are they supposed to be submergsed?

[shifty]

I HAVE AWET-DRY SUMP SET UP ARE THE BIO-BALLS
supposed to be fully submerged mine ar like 75% coverd in water and are they supposed to be still or rolling around in there also should i have my skimmer on all the way up or down not sure it helped clean the cloudiness out of my tank and i just put some damsels and shrimp in there i just started so i'am not sure about these things.there are some white lines in my tank can i clean with algae brush or not thanks

 

[p_apac]

my bio balls are completly submerged and i have no prpblems with water quality

 

[shifty]

what do i have to do to get mine fully submerged the water flow seems to be good i checked everthing it seems fine did you add water to your's before you started your set thank's

 

[juggernaut]

You really don't have to have them fully submerged in order for them to do their job effectively. However that they can build up nitrates inyour system.

 

[p_apac]

i built my own sump so i just designed it like that i have read that both ways are good so i dont really think it matters, some will argue that being out of the water help with the gas exchange. but i dont think i have a problem with that.

 

[krux]

the origonal idea behind the trickle filter concept was that they wouldnt be submerged, and that the water would "trickle" down over them, providing areas for both aerobic and anaerobic bacteria to colonize. by submerging them you are simply using them as surface area, similar to using live rock for filtration.
if you are going that route, you will get better efficiency out of another synthetic material with more surface area, or with live rock its self. if you are trying to use the bio-balls in the capacity they were designed, you want as many of them above the water line as possible.
HTH

 

[tangman99]

I tried to keep as many above the waterline as possible when I used them. At least half were always above.

 

[.357]

krux, then a tower would be a good thing? One of the LFS has 2 towers about 6' high. As for the way they work krux is right on.

 

[krux]

i do not have any experience with towers, but the theory is sound... it would just allow you to pack in more bio balls. you would need to make sure that your flow was great enough to keep them all wet however. hopefully someone with one of these towers can post about how theirs is working out for them.

 

[.357]

I am trying to get this all areaged before I set up my new stand. I think that if I can sut up a tower for the bio balls and sump I would be able to fit the skimmer and a 27gl fuge. The question is would this be worth the truble? I think I can get a 15gl fuge in there now with out building a new sump and tower for the bio balls. I am trying to make the swap the second week in Aug, any iuput would be helpful. Thanks

 

[richard rendos]

The idea of wet/dry filters being nitrate factories or causing nitrates is because people do not maintain their's the way it should be done. You must have a good prefilter to remove large particles before the water gets to the bio-balls. You must also keep this prefilter clean. Weekly rinsing of sponges or other prefilter material is a must.
To properly utilize a wet/dry filter, try to keep as many bio-balls above the water level as possible. This will allow for an oxtgen rich environment for aerobic bacteria to grow. You will not achieve an anaerobic area in a wet/dry filter. That is why many people have gone to using deep sand beds. The combination of the two should provide excellent water quality.