|
#1
|
|||
|
|||
Bio-Balls vs. No Bio-Balls
I have always heard that you should have more bio balls in the sump. I have a sump with bio balls in the compartment where there are suppose to be bio balls. I also have a medium size rock sitting sump as well.
I am hearing many folks on RC talking about removing bio balls to improve the water quality. I would like to get opinion from all of you see if that is a good idea. If so, what should I replace it with, if any?
__________________
Helping a fellow reefer brings good luck to your reef |
#2
|
|||
|
|||
Bioballs can become nitrate factories, and many of us do not use them. Insted we replace them with live rock rubble, sometimes nothing at all.
I am assuming you have more of a wet/dry filter than a sump with baffles etc.
__________________
http://thebinaryreef.com The Red House = My Tank Thread Livestock: A. Ocellaris Mated Pair, Six Line Wrasse, Lemonpeel Angel, Fiji Golden Sailfin Blenny, Purple Firefish Mated Pair. |
#3
|
|||
|
|||
I am in the same boat. I have a wet dry system with bio balls. Tagging along for more info.
__________________
"I see things clear as day with my eyes closed." |
#4
|
|||
|
|||
To tell you the truth I removed my bioballs about three months ago. I didn't have nitrates before or after removing them. So the way I look at it why not take them out just to be safe. It gave me more room to put in a phosphate reactor on top of it.
|
#5
|
|||
|
|||
I have wet / dry system.
So, do bio balls serve any purpose? are they there for a reason?
__________________
Helping a fellow reefer brings good luck to your reef |
#6
|
|||
|
|||
In a reef aquarium with plenty of live rock, there is no apparent advantage to having bioballs, and there can be circumstances where it is less than desirable (with elevated nitrate, for example).
__________________
Randy Holmes-Farley |
#7
|
|||
|
|||
I have a biocube. It uses bio balls as well in the middle chamber of the wet/dry before the sump portion.
I've been told the same thing about the bio balls causing high nitrates. It's been about 4 mos now and I am still running the bio balls and dosing Amqeul on a weekly maintenance schedule. I never get my nitrates below 10, which may be caused by my bio balls. I'm not sure. Most people on here seem to use live rock, live rock rubble, mud and algae instead of the bio balls.
__________________
Eric 2 green chromis 2 false perc/tr Indigo Dotty/tr 2 button polyp gsp candy cane zoa ricordia rock open brain 5 turbos 5 hermits 30 lb ls / 27lb lr |
#8
|
|||
|
|||
Quote:
__________________
http://thebinaryreef.com The Red House = My Tank Thread Livestock: A. Ocellaris Mated Pair, Six Line Wrasse, Lemonpeel Angel, Fiji Golden Sailfin Blenny, Purple Firefish Mated Pair. |
#9
|
|||
|
|||
You should remove the bio balls a handful per day until they are gone. Then replace with LR or LR rubble.
Bio balls can only be negative in a reef tak.
__________________
I've spent a lot of money on booze, women and fish. The rest I just squandered. |
#10
|
|||
|
|||
I removed the bio-balls from my NanoCube-12 but I left in the ceramic white stones. Is that ok?
__________________
S.G. = 1.025 Temp = 78.0 pH = 8.10 Ca = 420 Alk = 9 Mg = 1350 NO2, NH3 = 0 NO3 = 0 |
#11
|
|||
|
|||
Quote:
If not then there is really no difference.
__________________
Some people say, "How can you live without knowing?" I do not know what they mean. I always live without knowing. That is easy. How you get to know is what I want to know. - Richard Feynman |
#12
|
|||
|
|||
Quote:
__________________
I've spent a lot of money on booze, women and fish. The rest I just squandered. |
#13
|
|||
|
|||
I have some very pourus aqua-culturred rock that is dry at the moment. Can I remove the bio balls and refill it with the dry aqua-cultured rock? It should seed and start growing bacteria, right?
__________________
Helping a fellow reefer brings good luck to your reef |
#14
|
|||
|
|||
You should first rinse off the rock of any dead matter. I would also give it a good curing first, depending on how much rubble you are adding and your current LR in the display.
