Am I Killing of my bacteria on the Bio-Balls when...?

[moy]

Do i cause any harm to my benficial bacteria growing on the bio-balls when i turn off the Powerhead running my wet/dry, when im cleaning the filter in the drip plate??
Is there REALLY a problem with powering off the powerhead that runs my wet/dry filter when cleaning out the pads??
Can i Kill Anything wihtout having water pouring over the bio-balls for a few minutes or do the bio-balls constantly need water pouring over them??
Please help

 

[up north hermit]

You are fine when cleaning, not to worry.
The danger comes when the power goes off for a long time. When I used to do the "bio-ball" thing, I just set them to the side while cleaning out the canister (which housed my bios). Every once in awhile you can even wash them gently, in water that has been removed from the tank, like when you are doing a water change. This keeps too much debris from accumulating in the small knicks and krannies in the balls.
Just don't let them sit dry for an extended period of time. (Like during the dreaded power failure )
HTH
Hermit

 

[moy]

Hey Hermit (AMERICA WOMEM) why dont you do the "BIo-Ball" thing anymore???
Is it something is need to look out for??

 

[up north hermit]

I used canisters when I used to have FO tanks, and used the bio-balls in them for years. But my nitrates were always too high.
Now, in my reef only tanks, I use only live rock and live sand, plus a skimmer for my only filtration.
I would not recommend bio-balls for any reef only system, as they will eventually become "nitrate producers". My nitrates now in my all natural fitration system tanks are undetectable. Which is necessary for the delicate corals and animals I house.
It is not such a big issue for a FO system however, as long as you do at least weekly or bi-weekly cleaning.
HTH
Hermit

 

[moy]

what do you do in my case.
I have a Reef/fish tank. I have about a 8 - 10 corals with about 6 fish in it. I have 46 gallon tank, just bought a 100 gallon Wet/dry bio-ball filter 3 wks ago, have prisim proteim skimmer and a whisper filter, about 30-50 lbs of live rock and 40 lbs of Live Sand.
I was thinking of adding 20 more lbs of live sand??
Any suggestions?? Also what sould i do about the carbon that goes into the whisper filter in this setup??
Please help!!

 

[up north hermit]

I am not sure what your new filter is, but IMHO I do not think it is necessary. If this new filter relies on bio-balls, I wouldn't use it at all, if it were me.
It sounds like you have sufficient live rock for bio-filtration, and yes, you could add more live sand.
I would use that Wisper for occasional carbon polishing only, and run it without anything just for extra across the top water movement the rest of the time.
Again, this is my opinion only. However, I do believe that before long in this hobby, wet/dry filters, power filters, canisters and the like will be fased out. The new "thinking" and current trends are for a far more natural filtration system, using what nature uses: LR, LS, sufficient wave motion and current, "clean-up" crews, and fish (to some extent) for the creation of a small eco-system.
HTH
Hermit

 

[moy]

Thanks once again AMERICAN WOMEN!!!