Arcadia Marine Bio Pearls have been carefully and specifically designed to reduce Nitrates and Phosphates in a marine environment. Bio Aquatek Ltd have designed a formula tailored to the needs of hobbyists and commercial operations alike. Marine Bio Pearls / Pellets contain no unwanted ingredients and are non polluting.
Arcadia Marine Bio Pearls work by encouraging the growth of bacteria and enzymes on their surface, by providing essential nutrients required for growth. By multiplying, the bacteria and enzymes break down the Marine Bio Pearls whilst consuming both Nitrates and Phosphates from the water column. Once these unwanted nutrients have been reduced to trace levels, the bacteria can no longer feed on the Marine Bio Pearls and a stable state is reached. If the levels of feeding or waste production increase in the tank, the Marine Bio Pearls will start to consume them again.
Whilst skimming remains an effective solution in marine aquaria, it has its weaknesses. Only approximately 30% of the unwanted nutrients in the water can be captured by a skimmer. The rest are not capable of sticking to the surface of the skimmer bubbles. Marine Bio Pearls help in two ways. Firstly, they consume these nutrients and convert them into slime coated bacteria, which can be skimmed, and secondly, the sticky surface of the bacteria capture minute particles of waste from the water column as they pass through the skimmer, thus removing them before they break down. You will see a marked improvement in water clarity and colour, as a result.
How to use
Use 100 - 150ml of Marine Bio Pearls per 100 litres of tank volume.
Marine Bio Pearls should be placed in a fluidising reactor, with sufficient flow to keep them moving strongly. If they start to clump or slime up, they will be less effective and may turn anaerobic, producing hydrogen sulphide.
In cases where you have high nutrient levels to start with, the powerful action of the Marine Bio Pearls may overrun your skimmer and possibly bring down levels in the tank too quickly. In such cases, it is better to start with half or less of the Marine Bio Pearls until your nutrient levels reduce. At that point, the rest can be added. Please note that your skimmer may stop working for between 2 and 7 days (depending on the skimmer) while the Marine Bio Pearls “run in". This is similar to the running in period you experience with a new skimmer and is nothing to be concerned about. The skimmer will quickly catch up again once the Marine Bio Pearls start to do their work. It may take between 2 and 6 weeks for the Marine Bio Pearls to become fully functional and is partly dependent upon the level of nutrients in the system, the more nutrients, the faster the Marine Bio Pearls will start to work.
In order for the process to be effective, it is necessary to operate an efficient skimmer, capable of capturing the bacterial waste produced by the Marine Bio Pearls. It is essential that the Marine Bio Pearls reactor waste is positioned close to the skimmer inlet in order to capture the maximum amount of waste produced. Any small amounts of bypass will get consumed by a wide range of corals.
Your Marine Bio Pearls will be effective until they completely disappear, which will normally take in excess of 12 months. However they should be lightly topped up every 3 months, back to their original quantity, to maintain maximum effectiveness.
