Trickle Filter Bio Media? or Live Rock? how and why?

[SWANN]

I am getting ready to start a 90 gallon reef. When my brother told me he read that i should remove the bio balls from my trickle filter and place more live rock in its place. Why? and how do i place the live rock in? as whole pieces? should I use plates and stackem? and why not the bio balls? DOES ANY ONE HAVE A PICTURE OF THIS?

Oh and does 2-175w 10K hamilton halides, along with 3 super VHO atinics...sound as a sufficent lighting sourse? or should i go with the 2 halides, 2 vho atinics, and 1 50/50 or "full spectrum"?

[rshimek]

Hi Swann,

Well, where to start.....

Trickle filters are the filter of choice of the early 1990's. Fortunately, we have progressed a lot in filtration technology since then.

Much more effective means of biological filtration are available, mostly using a combination of live rock and live sand as the biological filtration.

You can read about some of it here:

http://www.reefs.org/library/talklog/r_shimek_090698.html

I would also suggest you search the archives of this BB for information on filtration. You will find a wealth of information about filtration techniques.

Check out these data and make your own decision about what you can use the bioballs for.

The bioballs simply have very little useable surface space for the bacteria