Bioballs
- Thread starter nvmycj
- Start date
gemmy
Active Member
Bioballs serve the purpose of providing a surface area for the bacteria in our tanks to grow. Now, it is debatable on how useful they are. Some people claim they can help with maximizing the amount of air and water flow in certain setups. The problem is that bioballs need maintenance, and if not done routinely it can lead to detritus build up on the bioballs. This buildup can cause spikes in the aquariums nitrates.
1guydude
Well-Known Member
I dont personally have any bioballs....u need to clean them in ur old water from ur water changes though or else ur nitrates will soar (as already posted). Ive heard of people replacing them with sm pieces of LR and oceanic makes a protien skimmer for their biocube line, however i think its mainly for the 29gal and 14gal cubes.
kiefers
Active Member
Hi..... I have a 29 Biocube and have the skimmer that goes with it I put mine in the 1st chamber on the right side where the water goes into the back filtration compartment. (hopefully someone will chime in on this for he is more knowedgable on this than I am *wink wink*) But anyways.... I hate the bioballs and don't believe all the hype about them. I would replace them with LR rubble. LIVE ROCK.....NOT BASE ROCK. (JMO) good luck.
Oh..... if you really want help with the boicube question, you may get more results by renaming the thread Help with Biocube and skimmer.
Later!
Oh..... if you really want help with the boicube question, you may get more results by renaming the thread Help with Biocube and skimmer.
Later!
nvmycj
Member
Quote:
Originally Posted by Kiefers http:///forum/thread/385189/bioballs#post_3377197
Hi..... I have a 29 Biocube and have the skimmer that goes with it I put mine in the 1st chamber on the right side where the water goes into the back filtration compartment. (hopefully someone will chime in on this for he is more knowedgable on this than I am *wink wink*) But anyways.... I hate the bioballs and don't believe all the hype about them. I would replace them with LR rubble. LIVE ROCK.....NOT BASE ROCK. (JMO) good luck.
Oh..... if you really want help with the boicube question, you may get more results by renaming the thread Help with Biocube and skimmer.
Later!
Lots of questions...
Do you get a lot of gunk pulled out by your skimmer? Is the Oceanic skimmer loud? Do you have LR where the bioballs were? If so, do you need to have a light on your LR?
I'm trying to find a protein skimmer that fits in the bioball chamber. Know of any?
Thanks for your advice!!
Originally Posted by Kiefers http:///forum/thread/385189/bioballs#post_3377197
Hi..... I have a 29 Biocube and have the skimmer that goes with it I put mine in the 1st chamber on the right side where the water goes into the back filtration compartment. (hopefully someone will chime in on this for he is more knowedgable on this than I am *wink wink*) But anyways.... I hate the bioballs and don't believe all the hype about them. I would replace them with LR rubble. LIVE ROCK.....NOT BASE ROCK. (JMO) good luck.
Oh..... if you really want help with the boicube question, you may get more results by renaming the thread Help with Biocube and skimmer.
Later!
Lots of questions...
Do you get a lot of gunk pulled out by your skimmer? Is the Oceanic skimmer loud? Do you have LR where the bioballs were? If so, do you need to have a light on your LR?
I'm trying to find a protein skimmer that fits in the bioball chamber. Know of any?
Thanks for your advice!!
kiefers
Active Member
there is a gentleman on this site that knows his biocubes. He is the professor as far as I'm concerned. The oceanic is not loud at all in my opinion and he turned his bioball chamber into a refugium ( I believe). And yes I do think you need a light. Rename your thread and he will come and talk to ya.
nvmycj
Member
Quote:
Originally Posted by Kiefers http:///forum/thread/385189/bioballs#post_3377207
Well if it's not broken...... don't fix it! How old is your set up?
It's about 2.5 months old. I do 5 gallon water changes every 10 days of so...
Originally Posted by Kiefers http:///forum/thread/385189/bioballs#post_3377207
It's about 2.5 months old. I do 5 gallon water changes every 10 days of so...
nvmycj
Member
Quote:
Originally Posted by Kiefers http:///forum/thread/385189/bioballs#post_3377211
there is a gentleman on this site that knows his biocubes. He is the professor as far as I'm concerned. The oceanic is not loud at all in my opinion and he turned his bioball chamber into a refugium ( I believe). And yes I do think you need a light. Rename your thread and he will come and talk to ya.
