Which Bio Pellets should I buy?

With the sale Salty Supply is doing on their SMR1 reactor, I have decided to try out biopellets. I am stuck on which brand to buy though. Dr. Tim's new NP Pearls seem like they are a great product, but since they are new I don't want to be the guinea pig. The other option is WM EcoBak. I have been reading a lot of great things about their product, but I have also read a few poor reviews. I have come to the conclusion that the poor reviews were due to adding to many bio pellets at once and having the dKH above 8.0. I have come tot he conclusion that those two reasons are also why some have had their tanks crash.

Dr. Tims:
Pros:
I can buy it for less than ecoBak
Using 100% biodegradable material with no polymers
Cons:
Guinea pig

WM EcoBak:
Pros:
Tested by many for months
Seems to be proven
Cons:
More expensive

What would you buy?

 

I've not used either. I will probably be going with WM.

Because Active Pearls are biodegradable they will need to be replaced. Is this not the case with ecobak pellets? Aren't they supposed to last a long time (maybe that's why they are more expensive?).

 

No matter what pellets you use you will have to replace them some time down the road. I use the Vertex bio pellets. They are inexpensive. I put 1/4 of a bag in every week until I had the amount needed for my water system. But I don't mind being the guinea pig so I would do the Dr. Tim's NP pellets. But that's just me talking.

 

I did a little more searching and found that the BRS bio-pellets are 100% PHA, just like the Dr. Tims pellets. People seem to be liking them, so I think I'll go ahead and be the guinea pig. Especially since I'll save a pretty penny.

 

All pellets are biodegradable. The bacteria consumes the carbohydrate polymers hence biodegrate. If it isn't completely biodegradable, then there has to be some sort of filler in it that is not usable for driving bacteria. I'm intrigued by Dr. Tims as they disclose exactly what, they are, how they are made and even who they are made by. At least based on what I've seen so far, they look like they should be good and I appreciate companies who make an effort to be transparent.

 

Guinea pig. fun, fun.

 

Well I relaize they are biodegradable. WM never actually released what they were made of, aside form being a polymer (unless i missed something) so I wasn't sure how long they would last. But I guess that would depend on the tanks bioload. I know recommendation is 5ml ecoback per gallon.

 

Yes, BRS should be very similar. As far as I know, I don't think they give much details about production and the source though. Not sure the price difference?

 

Let me clear a few things up - NP-Active Pearls are a polymer - which is just a name for the same basic chemical structure repeating over and over and over. They are 100% certified (ASTM) marine biodegradable - no one else is certified.

You can find other PHA based pellets but they are not pure or not made in the USA or both.

 

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