Pura nitralock vs biopellets

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bkilze

Aquarium Advice Newbie
Joined
Nov 28, 2011
Messages
6
Location
Collinsvile Illinois
Hi everyone I'm in a toss between using pura nitralock or getting bio pellets for nitrate removal.
I was using vodka but it made me nervous and some corals were not opening up anymore. Current no3 around 10. Bio pellets seem to be the in thing. I have used nitralock in my 30 gallon that I had for years. My nitrates were at 0.

Current tank info 300 gallon mixed reef, octopus 6000 skimmer, 75 gallon sump, UV 40 watt, GFO reactor.
 
Hi everyone I'm in a toss between using pura nitralock or getting bio pellets for nitrate removal.
I was using vodka but it made me nervous and some corals were not opening up anymore. Current no3 around 10. Bio pellets seem to be the in thing. I have used nitralock in my 30 gallon that I had for years. My nitrates were at 0.

Current tank info 300 gallon mixed reef, octopus 6000 skimmer, 75 gallon sump, UV 40 watt, GFO reactor.

Why not just use chaeto?
 
Hi everyone I'm in a toss between using pura nitralock or getting bio pellets for nitrate removal.
I was using vodka but it made me nervous and some corals were not opening up anymore. Current no3 around 10. Bio pellets seem to be the in thing. I have used nitralock in my 30 gallon that I had for years. My nitrates were at 0.

Current tank info 300 gallon mixed reef, octopus 6000 skimmer, 75 gallon sump, UV 40 watt, GFO reactor.

Biopellets work great but make sure the output goes directly into skimmer
 
Thanks. Chaeto is a plant correct? I believe my lfs talked me into not getting this because it could grow out of control. Bio pellets + another reactor? $$ what about cad lighting cone bio pellet reactor any experience? How long do pellets last in reactor?

Beth
 
Thanks. Chaeto is a plant correct? I believe my lfs talked me into not getting this because it could grow out of control. Bio pellets + another reactor? $$ what about cad lighting cone bio pellet reactor any experience? How long do pellets last in reactor?

Beth

Yes chaeto is a plant never heard of it growing out of control lol its probably the easiet macro to grow the only way id use biopellets over chaeto is if i didnt have a sump with that said biopellets take about a month to start being effective and the output must be ran to the skimmer the bacteria that falls off the pellets will cause major issues if not removed from the water i added a T to the skimmers input so i could run the output of biopellet reactor directly to skimmer also a standard reactor will not be efficient youll need a biopellet reactor it has a pump to recirculate the water thru reactor with a somewhat slower output if not used correctly the biopellets will use up oxygen in tank causing issues and even death to coral and fish again having used both methods id always use chaeto over reactor if possible just my opinion if used correctly biopellets absolutely work if used incorrectly you can destroy a tank
 
I think chaeto is the cheaper option to try. For a 300g tank you will need a large pricey reactor and a good amount of pellets, neither of which are very cheap. Also biopellets effectiveness highly depends on your setup.

My question is have water changes failed you? If so why? 10ppm nitrates is very controllable with water changes and good maintenance.
 
Perfect guys this is the advice I need. I think fishstores are pushing these bio pellets . I actually was just wanting to add on nitrate removal to work with my GFO. I will try chaeto first. Do I need to cut off old parts if the plant after a certain length of time or growth? Does it need special grow lighting? Does it just float free in the sump.

Beth:)
 
Do I need to cut off old parts if the plant after a certain length of time or growth? Does it need special grow lighting? Does it just float free in the sump.

Beth:)

It can be harvested weekly by simply grabbing a handful and throwing it in the garbage. By harvesting it you remove the nitrates completely from the tank along with phosphates.

Lighting is pretty simple for chaeto. A simple clip on lamp will work. And yes it free floats, however you want to keep it somewhat contained because it can clog pumps it it gets caught in them. So of you have baffles just pit it in a section of the sump away from your return and skimmer.
 
You could use vinegar instead of vodka. Its much cheaper then vodka or any of the before mentioned products. It knocked my nitrates down to zero and has kept them that way.
 
How would adding vinegar to the saltwater tank be any good?
Anytime someone tells me to wash a pump or powerheads overnight submerged in vinegar I'm told to rinse it and clean it well before putting it back in the tank.
 
Can't open the link or open the site if I google it.
I will try some other time.
Would like to read about it for sure. In the meantime 30 gallon water changes, no frozen brine shrimp and lots of waiting to get out of the 80 ppm nitrate readings.
 
Chaeto a clip on light and a 6500k curly bulb $25. Will work for you if you live by mangroves grab some seeds stick them between some rocks in your sump and you will be fine.10ppm will not harm anything and can be kept in check with these natural plants kind of fun to when you see them growing.
 
Could a dead finger coral on a 90 gallon tank that fell of the rock into a hard to reach spot be the cause of high nitrates? It died about a week ago
 
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