Remove bio-wheel or not?

[no4hitter]

Hello,
I have had a FO tank for over 7 yrs. now, last year I upgraded to a 150 gal. tank with a tidepool 2 wet/dry filter system. I have been purchasing live rock for the last yr. and now have approx. 175 LBs. I have heard that the bio-wheel can be a nitrate factory but being FO was not to worried about it. Nitrates run about 15 PPM. I now would like to start with some soft corals. Do I have enough live rock to remove the bio-wheel? I am also adding a refugium. The 2 together should bring the nitrates down to an undetectable level. Would just like some advice or comments. Thanks, James

[bertoni]

Soft corals will be perfectly happy with 15ppm nitrate in my experience.

Removing the biowheel might cause a cycle, but I'd consider doing it anyway, depending on the stocking of the tank. The step might lower your nitrates to allow stony corals, which seem more touchy about nitrate.

[Diehl]

Yes Get rid of it IMHO;)

[Casino]

Get rid of those nitrate factories.

[DaveC]

I would get rid of it, but first if you are using any of the ceramic media in the tower section in one of the draws remove some of those first.....maybe half now, half in a week or so, then another week remove the bio-wheel......

DaveC

[JJM]

if its been running in tandem with the wet/dry for a year , take it out no problem

[no4hitter]

I didn't think it would be a problem but just wanted some more input. I will still keep a close eye on everything for a couple of weeks. Thanks for all the input, I really like coming on here and reading all the posts, I have learned alot from this site. James

[Solov]

By removing Bio-Wheel - do you mean just a wheel, or whole bio-wheel filter?

[Casino]

The wheels and cartriges. You will only be using the penguin for water movement.

[Solov]

Last question - what will take care of ammonia without bio-wheel? Bacteria in the sand?

But won't amount of nitrates produced from bio-wheel and the sand out of same amount of ammonia? I guess my question is - what makes bio-wheel produce more nitrates than without it?

[Casino]

Remember: amonia takes care of fish waste , nitrite takes care of amonia, nitrates takes care of nitrites, and the DSB takes care of the nitrates.

Its not that the bio wheels produce more or less nitrates, the bio wheels will capture the nitrates and thats it, it will just stay there, thats why we have DSB to eliminate nitrate levels.

[bertoni]

The belief is that the processing of nitrites and ammonia by the biowheel interferes with its processing by live rock, etc., I assume by starving some part of the usual food chain.