peacetypes
Member
i just wanted to see what had to say about bio balls
has does eeryone feel about bio balls
- Thread starter peacetypes
- Start date
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thomas712
Guest
In short what dreeves says is exactly true. I also feel that they are an under rated piece of equimpent. Depends on your setup though. If you have a large refugium and DSB, lots of live rock, and macro algae, then there probably is no excuse to use bio balls. But for simple setups with wet/dry and skimmer they rock!
Do a search on Bio Balls and you will get lots of opinions on them.
Thomas
Do a search on Bio Balls and you will get lots of opinions on them.
Thomas
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daniel411
Guest
Originally posted by BLTANGY
Do you take the bio balls out and just rinse them off to clean them? not all at once, right? and how often?
You should remove around a 1/4 of your bio-balls each month and rinse them off with aquarium water. Only use water from a water change. Using tap water could kill much of your bacteria colony. All you're trying to do is rinse off any deitrus.
lesleybird
Active Member
Hi, I personally don't understand about bioballs. I could think of many other things that one could use in a wet/dry that would give a larger surface area for bacteria to grow on than bioballs. Lesley
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thomas712
Guest
Originally posted by Lesleybird
I could think of many other things that one could use in a wet/dry that would give a larger surface area for bacteria to grow on than bioballs. Lesley
List them please.
Thomas
david s
Member
IMO it depends on the setup If you are doing a fish only then yes I would use the bioballs as they create a large area for bacteria to collect. downfall is a place for nitrates to acumulate. If you are running a reef tank with alot of live rock or a fowlr you would allready have ample filter power and less place for nitrates to acumulate. I guess If you do not have enuff live rock it would be a pluss. there are many ways of setting up a tank. for every one person thats says yes do it that way there are 3 that say no IMO set your tank up the way you like it monitor the water per and if it is stable it must be right 
the fun thing about reefing is it is ongoing people are still learning and the systems Evolve over time
the fun thing about reefing is it is ongoing people are still learning and the systems Evolve over time
lesleybird
Active Member
Originally posted by Thomas712
List them please.
Thomas
I would think that some media with a lot of pore space. Bioballs don't have any. Bio wheels, sponges, those star shaped stone things with small pores in them. I would think that a pile of coral rubble or small rocks with the spray bar would be better with plastic balls because they seem to have more surface area.
Lesley
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thomas712
Guest
Thank you Lesley but here is my answer to the surface area of the Bio Ball vs your suggestions.
These are simple plastic pieces that are designed to maximize surface area, here are some examples of the surface area that they can contain.
For every cubic foot (12 X 12 X 12) of your average bio-balls there are 100 square feet of surface area. Some bio-balls now contain 200 square feet of surface area. And there are many in between this range. For instance. The 1.5” pronged ball, has 13.05 Square Feet of surface area per Gallon or 75 Bio balls per gallon or 160 sq. ft of surface area per cubic foot.
1" bio-ball. One gallon=approximately 225 bio-balls=surface area of approximately 21.5 sq. ft.
One gallon of Coralife Bio-Balls, (approximately 250 balls) has a surface area of approximately 21.5 sq. ft. This increased surface area supports between 45 and 60 gallons of marine life.
1000 of these bio balls can contain a surface area of aprox. 95.56 sq. ft.
There are other types to be sure like bio wheels, or elongated bio balls, some that look like an hour glass all with equal or sometimes better results.
There sure are tons of things that you can use instead of bio balls. Plastic golf balls, chopped up UGF, weed wacker string, toy army men, tons of plastic what ever you like. But they are not designed like the bio ball for MAXIMUM suface area.
Thomas
These are simple plastic pieces that are designed to maximize surface area, here are some examples of the surface area that they can contain.
For every cubic foot (12 X 12 X 12) of your average bio-balls there are 100 square feet of surface area. Some bio-balls now contain 200 square feet of surface area. And there are many in between this range. For instance. The 1.5” pronged ball, has 13.05 Square Feet of surface area per Gallon or 75 Bio balls per gallon or 160 sq. ft of surface area per cubic foot.
