BioPellet Flow

M

matt_longview

Simple question. Is 265gph enough flow to tumble biopellets correctly in a Nextreef Shorty reactor for a 29g tank. The tanks volume is very small, so there will be VERY little biopellets (to the tune of 15 grams or 22ml... obviously less in the beginning). I'd like to keep the pump as small as possible for the least amount of heat.

I'm trying to go with the Eheim compact pump, but if anyone has suggestions for a slightly larger external pump where the motor would stay out of the water I'd love suggestions.

Thanks!
 
I dont see why it wouldnt be enough flow , the SMR1 (double the size) calls for a maxi-jet 1200 and it is rated at 295gph.




oh and if it matters, Hoss says that the shorty isnt really meant to run pellets. But I guess you could try it and see.
 
I've got the Next Reef SMR-1 for my bio-pellets. I originally tried running a MJ1200, but it just wasn't enough to get a decent tumble and I would get channels. I later split off my manifold to be able to push more flow and was pretty happy with it. The shorty version may do fine with the 1200 though, considering it has less water volume to push against, and you're going to have less pellet volume.

The pellets did slip through the perforated plates it comes with from time to time though. Wasn't really a big deal though.
 
I believe I've read that they suggest 400gph through the SMR-1. I've got a 500gph that will have a bit of head loss and I'm going to gate valve it a bit. I'm not sure about the shorty reactor though with less pellets though. I just realized that I'm using that same pump (Eheim Compact 265gph) as my return. So I'll just shut that down for a bit and run it through the shorty and see if it tumbles the biopellets. Simple test that doesn't cost a dime! :)
 
So to update this a bit... I think my flow is just fine in the nextreef shorty reactor with an Eheim Compact 265gph pump. I'm only running enough biopellets for a 29g though (and I'm actually still in the beginning so I'm only currently running half)... so with more biopellets it's possible that it wouldn't be enough flow. I'd prefer to run 350gph plus if I were buying these new. In a couple of months I'm going to upgrade to the reef octopus 1000 OCT BH1000 Skimmer which uses a 250gph pump, so I'm going to try to stick with this so that the flow rates between those two are very similar.
 
Before adding more pellets check your nitrates and phosphates. If before you had some and now they are 0 I would hold off adding more as that can cause you tank to become to clean and starve the corals. I personally run about 60-75% of what is recommended and still feed twice a day


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ok i gotta ask, is having a bio pellets reactor really worth the extra cost in food? This just seems insane to me that I would now have to over feed my tank to feed biopellets. Im just curious considering the other options available on the market....Im not overly edumacated on bio pellets.
 
@JBsmurf wrote:
ok i gotta ask said:
Me either. I have read a little about them, but why not just use less bio pellets so the amount of nitrates stays at zero with the amount of food currently going in?
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Well... it depends on if you think your tank needs less food. I mean... it's not that the fish are unable to process the food fast enough so it's going straight to the nitrogen cycle. If you look at the feeding habits of fish on the reef they're eating MUCH more than even Pampee is able to feed his tank. It's not that he's now overfeeding, it's that he was x2 to x3 underfeeding so that the less efficient filtering could maintain a healthy balance.

I did check phosphates tonight Pampee, and they actually raised from .06 last week to .10 (I increased my feeding from once every day or two to every day). I'm still at less than 50% recommended dose, so I'm going to bump it up a bit more.

JB... I think the extra food cost is easily worth it. Food is about the cheapest thing in this hobby! :)
 
Not to mention, I love to see my fish fat and happy and my Reef well balanced. I like bio pellets but hate the crappy reactors available. I'm on my way to buying #3 !! Going with an SWC reactor with inverted cone at the bottom. GOD, I hope this one doesn't need so much maintanence !!
 
ok i gotta ask said:
I love being able to feed my tank frequently. I've never considered feeding to be an expense - it's the fun part watching everyone dart around to gobble up a meal as well as feeding corals and not worrying the water quality will decline.

I've had nothing but good things to say about the NextReef reactors and the AquaMaxx seems to be doing well (installed it a week ago).
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I guess if it's plug and play, keeps nitrates and possibly phosphates low, not only could you feed more, but wouldn't have any nuisance algae. I have a few bubble algae left over after I was inundated. I knocked them down with carbon, GFO, and feeding every three days.

Anyone think having BP would help eliminate the algae all together?

Do you all that use BP have cheato growing in a fuge?

I have a DSB in the fuge, could I get rid of it all together? The room under the stand could increase greatly!!!
 
A DSB is not recommended to be used with biopellets. So if you were to switch to biopellets yes you should remove the DSB. Some people cannot grow macro algae while using biopellets... others are able to keep it alive. I don't know that I've seen a BP tank that had thriving macro (unless something was being dosed specifically for them).

I'm currently using the NextReef Reactors as well. Great quality!
 
I have bio pellets and my Caulerpa grows just fine. Never bothered much with my sand bed. i have about 4" in back and 2-3" in front. Also about 3" in my fuge.
 
@ReefNut2010 wrote:
I have bio pellets and my Caulerpa grows just fine. Never bothered much with my sand bed. i have about 4" in back and 2-3" in front. Also about 3" in my fuge. said:
You are definitely the exception. I have golf ball sized chaeto and it has stayed the same size for almost two years now.


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My system has a DSB in the reef and the refugium, and I've grown plenty of Caulerpa. I've culled many bags out of the fuge over the past year.
 
I've noticed yours Marc. I've wondered if that was because you had the DSB setup with the biopellets from the very beginning. Many people who have a DSB and start using biopellets seem to have issues from what I've read. It's typically thought that if you have a DSB, that you shouldn't start biopellets (by people who seemingly know much more than myself... so I've just developed their opinion). I've also enjoyed looking at pictures of your refugium... it's gorgeous by itself... but must say yours is setup correctly. It's separate from the filtering section and has a low flow to give the algae enough contact time. Many aren't setup as well. Others have theirs setup equally as well and the algae just won't grow.
 
Marc, you've stated you feed frequently and so do I. Maybe this has something to do with it ? I don't think there are any set rules. It's all a balancing act and every system varies on how that is accomplished.
 
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