What should I rename this thread in order to get his attention?
Originally Posted by Kiefers http:///forum/thread/385189/bioballs#post_3377211
there is a gentleman on this site that knows his biocubes. He is the professor as far as I'm concerned. The oceanic is not loud at all in my opinion and he turned his bioball chamber into a refugium ( I believe). And yes I do think you need a light. Rename your thread and he will come and talk to ya.
What should I rename this thread in order to get his attention?
spanko
Active Member
The Oceanic skimmer is an okay skimmer but it an old wooden airstone configuration and the airstone needs to be changed about once per month.
On the bioballs they are very efficient in what they are designed to do. That is have a lot of water and air move over them with a lot of surface area for nitrifying bacteria to populate. The purpose of this bacteria is to convert ammonia to nitrite and nitrite to nitrate. Unfortunately that is where it ends so if you have no biological method of removing the nitrates from your system they tend to rise. People call biomedia a nitrate factory and they are correct because that is inherantly their design. Removal of nitrates then becomes a job for water changes and you may not be able to keep up with it that way. The other thing about bioballs is that the accumulate detritus on them and must be cleaned often. Usually 1/3 of them at a time removed and swished around in the water you remove for water changes. No scrubbing here just some heavy swishing to get the gunk off but leave the bacteria colony. The at the next water change another 1/3 of them and so on. A lot of maintenance and there are better methods now to remove protein materials before they break down into ammonia in the first place so you don't get the nitrates.
I would not replace bioballs with live rock in the back chambers as the same problem of maintenance would need to be done to get rid of the accumulated detritus that the rock would collect.
If you choose to remove the bioballs do it slowly over the course of a couple of monthe, a little each week. This will give the bacteria colony a chance to replenish itself from the amount of bacteria you remove with the bioballs. If you do it all at once you chance removing so much bacteria that the reamaining may not be able to convert ammonia fast enough and you will get an ammonia spike.
On the bioballs they are very efficient in what they are designed to do. That is have a lot of water and air move over them with a lot of surface area for nitrifying bacteria to populate. The purpose of this bacteria is to convert ammonia to nitrite and nitrite to nitrate. Unfortunately that is where it ends so if you have no biological method of removing the nitrates from your system they tend to rise. People call biomedia a nitrate factory and they are correct because that is inherantly their design. Removal of nitrates then becomes a job for water changes and you may not be able to keep up with it that way. The other thing about bioballs is that the accumulate detritus on them and must be cleaned often. Usually 1/3 of them at a time removed and swished around in the water you remove for water changes. No scrubbing here just some heavy swishing to get the gunk off but leave the bacteria colony. The at the next water change another 1/3 of them and so on. A lot of maintenance and there are better methods now to remove protein materials before they break down into ammonia in the first place so you don't get the nitrates.
I would not replace bioballs with live rock in the back chambers as the same problem of maintenance would need to be done to get rid of the accumulated detritus that the rock would collect.
If you choose to remove the bioballs do it slowly over the course of a couple of monthe, a little each week. This will give the bacteria colony a chance to replenish itself from the amount of bacteria you remove with the bioballs. If you do it all at once you chance removing so much bacteria that the reamaining may not be able to convert ammonia fast enough and you will get an ammonia spike.
nvmycj
Member
Quote:
Originally Posted by spanko http:///forum/thread/385189/bioballs#post_3377341
The Oceanic skimmer is an okay skimmer but it an old wooden airstone configuration and the airstone needs to be changed about once per month.
On the bioballs they are very efficient in what they are designed to do. That is have a lot of water and air move over them with a lot of surface area for nitrifying bacteria to populate. The purpose of this bacteria is to convert ammonia to nitrite and nitrite to nitrate. Unfortunately that is where it ends so if you have no biological method of removing the nitrates from your system they tend to rise. People call biomedia a nitrate factory and they are correct because that is inherantly their design. Removal of nitrates then becomes a job for water changes and you may not be able to keep up with it that way. The other thing about bioballs is that the accumulate detritus on them and must be cleaned often. Usually 1/3 of them at a time removed and swished around in the water you remove for water changes. No scrubbing here just some heavy swishing to get the gunk off but leave the bacteria colony. The at the next water change another 1/3 of them and so on. A lot of maintenance and there are better methods now to remove protein materials before they break down into ammonia in the first place so you don't get the nitrates.