__________________
http://thebinaryreef.com The Red House = My Tank Thread Livestock: A. Ocellaris Mated Pair, Six Line Wrasse, Lemonpeel Angel, Fiji Golden Sailfin Blenny, Purple Firefish Mated Pair. |
#15
|
|||
|
|||
there was never anything live on it. I bought it dry. The seller had told me that I would have to culture it. I have about 40lbs of big rock pieces. they are sitting in my garage doing nothing.
__________________
Helping a fellow reefer brings good luck to your reef |
#16
|
|||
|
|||
No matter, I would still give it a rinsing. Then cure it and add it to the tank. You can add some of the larger ones to the display and break one of them up for the rubble.
__________________
http://thebinaryreef.com The Red House = My Tank Thread Livestock: A. Ocellaris Mated Pair, Six Line Wrasse, Lemonpeel Angel, Fiji Golden Sailfin Blenny, Purple Firefish Mated Pair. |
#17
|
|||
|
|||
Any medium that has water trickling over or through it (not submerged) will function EXACTLY like "bioballs" whether it is live rock, ceramic rings, bioballs, hair curlers, or a washcloth. The nitrifying bacteria colonize the air-water interface on any media that has water trickling over and can convert ammonia to nitrate more quickly than it can be de-nitrified by anaerobic zones in your tank (deep sand bed, live rock, etc.). In addition to the nitrate factor, trickle filters can also cause increased levels of phosphate and chronic low alkalinity.
I ran bio-balls in my 90 gallon for over a year and never had measurable nitrate, but had a chronic hair algae problem and constantly battled low alkalinity. I removed all the bio balls at once and within 3 days the diatoms on the sand disappeared and hair algae started to turn brown. A week after that I installed a phosban reactor and put a Purple Tang in my tank. Two months later my tank is completely free of hair algae, the sand stays white, and the Alkalinity is much easier to manage. My tank has never looked better. Get rid of your trickle filter. |
#18
|
|||
|
|||
I agree with seapug. All comments I made about media was in reference to it being totally submerged . Apologies if I failed to make that clear
__________________
I've spent a lot of money on booze, women and fish. The rest I just squandered. |
#19
|
|||
|
|||
^^^ Same.
Actually I dont see the need for any rubble at all of you have enough in the tank. I would just add a few more lbs to your display and let the skimmer handle the rest.
__________________
http://thebinaryreef.com The Red House = My Tank Thread Livestock: A. Ocellaris Mated Pair, Six Line Wrasse, Lemonpeel Angel, Fiji Golden Sailfin Blenny, Purple Firefish Mated Pair. |
#20
|
|||
|
|||
Any medium that has water trickling over or through it (not submerged) will function EXACTLY like "bioballs" whether it is live rock, ceramic rings, bioballs, hair curlers, or a washcloth.
edit: never mind. I missed the part about the media being in the air. I misinterpreted it without that caveat.
__________________
Randy Holmes-Farley Last edited by Randy Holmes-Farley; 01/03/2008 at 04:02 PM. |
#21
|
|||
|
|||
In addition to the nitrate factor, trickle filters can also cause increased levels of phosphate and chronic low alkalinity.
How do you believe a trickle filter cause chronic low alkalinity? Production of nitrate in any way can deplete alkalinity, but steady nitrate does not impact alkalinity.
__________________
Randy Holmes-Farley |
#22
|
|||
|
|||
I would agree/believe everything you said Randy. However, if some porus media, say LR is exposed to that much air, I'm not sure that it, would even get anoxic enough to promote denitrification. However, of course, if it's a big enough piece it would, but for practical purposes it may not...
__________________
Some people say, "How can you live without knowing?" I do not know what they mean. I always live without knowing. That is easy. How you get to know is what I want to know. - Richard Feynman |
#23
|
|||
|
|||
I wasn't referring to live rock in air, just in the tank. I guess I misunderstood the emphasis on the media being in the air in the post above. Sorry.
__________________
Randy Holmes-Farley |
#24
|
|||
|
|||
Quote:
__________________
Some people say, "How can you live without knowing?" I do not know what they mean. I always live without knowing. That is easy. How you get to know is what I want to know. - Richard Feynman |
#25
|
|||
|
|||
Quote:
I certainly can't claim to know more about reef tank chemistry than you, Randy, but it seems logical and that is certainly the situation I experienced with my tank. |
|
|