Is there a best Bio-pellet?

[Janeallisonn]

So I've got my tank up and running ... 29 gal biocube and just filled it with plenty of pretty SPS frags. Skimmer is working well, Mg, Alk and Ca are testing where they should be, but I'm still not getting the color that I'd like out of my SPS.

I'd like to start running a small amount of bio pellets in the first chamber of the back of my tank, directly below the skimmer (Aquatic Life 115) intake and despite some extensive reading there still doesn't seem to be a clear 'winner' when it comes to which pellet it best.

Since I'm working with limited space and will likely only be running about 100-150ml of pellets, the NitraGuard Cubes sound like a fantastic idea if I can set them up with an air stone rather than DIYing a small reactor.

But long story short I'm looking for some opinions.

[Bblinks]

I have been trying the "all in one" biopellets from npx and it's probably one of the best out there. I have had experience with numerous types of pellets and as long as they don't have impurities, they should function all the same except for the "all in one", it has phosphate absorbent material (GFO) combined with the pellets so it will up take more phosphate in the water column. I put quotation on the all in one because its still not the end all product that most has hoped for, you will still need to run GFO if your phosphate level is too high (if you feed really heavy) but if its not than these pellets might just be perfect for your tank. Anyways, there is a good youtube video made by american reef dot com. check it out, it's pretty cool.

[Reef Pilot]

Originally Posted by Bblinks

I have been trying the "all in one" biopellets from npx and it's probably one of the best out there. I have had experience with numerous types of pellets and as long as they don't have impurities, they should function all the same except for the "all in one", it has phosphate absorbent material (GFO) combined with the pellets so it will up take more phosphate in the water column. I put quotation on the all in one because its still not the end all product that most has hoped for, you will still need to run GFO if your phosphate level is too high (if you feed really heavy) but if its not than these pellets might just be perfect for your tank. Anyways, there is a good youtube video made by american reef dot com. check it out, it's pretty cool.

What is your consumption rate with these NPX pellets, Rich?

[Bblinks]

Originally Posted by Reef Pilot

What is your consumption rate with these NPX pellets, Rich?

Hard to say right now, I do run a filter sock and have no sand so 300ml will last me 6 months give or take 100ml. Those 1000ml bags should be good for a year.

[Reef Pilot]

Originally Posted by Bblinks

Hard to say right now, I do run a filter sock and have no sand so 300ml will last me 6 months give or take 100ml. Those 1000ml bags should be good for a year.

What I've noticed with my bio pellets, is that once they get down to about a cup or 2 left in the reactor, they seem to last forever, with very little consumption. Last time, before I filled the reactor again, I went almost 2 years without adding any. And all that time, nitrates remained at zero.

I actually disconnected the reactor for a few months, and then watched my nitrates gradually climb. So the pellets were obviously still working, even with very low consumption.

My concern with the npx pellets might be that if the consumption is too slow, then there wouldn't be enough GFO released to bring down the phosphates.

[Bblinks]

Hence why I think running GFO is still crucial. Mind you, it will last a lot longer in my opinion if you use in conjunction AIO pellets.