Kevin, are you doing any manual removal of the hair algae at all? I do have a biopellet reactor, been using it the whole time. I wonder if that's a problem. I also used to run GFO, didn't do anything for me other than make a mess of my sump. I could not keep it in the reactor, I don't like that stuff. I also used to run carbon, don't do that any more. Just the pellets and skimmer.
I don't turn off my skimmer when I dose the waste away. I'm curious how all that works - with your knowledge am I working against myself, so to speak?
Hi Matt - I'll try to answer all your questions! I do remove algae manually, I have become very dexterous at grabbing things as they float by and keeping lots of the harvested algae in my hand... or by siphoning with a 3/4" clear tube into a huge filter sock suspended above/in my sump. Quite the suckage!
GFO and Carbon: I read that using GFO was better using 2 canisters in a series; one pump puts water into the frirst canister set up for GFO, the second hook them up in a series) is set up for carbon which also then catches all the fines (tiny pieces) of GFO and they NEVER make it out of the canister. Plugs up plenty fast! but it works, no GFO in the tank or sump, just 1 pump involved, simple.
Dr. Tim's advised to NOT use a bio-pellet reactor until the algae was under control, but rather turn off the skimmer, dose the Waste-Away, leave the skimmer off for 12-24 hours (in my mind, let it cook, let the bacteria grow for a day) then turn on the skimmer, removing the biomass of bacteria via skimming. The skimmate is much different in characteristics than before, and there can be much more of it for a day or 2, or sometimes not so much more of it. I really do not know why Dr. Tim's does not recommend no reactor initially, but rather to maintain control once the algae outbreak is under control, and I do not know why there is variability in the nature of the skimmate at various times when I turn the skimmer back on.
Maybe you could email Dr. Tim's and ask about the relative merits of using the reactor to get your algae out-brake under control vs. what they told me to do with dosing and skimmer off, wait a day, then skimmer on, then using the reactor later. You may find that you're looking at a much longer - if ever- time frame for getting things stable.
. I do see what you mean tho, ya know, you could donate those frags to a good cause Kevin:
