Bio Balls
- Thread starter chrome209
- Start date
belothsurf
Member
You have plenty of LR. I don't know much about bio balls and wet/dry filters, because fortunately I stumbled across this website when I first started, and read that they are much more trouble than they are worth.
But if you have 1.6lbs per gallon of lr, you have plenty to take care of your bioload. 2lbs per gallon is about the max suggested, probably because if you had any more, you wouldn't have room for water or fish.....
Although some people have no problems with wet/dry filters and bio balls, the general consensus is that they are nitrate factories, and require too much maintenence to keep them clean for a reef tank. They are probably fine for a fish only tank.HTH:happyfish Can you imagine hair algea growing on your bioballs? You would have some hairy.....BB's.....
But if you have 1.6lbs per gallon of lr, you have plenty to take care of your bioload. 2lbs per gallon is about the max suggested, probably because if you had any more, you wouldn't have room for water or fish.....
Although some people have no problems with wet/dry filters and bio balls, the general consensus is that they are nitrate factories, and require too much maintenence to keep them clean for a reef tank. They are probably fine for a fish only tank.HTH:happyfish Can you imagine hair algea growing on your bioballs? You would have some hairy.....BB's.....
belothsurf
Member
Originally posted by Chrome209
So do the bio balls create more nitrates, right now i have two pretty small fish and im having to do quite a bite of water changes
Did you read the part where I said they are nitrate factories?
If you are going to do a fish only, then a wet/dry with bio balls will be fine.
If you are going to keep a reef, then scratch the wet/dry-bio balls idea.
T
thomas712
Guest
From one of my old posts:
I'll try to be fair to both sides here.
Pros of bio balls.
First off, these little guys are great for starting a tank, they help tons in the cycle by breaking down the more toxic ammonia and nitrites into the less toxic nitrates and keep the oxyegen high.
Bio balls offer more surface area than an equal amount of a replacement item like liverock.
They have far more ability to oxygenate the water than liverock.
The more oxegen supplied to the process results in a faster reaction capability of the filter to change the breakdown process.
The amount of surface area contained in bio balls supports a far greater amount of nitrifying bacteria, The amount of nitrifying bacteria in any system is dependent on two factors here. The amount of food supplied and the amount of surface area available. Due to the round shape with the little spikes these little balls have much to offer in surface area.
With maintanance; to repeat; With maintanance these bio balls have a lot to offer any wet/dry sump application. They are not a bomb waiting to go off, they are not nitrate factories anymore than any other mechanical filter. Using a filter floss before the bio balls removes much of what people erouniously think of as to much maitanence with bio balls. Just change the filter floss weekly or bi weekly when ever needed.
Cons of bio balls.
The do tend to get dirty, therefore they will collect a certain amount of slime and junk on them. This leads to a nitrate buildup. In larger amounts the nitrates can lead to a problem, typically nitrates above say 30 ppm.
This initself is the cheif complant about them and the big con that everyone talks about.
One of the big reasons that people change or remove the bio balls is to go to a more natural type of filtration. The other is that they do not want to hassle with cleaning them.
Bio balls are not the only way to filter the water. Liverock will work in its place by upping the water level in the sump and using it much in the same way you would in the main tank. Others just replace them with liverock rubble and let the water splash over them, but in my opinion this is not as efficant as the bio balls. Also my opinion that if liverock rubble is used without raising the water level the rock itself will still get as dirty as any bioball and will need cleaning itself, but since I have not personally gone this route I can not speak from any experience on the liverock in the sump.
In the end it is the one who owns the system who must decide how or what method they will choose to filter the water. What ever the choice is the goal is the same, to achieve excellent water conditions.
Anyone with a reef tank or saltwater tank must have a method of removing nitrates. Some just feel safer without the bio balls
Hope that helps some, and I hope that I did justice to both sides.
Thomas
I'll try to be fair to both sides here.
Pros of bio balls.
First off, these little guys are great for starting a tank, they help tons in the cycle by breaking down the more toxic ammonia and nitrites into the less toxic nitrates and keep the oxyegen high.
Bio balls offer more surface area than an equal amount of a replacement item like liverock.
They have far more ability to oxygenate the water than liverock.
The more oxegen supplied to the process results in a faster reaction capability of the filter to change the breakdown process.
The amount of surface area contained in bio balls supports a far greater amount of nitrifying bacteria, The amount of nitrifying bacteria in any system is dependent on two factors here. The amount of food supplied and the amount of surface area available. Due to the round shape with the little spikes these little balls have much to offer in surface area.
With maintanance; to repeat; With maintanance these bio balls have a lot to offer any wet/dry sump application. They are not a bomb waiting to go off, they are not nitrate factories anymore than any other mechanical filter. Using a filter floss before the bio balls removes much of what people erouniously think of as to much maitanence with bio balls. Just change the filter floss weekly or bi weekly when ever needed.
Cons of bio balls.
The do tend to get dirty, therefore they will collect a certain amount of slime and junk on them. This leads to a nitrate buildup. In larger amounts the nitrates can lead to a problem, typically nitrates above say 30 ppm.
This initself is the cheif complant about them and the big con that everyone talks about.
One of the big reasons that people change or remove the bio balls is to go to a more natural type of filtration. The other is that they do not want to hassle with cleaning them.
Bio balls are not the only way to filter the water. Liverock will work in its place by upping the water level in the sump and using it much in the same way you would in the main tank. Others just replace them with liverock rubble and let the water splash over them, but in my opinion this is not as efficant as the bio balls. Also my opinion that if liverock rubble is used without raising the water level the rock itself will still get as dirty as any bioball and will need cleaning itself, but since I have not personally gone this route I can not speak from any experience on the liverock in the sump.
In the end it is the one who owns the system who must decide how or what method they will choose to filter the water. What ever the choice is the goal is the same, to achieve excellent water conditions.
Anyone with a reef tank or saltwater tank must have a method of removing nitrates. Some just feel safer without the bio balls
Hope that helps some, and I hope that I did justice to both sides.
Thomas
belothsurf
Member
Exactly, I was going to say the same thing as Thomas said.....but it was late...and ....uhhhhhh......
If you are going to remove the BB's, do it slowly. I remember reading a thread on this, but I'm a little fuzzy. Since BB's are the home to many bacteria, take them out slowly, to allow your LR time to "pick up" the slack, so to speak.
If you are going to remove the BB's, do it slowly. I remember reading a thread on this, but I'm a little fuzzy. Since BB's are the home to many bacteria, take them out slowly, to allow your LR time to "pick up" the slack, so to speak.
T
thomas712
Guest
Remove them slowly over time, like was said this will give time for the live rock live sand and any other surfaces time to grow more bacteria colonies.
Thomas
Thomas
belothsurf
Member
Exactly, I was going to say the same thing as Thomas.....but it was "early".....and....uhhhhhh..........
Shoot, I'm running out of excuses........... :nervous:
Shoot, I'm running out of excuses...........
:nervous: