place for pellet reactor still in reef tanks

[johnj]

Is there a place for a pellet reactor in a reef tank these days as every video iv watched of pellet reactors being used is like 3-5 years old" and most just go with Fuge or ceramic media for there waste out method! im asking because iv got a reef octopus reactor lying around iv never used and about to do new build"

iv got room for big fuge as its waterbox 320 so really big area! would you go fuge or pellet reactor or just big skimmer and ceramic or live rock in sump

 

[mfinn]

Is there a place for a pellet reactor in a reef tank these days as every video iv watched of pellet reactors being used is like 3-5 years old" and most just go with Fuge or ceramic media for there waste out method! im asking because iv got a reef octopus reactor lying around iv never used and about to do new build"

iv got room for big fuge as its waterbox 320 so really big area! would you go fuge or pellet reactor or just big skimmer and ceramic or live rock in sump

Don't see much talk about them lately. Used to be the got to have it gadget

 

[hhaase]

I pulled my pellets out. They are effective at nitrate reduction, but too effective in my experience. If you overdo it you can easily trip all the nitrates from the tank, then you'll get a phosphate spike and dinos. They came around during the days where "zero nitrate" and ULN systems were the wave of the future. They perform as advertised, it's just that they can also get you into real trouble in a hurry too.

I may re-evaluate at some point but I'm of the opinion now that I've had some time to dwell on the idea. If I ever try pellets again it'll be significantly smaller capacity. A 1L container of pellets is wayyyyyyyy too much for my 150 gallon tank. I'd maybe look at 100ml per 100 gallons of tank as a maximum.

 

[jim_fitz]

i have one in mine and would never get rid of it

 

[Lost in the Sauce]

I've been running one with 5 cups of media for 4ish months and have seen 0 nitrate reduction overall.

 

[hhaase]

I've been running one with 5 cups of media for 4ish months and have seen 0 nitrate reduction overall.

In a tank that well stocked, that makes sense. Things definitely change once you hit a tank with that much livestock which requires so much nutrients.

 

[blaxsun]

Upgraded to Zeo - haven't looked back...

 

[Lost in the Sauce]

In a tank that well stocked, that makes sense. Things definitely change once you hit a tank with that much livestock which requires so much nutrients.

Correct. My line of thinking being that a multi -faceted approach to nutrient export should be implemented. The bioreactor was another line of attack in conjunction with heavy skimming and a 14-hour photoperiod over the macro algae.

I have seen and read where some say bioreactors can take many months to do their thing.