8.
Once a clear trend of declining nutrients/algae begins, you may start slowly adding more pellets
to the reactor until you reach the recommended use volumes (500 mL/100 gallons of net water
volume).
9.
Top of the pellets as the bacteria consume them.
10.
Occasional adjustments to the flow rate may be required over time to compensate for the
changes to pellet volumes (bacterial metabolism or pellet additions).
11.
The occasional inoculation of bacteria is recommended. Once every three – four months is ideal.
Troubleshooting
1.
My water has turned cloudy.
Cause - A sudden introduction of a carbon source is being exploited by bacteria other than the
beneficial heterotrophic strains resulting in an opaque “bloom”. This bloom is generally
harmless, though you may see a sudden drop in ORP levels.
Solution – Temporarily remove or reduce the pellets from the system. These can be cleaned and
stored until the system is ready. Begin aggressively inoculating the system with desirable strains
of bacteria to “out compete” those causing the bloom. Once the water clears up, slowly resume
the pellet regime.
2.
My cyano or algae problems have become worse after using the pellets.
Cause - Other problem organisms are exploiting the sudden influx of carbon food sources.
Solution – As with the above bacterial bloom, temporarily remove or reduce the pellets from the
system. These can be cleaned and stored until the system is ready. Begin aggressively
inoculating the system with desirable strains of bacteria to “out compete” the cyano or algae.
Resume pellets once the problem has cleared up.
3.
I have been running the pellets for several weeks and have yet to notice any results.
Cause – Assuming properly inoculation, the heterotrophic bacteria are not becoming properly
established within the system. This may be caused by the use of copper-based medications,
ozone, UV sterilizers, phosphate binding medias or extremely large and frequent water changes.
Solution – Remove any of these retardants to ensure that the medias are becoming properly
established.
4.
My pellets are clumping.
Cause – Not enough flow or pellets were not properly cleaned prior to use.
Solution – Increase the flow through the reactor and make sure to clean the pellets with warm
water along with an overnight soaking prior to use.
Occasionally, the pellets will require a few weeks of tumbling to build up bacterial films before
they become fully fluid.