I would not replace bioballs with live rock in the back chambers as the same problem of maintenance would need to be done to get rid of the accumulated detritus that the rock would collect.
If you choose to remove the bioballs do it slowly over the course of a couple of monthe, a little each week. This will give the bacteria colony a chance to replenish itself from the amount of bacteria you remove with the bioballs. If you do it all at once you chance removing so much bacteria that the reamaining may not be able to convert ammonia fast enough and you will get an ammonia spike.
Thanks for the advice!
Here's what I'd like to do,...IF possible: Somehow,...some way,.... get a refugium/sump set up underneath the tank. Have you, our anyone else heard of such a setup? If so,...guidance would be appreciated!
Originally Posted by spanko http:///forum/thread/385189/bioballs#post_3377341
The Oceanic skimmer is an okay skimmer but it an old wooden airstone configuration and the airstone needs to be changed about once per month.
On the bioballs they are very efficient in what they are designed to do. That is have a lot of water and air move over them with a lot of surface area for nitrifying bacteria to populate. The purpose of this bacteria is to convert ammonia to nitrite and nitrite to nitrate. Unfortunately that is where it ends so if you have no biological method of removing the nitrates from your system they tend to rise. People call biomedia a nitrate factory and they are correct because that is inherantly their design. Removal of nitrates then becomes a job for water changes and you may not be able to keep up with it that way. The other thing about bioballs is that the accumulate detritus on them and must be cleaned often. Usually 1/3 of them at a time removed and swished around in the water you remove for water changes. No scrubbing here just some heavy swishing to get the gunk off but leave the bacteria colony. The at the next water change another 1/3 of them and so on. A lot of maintenance and there are better methods now to remove protein materials before they break down into ammonia in the first place so you don't get the nitrates.
I would not replace bioballs with live rock in the back chambers as the same problem of maintenance would need to be done to get rid of the accumulated detritus that the rock would collect.
If you choose to remove the bioballs do it slowly over the course of a couple of monthe, a little each week. This will give the bacteria colony a chance to replenish itself from the amount of bacteria you remove with the bioballs. If you do it all at once you chance removing so much bacteria that the reamaining may not be able to convert ammonia fast enough and you will get an ammonia spike.
Thanks for the advice!
Here's what I'd like to do,...IF possible: Somehow,...some way,.... get a refugium/sump set up underneath the tank. Have you, our anyone else heard of such a setup? If so,...guidance would be appreciated!
nvmycj
Member
Quote:
Originally Posted by spanko http:///forum/thread/385189/bioballs#post_3377473
http://www.nano-reef.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=255008
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SfQ3-unDRtg&feature=player_embedded
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QEjTkLcMfFE&feature=related
Thank you for those links! Do you think he did a custom build for that refuge/sump, or did he buy it somewhere? It seems to me that I've got some drilling in my future. That, my friend, is going to be a serious PITA, because my tank is up and running already... ARGH!!! Hindsight being 20/20, eh?!?
Originally Posted by spanko http:///forum/thread/385189/bioballs#post_3377473
http://www.nano-reef.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=255008
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SfQ3-unDRtg&feature=player_embedded
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QEjTkLcMfFE&feature=related
Thank you for those links! Do you think he did a custom build for that refuge/sump, or did he buy it somewhere? It seems to me that I've got some drilling in my future. That, my friend, is going to be a serious PITA, because my tank is up and running already... ARGH!!! Hindsight being 20/20, eh?!?
kaseywills
New Member
Proper Bioball maintenance is must other it will became the nitrate factory. Cleaning procedure arrest the growth of nitrifying bacteria and thus this can control ammonia/nitrite production in aquarium otherwise it can cause new tank syndrome.
ethernet first mile
ethernet first mile