Vodka VS BioPellet Reactor

[Paul_N]

I thought the same thing. Was surprised to see vodka so low. Biobellets are easier and less manual work, probably the reason they beat out vodka.

I'll take it a step further. I dosed vodka and mb7 for over 2 years. I was dosing a 4ml 2X/day for 8ml per day in 100gallon system. I feed heavy so some might require less. A fifth of vodka is 750 ml so I would need roughly 4 per year for around $30 per year. If you take the initial cost of the reactor out of the equation the yearly cost is about the same to replenish pellets. I am at 7 months and still do not have to add Ecobak pellets. I predict I will have to add approx 500ml per year for a cost of around $30. So really not that much of a cost difference and I don't have to dose it every day cause the reactor does the work for me. So far my params have been perfect so I don't think I will go back to vodka.

 

[kingfisherfleshy]

I just cant consistantly dose...something will come up.

Consistancy is big with me...so Ill go this route I think.

 

[btkrausen]

I'll take it a step further. I dosed vodka and mb7 for over 2 years. I was dosing a 4ml 2X/day for 8ml per day in 100gallon system. I feed heavy so some might require less. A fifth of vodka is 750 ml so I would need roughly 4 per year for around $30 per year. If you take the initial cost of the reactor out of the equation the yearly cost is about the same to replenish pellets. I am at 7 months and still do not have to add Ecobak pellets. I predict I will have to add approx 500ml per year for a cost of around $30. So really not that much of a cost difference and I don't have to dose it every day cause the reactor does the work for me. So far my params have been perfect so I don't think I will go back to vodka.

Good point Paul. Vodka is dirt cheap around here, so it would probably be cost effective for me. However, with traveling so much, usually a week at a time, I've been thinking about eventually going the pellet route. My decision to go vodka was that pellets we still fairly new to the scene, and wanted to see how it turned out. After just less than 3 months of dosing, the pellet route is tempting, as I've been forgetting to dose sometimes.

 

[Mr.Firemouth]

Something I haven't mentioned that I think needs to be, is that you have to look at your corals as you go through this method. I believe that the pellets are more effective than dosing for most people because of consistency with their dosing regimes. What I notice is that some corals will begin to want and accept food more than before and as you feed these corals they expel their wastes and excess zooxanthellae. I say excess zooxanthellae algea because as these corals start to feed more and more from the increased tank feedings they dump their extra algae that they were using for food production. As they do this more of their non-photosynthetic protein based iridophores begin to show. Dana Riddle did a lot of research on non-photosynthetic proteins and colors.

So, my point is that you have to watch each of your corals and make sure you are meeting their nutritional needs. I also believe from experience that if you have been keeping very low nutrient levels or close to them for some time and then use Bio-pellets you will not see a big difference but you will notice improvements. However, if you have been having trouble maintaining low nutrient levels and then after 30 days on bio-pellets(time for pellets to break in and have a good active bacterial colony), you will see a significant difference in coral and fish health and coral colors. Remember everyone's tank is different so results will certainly vary.

 

[kingfisherfleshy]

That is the one thing I am concerned about...feeding everything.

Hopefully this tank will be dense with corals sooner rather than later, but it will be there eventually. I have been trying to feed my LPS more just to get into the habit of feeding everything, but what am I supposed to feed en masse for all my SPS and LPS with small mouths like chalices?

 

[Paul_N]

Good point Paul. Vodka is dirt cheap around here, so it would probably be cost effective for me. However, with traveling so much, usually a week at a time, I've been thinking about eventually going the pellet route. My decision to go vodka was that pellets we still fairly new to the scene, and wanted to see how it turned out. After just less than 3 months of dosing, the pellet route is tempting, as I've been forgetting to dose sometimes.

I hear ya. I skipped the the first couple waves of pellets and waited till I had a choice and saw some results after a few months of people running them. I felt the best about the Ecobak and went with them. Honestly even though everything is going smooth, I won't consider this a complete success until I hit 1 year. When I hit 1 year and everything is stable I will officially have sworn off the vodka.

 

[Mr.Firemouth]

That is the one thing I am concerned about...feeding everything.

Hopefully this tank will be dense with corals sooner rather than later, but it will be there eventually. I have been trying to feed my LPS more just to get into the habit of feeding everything, but what am I supposed to feed en masse for all my SPS and LPS with small mouths like chalices?

Golden pearls, Rod's food, and freshly hatched Baby Brine Shrimp at night.
Brine shrimp are super easy to hatch, just take any 1-quart jug from a juice bottle or milk or something, rinse it, cut a 1/4" hole in the cap and run an air line into it. Then fill the jug 3/4's way up with tank water and add 1 teaspoon of brine shrimp eggs. 3 days later the container will be full of baby brine shrimp. You can add some phyto to the container to feed them. Then you just add 1/3 the jug to the tank each night for 3 days and start the process over when the jug is empty. This will give you a 4 day feeding as there will still be brine shrimp swimming around on the 4th night. The 3 days off helps to deter the proliferation of hydroids.

