Are Bio Pellets becoming a thing of the past?

[Travis Stewart]

Difference in GFO and Biopellets? Aren’t they ultimately doing the same things?

 

[redfishbluefish]

I’m just stating what is written on the box.

Gotcha! I have never seen a NOPOX label and thought your post was implying that denatured ethanol was methanol. Now seeing the label, it's obvious they are stating that methanol is the denaturing agent. Sorry.

I actually use a DIY version of 500 mls vinegar (5%), 375 mls vodka (80 proof), and 125 mls RO/DI, which matches the ratios found by some professors analysis of NOPOX. Interestingly, he didn't find methanol....but that is most likely because it's only there in trace amounts.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

Difference in GFO and Biopellets? Aren’t they ultimately doing the same things?

No.

GFO binds phosphate and silicate.

Adding biopellets, NOPOX, or other organic carbon drives bacteria growth, which reduces nitrate and phosphate (but more nitrate by far in most cases, due to denitrification as a process which reduces nitrate and uses organics, but has little effect on phosphate).

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

FWIW, some types of biopellets may have GFO imbedded in them, which obviously makes them more similar.

 

[BigJohnny]

Difference in GFO and Biopellets? Aren’t they ultimately doing the same things?

No, gfo is a po4 absorption media and biopellets serve as food to support a bacteria population that helps reduce no3 and po4.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

Interestingly, he didn't find methanol....but that is most likely because it's only there in trace amounts.

Actually, he did, but it and isopropanol were present at lower levels.

 

[redfishbluefish]

Difference in GFO and Biopellets? Aren’t they ultimately doing the same things?

Sort of.

GFO is "absorbing" phosphates and removing them from the water....locking them up. It eventually needs to be replaced because it's full up with phosphate.

Biopellets (or any carbon dosing) actually involves bacteria that utilizes the carbon source, phosphate and nitrate to grow and divide into more bacteria. A skimmer is needed to now remove this C, N, and P loaded bacteria from the water column, "exporting" the phosphate (and nitrates) from your tank.

 

[Travis Stewart]

Actually, he did, but it and isopropanol were present at lower levels.

I should have paid closer attention in o chem II lol

 

[redfishbluefish]

Actually, he did, but it and isopropanol were present at lower levels.

Randy, my aged brain must be failing me.....I thought Sherminator (sp??) from that other site, stated no methanol....but you certainly know better than I. Thanks for clarifying.

 

[Hitman]

Curious why you choose to dose and not use another method of nitrate/phosphate export such as a refuge? Refuge would be considered self regulating.

I have a 55 gallon refugium that produces a football size of Chaeto I discard weekly. There’s also a GFO/Carbon reactor, Skimmer, 2 Sicce Syncra SDC 9.0 pumps, probes, and dosing hoses.
My end goal is to simplify everything for myself and my wife when I travel. Hopes are to have it so all the wife has to do is feed 3 times a day and enjoy the view.

 

[nosmok]

If you have a biopellet rector do you NEED to dose with a carbon source? How about with Marine blocks and spheres?

 

[Hitman]

If you have a biopellet rector do you NEED to dose with a carbon source? How about with Marine blocks and spheres?

I don’t believe so.

 

[roberthu526]

I've never been a fan of biopellets for several reasons, most apparent of which is that it is harder to control the "dose" and very difficult to control the timing of its consumption (and the follow on effects of lower pH).

Exactly what you said. Control ability is the biggest issue for me. And although it is easy to set up but the tuning is what kills most of the tanks. The margin for error is very small in my experience.

 

[cumbeje]

I used a macroalgae refugium, vinegar dosing, large rock filled refugia, and GFO all at the same time. Each method has its own pros and cons, and I'm a fan of using more than one to make up for that lack in any individual method.

I use GFO now but do nothing other than skimming for nitrate reducing. My nitrate has been a steady 2 ppm for sometime which I feel is a good number since no nitrate is presumed to be bad.

 

[FlyinBryan]

You can dose vodka through a dosing pump on a timer. 1ml/min. Once or twice a day. Based on need and tank size. I looked a bio pellets and took a pass. I use ceramic marine pure to control nitrates. They do too good of a job actually! I have to pull out several bricks.

 

[redfishbluefish]

If you have a biopellet rector do you NEED to dose with a carbon source? How about with Marine blocks and spheres?

Your "carbon source" are the biopellets. So no additional carbon needed. The bacteria feast on the pettets and get sloughed off and picked up by your skimmer and "exported" out of your tank.

 

[gdemos]

4 years running my acro tank on biopellet. Ive posted here and other forums including utube on my experience tuning. Tuning was problematic at times as were issues with particular media.

I have kalk in my ato. ph ranges 8-8.4

Once arrived toward ulns with biopellet consider dosing for no3 as needed. I also run what some may consider lower alk

 

[cvicente]

Correct me if I’m wrong sir but isn’t NOPOX basically Vodka and Vinegar?

Methanol, acetic acid

 

[Dennis Cartier]

I still use bio pellets in my frag tank. I also used them in my last tank. At that time, I used a larger volume, but found that they pulled the PO4 down more than the NO3 (they are the All in One type that contains GFO mixed into the resin). Now I use a much smaller amount of pellets and I suspect they have changed the recipe of the pellets (they look much different than the first versions), so my phosphate no longer gets depleted relative to nitrate.

Like many have stated, they do take a bit more attention to not over do the amount of pellets at any one time.

Dennis

 

[cvicente]

Correct me if I’m wrong sir but isn’t NOPOX basically Vodka and Vinegar?

Methanol, acetic acid