Vodka VS BioPellet Reactor

Which do you prefer?


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NaClCrocodile

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Do I have to contact him on here to find out about his cone bottomed ones?

IIRC, Justin said that the coned bottom was such a minute difference in performance, he was going to leave it off in the final design. It was something to do with the cost/benefit ratio being too high to warrant.
 

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Any comments on the size?

How about the pump power?

I have a Rio 1400 (420gph)...but I was hoping to use that pump for h2o changes

Thanks everyone
 
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FishLipz

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I'd run the Rio on it. I can only comment from my own experience, but I need to run my Mag 5 wide open to keep the pellets tumbling. As far as size, I think you should be fine. It's very close to the 550 and I run 1000mL in mine with no trouble.
 
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Like running less media than it holds?

Because this new one holds 1888mL of media. I dont think I will ever run more than 1000mL...but with it being cheaper, I feel its safter to go with it. This way if I ever DO need to upgrade...I can just add more media.
 

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Do the pellets pull a steady rate at all times or does it depend how many are in there till they exhaust? or are they like vodka to where you can add too much and strip a tank out?
 
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kingfisherfleshy

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Doesnt matter...I got the 18" one.

Thanks everyone...I will come back to this if I have issues once it is set up, or to let you know about how it works.
 

Mr.Firemouth

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I'd PM them about it. I'm not sure if has made it to production yet. I remember seeing a vid of a test model they were developing. Doesn't hurt to ask. I'll be honest though, I run the 550 with a mag 5 and they tumble just fine. The flat bottoms would work from AVAST IMO.

A Mag5 is a 500gph pump. Anything over 400gph will tumble the pellets.
 

Mr.Firemouth

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Do the pellets pull a steady rate at all times or does it depend how many are in there till they exhaust? or are they like vodka to where you can add too much and strip a tank out?

The pellets are a food source bound to a polymer(type of plastic) that slowly degrades dependent upon bacterial activity. This means that if you feed a lot and have a high bio-load you will exhaust the pellets faster than a tank with a lower bio-load. The bacteria basically eat/use the pellets as needed.
 

Mr.Firemouth

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Any comments on the size?

How about the pump power?

I have a Rio 1400 (420gph)...but I was hoping to use that pump for h2o changes

Thanks everyone

Older Rio pumps had a problem with leaking an oil type product out of the motor assembly area. Newer Rio's do NOT have the same problem. Just an FYI.
As long as you exceed 400 gph you should have enough flow to tumble the pellets. If you set it up and the Rio does not tumble the pellets then upgrade to a larger pump.

***You should document your success over the next month. Maybe some pics of the before and after results and some test results of Nitrates and Phosphates over time. Would be cool to see how it works. Also list your water change schedules. :)
 
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Thanks Firemouth.

I got the reactor...the guy that emailed me back said the maxi jet should be more than enough...I guess I will try it as I dont know how old this Rio is.

The tank was getting monthly h2o changes as a pred/softie tank...nitrates were running a little high. (Little over 20.)

I will document the changes over time, going to get a cheap phosphate checker I think...Ill start a thread specifically for my tank and post all the pictures of the stuff coming together, this is definitely the most ambitious thing I have ever done.
 

FishLipz

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Will a LPS system benifit from it?

I have an almost exclusive LPS/Zoo system. I can feed my tank relentlessly and so far I have no signs of nitrates or phosphates. So I guess in that respect, yes it does benefit.
 
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Hey guys, I am in the process of building my sump, and I am wondering if using purigen in the same system as the biopellets might cause issues?

I would be running 200mL...wondering if it would also be better to put it in my first stage of my sump to save on biopellets, or in my last stage to save on purigen.

I have read in some places that using other h2o quality media's in correlation with biopellets can cause problems.

Thanks
 

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Does anyone run MB7 along with the bio-pellets? I was thinking of running pellets but I don't plan on stopping MB7 dosing. I think they would benefit from each other but I dunno?
 

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