Bio Pellets - Round 2

After a few months hiatus, I've decided to try out bio pellets again.  I previously switched from the bio pellets to Fauna Marin, as the pellets did too good of a job stripping my water of nutrients.  However, I found the Fauna Marin to be too much maintenance for my liking, not to mention the added cost.

So why would I switch back to bio pellets after the disastrous results of my initial trial?  Well, the bio pellets did exactly what they were intended for... to clean the water, it just did too good of a job by stripping all the nutrients.  I knew something was missing so I did some research and it turns out that in order to run bio pellets successfully, you must find that fine balance of the right amount of bio pellets to use in accordance with your system.  In hindsight, I probably used too much in my initial trial, which is why my water was completely stripped of nutrients.

This time, I am using NPX Bioplastics bio pellets.  Based on the recommendations on the packaging, I am to use 100 ml per 25 gallons.  With my system being 135 gallons with a 55 gallon sump and subtracting the volume taken up by the live rock, I would estimate that I have roughly 150 gallons.  This would mean that I need to use 600 ml of bio pellets.  There is also a warning on the packaging about starting off with half the recommended dosage to prevent algae blooms, so I did just that.  I set up 300 ml of bio pellets in the reactor, and will gradually add 100 ml at a time to reach 600 ml, all the while testing the system to ensure I'm not using too much.  

In my research, I also came across another key point.  Because bio pellets are only a carbon source, its important to seed with a good bioculture, and that most have been successful using Brightwell's Microbacter7.  I did not do this in my initial trial, which probably would've made a significant difference.  I will be supplementing the bio pellets with it this time around.

I'll monitor and tweak the system in the coming weeks and hopefully provide some positive updates.

I'm Back!

It's been a while since I've posted on Regala's Reef so I thought I'd give an update.

Life has become quite busy for me, due to a career change, but couldn't be happier, career-wise.  Unfortunately, this left me with little time to devote to the tank, aside from the regular husbandry duties of maintaining it.  As of lately, my schedule is starting to settle and am finding myself devoting more and more time to the tank.  I've started a few projects, which I will go into greater detail in their own posts, but here's an overview:

• New LEDs (Ecotech Radions)
• Exterior Build for the Frame
• Bio Pellets - Round Two!

Stay tuned for updates on these upcoming projects.  It's great to be back!

Fauna Marin Ultralith System

It's been a few weeks since the last update and there's been quite a few changes to the system. 


A few months back, I began using Bio Pellets to improve the water quality in the tank, which in turn, would improve the coloration of the corals, specifically my SPS corals.  The first few weeks went very well and the quality of the water improved dramatically, the coral colorations became vibrant, and they showed excellent polyp extensions.  However, the next few weeks to follow were disastrous.  I began to lose colonies of corals, one by one, as they would begin to STN (Slow Tissue Necrosis).  I constantly monitored my water parameters, however, none were out of sort.  I was frustrated, to say the least.  A few weeks went by and I pretty much lost all my SPS colonies, however, the other corals (LPS, etc...) were doing well.  I finally figured out the issue.  The Bio Pellets did a phenomenal job cleaning up the water... in fact, too well.  They had completely stripped my water of all nutrients that my SPS needed and they basically starved to death.


I've spent the next few weeks trying to get my tank back on track, which is why I haven't posted lately, as I was busy.  Needless to say, I removed the Bio Pellet reactor from the system.  Normally, I would just let the system bounce back on its own, slowly acquiring nutrients back from numerous feedings, fish detritus, etc...  However, I don't have that option because I need to run a ULNS (Ultra Low Nutrient System) due to my heavy bio load of large tangs.  I've done quite a bit of research and have decided to run the Fauna Marin Ultralith System.

Basically, the Ultralith System utilizes special "rocks" called Zeolite Filter Media and a combination of additives.  The Zeolite are extremely porous rocks that, when viewed under a microscope, look like sponges.  The additives are combination of carefully selected beneficial bacteria that will inhabit these rocks and eat the excess nutrients from the water, thereby purifying the water.  Other additives are also used which replace the stripped nutrients, with better nutrients to feed the corals.  In essence, the water is purified and the amount of beneficial nutrients are "controlled".  The addition of the Zeolite rocks themselves is synonymous to adding a thousand pounds of live rock to your system.  I acquired a new reactor for the Zeolite rocks (Vertex Zeovit Reactor ZF-30), which has been added to the system.  It's the first week on the Fauna Marin Ultralith System and I will report its progress.

On a side note, there was another issue with the tank.  I had recently added an RBTA (Red Bubble Tip Anemone) to the tank.  Unfortunately, my GBTA (Green Bubble Tip Anemone) had began to move and encountered the RBTA.  They began to "fight" using chemical warfare and resulted in the death of both of them, as well as all the surrounding frilly mushrooms.  They were all removed.  Once the tank is back in pristine shape, I will add another RBTA.