bio balls stay or go

[king kole]

when i bought my current 90 g fron the lfs he showed me his DTs all 9 running on bios so i bought into it. 4 mos later lots of veteran reefers are saying taake them out they are causing you nitrate problems. i got the idea that if i remove them some at a time the bateria will then migrate to the live rock allowing for better disposal of nitrate into gaseous form and help my fight against high nitrates. but what about causing an imbalance an can coralsand inverts handle a slow removal and not replaxcing balls with anything not even lr?

 

[perfectdark]

Originally Posted by King Kole
http:///forum/post/2543519
when i bought my current 90 g fron the lfs he showed me his DTs all 9 running on bios so i bought into it. 4 mos later lots of veteran reefers are saying taake them out they are causing you nitrate problems. i got the idea that if i remove them some at a time the bateria will then migrate to the live rock allowing for better disposal of nitrate into gaseous form and help my fight against high nitrates. but what about causing an imbalance an can coralsand inverts handle a slow removal and not replaxcing balls with anything not even lr?
Any biological media not properly taken care of can trap nitrates, IMO. Bio balls are no exception, neither is LR Rubble or a heavily packed DT with no movement or current between the rock formation. The key is IMO is good tank husbandry, every couple of months when you do a water change take the bioballs out put them in your syphoned water, rinse them in it, syphon the bottom of the sump out. There will be pleanty of bacteria still on your bioballs to keep your tank going but will be cleaning out the garbage that could be adding to your nitrates. Same goes with LR rubble imo, and blowing your LR in your DT off with a powerhead now and then to help release any areas of trapped detritus that might cause issues. JMO.

 

[king kole]

Perfect Dark
why have something in a filtration system that traps garbage and doesn't break it down when it could be broken down naturally by lr? i'm pretty diligent about the cleanliness of my tank.i was surprised to hear that bio balls are an unneccasary nuisance in a reef tank . that was kinda my question. not so in a FO tank

 

[dennis210]

The bioball dilemma goes on! Bioballs work exceptionally well at what they were designed for - the reduction of NH3 to NO3 (Ammonia to Nitrite to Nitrate). In a reef system where you have the ability with live sand and live rock to complete the nitrogen cycle (denitrification) then why in the name of heaven would you want to merely leave the nitrates building up.
By replacing bioballs with live rock (golf ball to baseball sizes) you will get the nitrification as you do with bioballs, but then you will also get denitrification.
You are merely helping the LR and LS in the display with more volume of material to work with. The chamber in the sump holding the LR will be highly oxygenated allowing greater numbers of bacteria to form on the surface of the LR.
If you do a removal of bioballs coinciding with a major monthly water change your system should handle it fine, even better is to cure up the LR pieces you want to use before putting them in.

 

[perfectdark]

Originally Posted by King Kole
http:///forum/post/2543601
Perfect Dark
why have something in a filtration system that traps garbage and doesn't break it down when it could be broken down naturally by lr? i'm pretty diligent about the cleanliness of my tank.i was surprised to hear that bio balls are an unneccasary nuisance in a reef tank . that was kinda my question. not so in a FO tank
I agree I dont keep any thing in my rear chambers. My DT live rock does all my filtering, and my skimmer. The biological media what ever it is where ever it is will be constantly working for you. The nitrification cycle is as efficient as you allow it to be, an imbalance of crap to bacteria will create problems. I believe the statements made about the cons to using bioballs are by people with less than admirable tank husbandry.
I guess the thought of cleaning a sump, and the cause of potential issues being these bioballs makes people look at them as a nuisance. I think they can be an issue but I think in certain circumstances they can serve their purpose too. I have tried bioballs and LR rubble and have ditched them all and let my display LR take care of all my filtering.

 

[king kole]

thank you dennis 210 for a very informative and convincing response! i'm going to take out the notoriuos bios and leave the sump and bio chamber empty because i think any impediment to the under tank flow might cause anoric condions that create growth of bacteria quite different than the type found on well circulated lr in the dt. the bacteria found in dark uncirculated areas doesn't convert nitrates into gaseous form but only into ammoniom a product of nitrates,[not to be confused with ammonia] thanks for the info on how and when to remove them.

 

[king kole]

Perfect Dark
thanks you posted as i was replying to Dennis. i appreciate you sharing your knowledge

 

[nordy]

I still use the bioballs that came with my sump 7 years ago. After dedicating myself to better tank maintenance when I decided to switch my FOWLR tank to a reef tank, I clean them regularly, about once a month. I last checked them about a week ago when I pulled all of them out and there was no algae, detritus, etc, whatsoever accumulated on them. (the first time I cleaned them, after about 5 years, they were absolutely covered w/algae) The walls of the sump were a little dirty but not bad at all.
My point is that it seems, from personal experience, that if you do practice good tank husbandry, as noted by Perfect Dark, then bioballs can work, and work well. Of course, I also have LR and do regular water changes and I no longer have that messy 'ol puffer in the tank!