1" bio-ball. One gallon=approximately 225 bio-balls=surface area of approximately 21.5 sq. ft.
One gallon of Coralife Bio-Balls, (approximately 250 balls) has a surface area of approximately 21.5 sq. ft. This increased surface area supports between 45 and 60 gallons of marine life.
1000 of these bio balls can contain a surface area of aprox. 95.56 sq. ft.
There are other types to be sure like bio wheels, or elongated bio balls, some that look like an hour glass all with equal or sometimes better results.
There sure are tons of things that you can use instead of bio balls. Plastic golf balls, chopped up UGF, weed wacker string, toy army men, tons of plastic what ever you like. But they are not designed like the bio ball for MAXIMUM suface area.
Thomas
lobstergrabber
Member
I am curious kind of like Waterfaller. I recently added a wet/dry and decided to leave the bio balls in. In the drip tray I put 1 of the carbon pads and one of the phosphate reducing pads. Won't these cut almost all the detritus off before they even make it to the bio balls.
Rich
Rich
dreeves
Active Member
That would be the idea of a portion of the pads function...filter the large chunks out...smaller particles passing through the sponges/pads...could still be trapped in the balls...you would still need to clean the balls just not as frequent.
With the sump on my 90 I use about 3 1/2 gallons of bio-balls in a DIY acrylic cube...I just lift the entire cube out and dip it a couple of times in the water to be discarded...I do this about once every two to three weeks...sooner if I feel it needs it.
With the sump on my 90 I use about 3 1/2 gallons of bio-balls in a DIY acrylic cube...I just lift the entire cube out and dip it a couple of times in the water to be discarded...I do this about once every two to three weeks...sooner if I feel it needs it.
lobstergrabber
Member
Dreeves that sounds like a great idea though like waterfaller mine is not removeable I thought about taking out about 1/3 of the balls and using a pices of old cast net to tie the remaining 2/3 up so I cand do exectly what your hard box is used for.
Rich
Rich
dreeves
Active Member
lobstergrabber...
Ahh...a fellow ghetto hobbyist...always looking for different cheap ways to easier accomplish our tasks...
I felt very lazy last night as I was completing the water storage situation in my basement...I made a platform...tied into two 32 gallon trash cans with PVC with a T to a capped off stem (until I get another bulkhead). The two 32 gallons linked together is holding 64 gallons of RO/DI water...that will flow to a junction which will link into the third 32 gallon which is premix saltwater...valves and overhead PVC...I wont have to touch any water...any ways...I was showing off my work to my wife and she asked why I was doing that...I grabbed the 1/2 gallon water container...dipped it into the FW and brought one sump level up with it...and told her...so I don;t have to do that...
How lazy is that!
Ahh...a fellow ghetto hobbyist...always looking for different cheap ways to easier accomplish our tasks...
I felt very lazy last night as I was completing the water storage situation in my basement...I made a platform...tied into two 32 gallon trash cans with PVC with a T to a capped off stem (until I get another bulkhead). The two 32 gallons linked together is holding 64 gallons of RO/DI water...that will flow to a junction which will link into the third 32 gallon which is premix saltwater...valves and overhead PVC...I wont have to touch any water...any ways...I was showing off my work to my wife and she asked why I was doing that...I grabbed the 1/2 gallon water container...dipped it into the FW and brought one sump level up with it...and told her...so I don;t have to do that...
How lazy is that!
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thomas712
Guest
One idea for the bio balls and easy maintanance has been to use the nylon nets like onions come in. You can find this stuff mad from plastic or nylon like the fishing boat nets. The idea is to divide your bio balls up into these nets and you can sew them up with fishing line to close them, then taking care of them when they are devided up into 4ths or 5ths is a breeze.
Thomas
Thomas