with the entire 150. Should be putting them in tomorrow afternoon after their 24 hour "bath".

That's 150grams/300Gallons tank water right? Just making sure .