 

[kingfisherfleshy]

Yea I can definitely set up a hactchery to empty into the intake of my sump, or I can just pour directly into the tank. Brine shrimp are enough nutritionally to meet my corals needs? I already feed a coral food, but only once a week or so...that in addition to all my other meaty foods will hopefully be enough. (In conjunction with the brine shrimp hatchery.)

 

[kingfisherfleshy]

Strange as this might sound, I started vodka yesterday.

There isnt much on this thread, but here is the official thread for that: https://www.reef2reef.com/forums/general-reef-discussions/58665-starting-my-vodka-adventure.html

Just figured I would start with a cheap form of carbon dosing that I could precisely control for now.

 

[SeaMonkey]

I was wondering if those of you that used biopellets can give me an update on your successes and any troubles you've had along the way. Are you still using biopellets? I am curious since I recently started using the BRS pellets in a BRS GFO/Carbon reactor with a BRS pellet chamber. I received the reactor for free so I bought the pellets and the chamber. I had to put a mag pump to it to get the pellets to a constant gentle tumble. I plan on getting a better biopellet reactor after I see results from what I have so far.

If you are using pellets, can you please post information?

If you stopped using pellets, can you post your reasons and experience you had while using them (good or bad)?

Thank you!

 

[kingfisherfleshy]

Bump for seamonkey even though its long gone.

To add on to the thread:

I moved my tank three months ago - and it has been severely neglected. Recently I sold all remaining corals and the fish off - and performed 2x 25g h2o changes. My nitrates have never been anything other than zero - and as far as I can tell skimmer and dosing pump for vodka are running fine. Nitrates tested out at the maximum (so who really knows) on two different API test kits. Fish look happy - there is no algae in the aquarium, and most of the corals are doing fine.

Im confused - but now monitoring closely and starting over with the dosing process.

 

[michaellee64]

Maybe I skipped over it... But Vinegar doing is much safer than Vodka! I'm currently dosing 120ml a day with a dosing pump, into approximately 360G between my main display tanks, refugium and sump! At about the 5 week mark I noticed that all of my LPS's never looked more colorful?! SPS's are doing great but don't really notice any differences in their coloring. No bacterial blooms and having to clean my glass less and less all the time. It is now more of a white film that wipes right off. I know that people are having great success with different types of carbon dosing, so I think it all boils down to whatever is the most convenient for you!

 

[MarvinsReef]

Gotta read this..


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[yort265]

I'll be starting to cycle my new 105g rimless build within a few weeks and was wondering if I start the pellets tumbling when I start the cycle... or if I need to wait for livestock? I'll be seeding with zeobak.

Thanks!
Troy

 

[jerl77]

Was dosing vinegar for years
Switched to waner marine bio pellets will never look back

 

[Davina]

iVe used bip pellets and its great...

 

[jt17]

I didnt like the biopellets. I used them for a year and a half. Whenever I needed to add more or clean the reactor there would be a mini cycle as the bacterial population adjusted. It's very easy to over strip the tank of nutrients so if you go with BP start slowly and chose one that recirculates so you can adjust the tumble without changing the amount of tank water introduced into the reactor. I now dose vinegar which I feel is much more stable and set it and forget it. For the same start up cost you can buy a doser and have complete control over your carbon dosing, and 2 part as well if you're still manually dosing that. BP must be checked on and adjusted regularly to ensure they're not clumping and tumbling correctly and then periodic topping off. A gallon jug of vinegar is 4 bucks and will last months.

 

[hart24601]

I didnt like the biopellets. I used them for a year and a half. Whenever I needed to add more or clean the reactor there would be a mini cycle as the bacterial population adjusted. It's very easy to over strip the tank of nutrients so if you go with BP start slowly and chose one that recirculates so you can adjust the tumble without changing the amount of tank water introduced into the reactor. I now dose vinegar which I feel is much more stable and set it and forget it. For the same start up cost you can buy a doser and have complete control over your carbon dosing, and 2 part as well if you're still manually dosing that. BP must be checked on and adjusted regularly to ensure they're not clumping and tumbling correctly and then periodic topping off. A gallon jug of vinegar is 4 bucks and will last months.

+1

I really have no idea why pellets are used when liquid dosing is so easy and cheap with a good doser and timer.

My big issue with pellets has always been you don't know how much carbon you are putting into the system. You start with 1 cup, ok, in 4 weeks you have 1/2 cup left. How much change is that in the amount of carbon you were giving the system the 1st week to the 4th week? So you refill with pellets, the old pellets are not the same size so that 1 cup has a different surface area then when you had all new pellets. How much carbon is that going in? When you start getting ULNS how can you dial that back easily? With a timer and doser I know how much I am adding everyday, I can dial back the dose or increase it very easily.

Moving from that issue when I used pellets I had the same problems as jt17, mini cycles. Plus I had to clean the reactor quite a bit which was a pain as was adding new pellets or even just turning the thing off every week to check the amount in there. Now with liquid dosing all I do is refill the dosing bottle every 3 months. Nothing else.