Live Rock or Bio Balls?
- Thread starter bill109
- Start date
meowzer
Moderator
Well I have my wet/dry middle sec turned into a refugium...in it I have live sand, and some live rock rubble....chaeto, snails, kenya tree, crabs, monkey shrimp
I had bio balls for like 3 days...lol...when I went to take them out to make the fuge...I was sooooo glad...there is no way I would want to have to pick them out periodically to rinse them.....I do not have to rinse my live rock
I had bio balls for like 3 days...lol...when I went to take them out to make the fuge...I was sooooo glad...there is no way I would want to have to pick them out periodically to rinse them.....I do not have to rinse my live rock
scopus tang
Active Member
*** Chuckle ***
I'm a LR man myself, but I'm really just hanging out waiting for Joe to show up, can't believe its taken him this long.
I'm a LR man myself, but I'm really just hanging out waiting for Joe to show up, can't believe its taken him this long.
bill109
Active Member
Originally Posted by Scopus Tang
http:///forum/post/3165401
*** Chuckle ***
I'm a LR man myself, but I'm really just hanging out waiting for Joe to show up, can't believe its taken him this long.
hahah why?
http:///forum/post/3165401
*** Chuckle ***
I'm a LR man myself, but I'm really just hanging out waiting for Joe to show up, can't believe its taken him this long.
hahah why?
bill109
Active Member
Originally Posted by meowzer
http:///forum/post/3165245
Well I have my wet/dry middle sec turned into a refugium...in it I have live sand, and some live rock rubble....chaeto, snails, kenya tree, crabs, monkey shrimp
I had bio balls for like 3 days...lol...when I went to take them out to make the fuge...I was sooooo glad...there is no way I would want to have to pick them out periodically to rinse them.....I do not have to rinse my live rock
i would do that but i have all my equipment in my wet/dry sump..
there isnt any room.
the poll results show lr, but.
should it be a lot of rubble or just pieces?
all the lr rubble i can find at my lfs is all base rock..
ill look it up more online. i have heard alot of.. "if you can keep the bio balls clean, there is no problem with them"
http:///forum/post/3165245
Well I have my wet/dry middle sec turned into a refugium...in it I have live sand, and some live rock rubble....chaeto, snails, kenya tree, crabs, monkey shrimp
I had bio balls for like 3 days...lol...when I went to take them out to make the fuge...I was sooooo glad...there is no way I would want to have to pick them out periodically to rinse them.....I do not have to rinse my live rock
i would do that but i have all my equipment in my wet/dry sump..
there isnt any room.
the poll results show lr, but.
should it be a lot of rubble or just pieces?
all the lr rubble i can find at my lfs is all base rock..
ill look it up more online. i have heard alot of.. "if you can keep the bio balls clean, there is no problem with them"
spanko
Active Member
Originally Posted by bill109
http:///forum/post/3165233
hey everyone!
i thought about it and now im wondering..
do i use live rock or bio balls in my wet/dry? i have had bio balls in there now for about a year and now problems.
what do you use?
I am guessing that you mean no problems and............
If that is true why change???
scopus tang
Active Member
Originally Posted by bill109
http:///forum/post/3165496
hahah why?
Joe is a true blue bioball man, and usually he hones in on these bioball threads like a swordfish at feeding time. He's argued successfully for bioballs in the last 2 or 3 that I've seen. Most aren't willing to cross swords with him any more, but its always entertaining. Might want to use that search button (key word bioballs) - there is five or six threads that have run on this in the last couple weeks.
http:///forum/post/3165496
hahah why?
Joe is a true blue bioball man, and usually he hones in on these bioball threads like a swordfish at feeding time. He's argued successfully for bioballs in the last 2 or 3 that I've seen. Most aren't willing to cross swords with him any more, but its always entertaining. Might want to use that search button (key word bioballs) - there is five or six threads that have run on this in the last couple weeks.
bill109
Active Member
Originally Posted by spanko
http:///forum/post/3165500
I am guessing that you mean no problems and............
If that is true why change???
because i saw some ammonia in my results the other day. it wasnt alot but i would be happier if it was 0..
i have not had any problems but i dont want to see a crazy spike all of a sudden. to mush $ in the tank at this point.
i left my tank running for about 2.5 weeks before i did anything to it. all looked happy and i did a 10% wc and still have ammonia.
i have noticed that there are a few polyps on some frags that wont open. one frag went from healthy to allways closed. about 3/3 polyps wont open. i checked for nudis, yada yada yada. nothing. someone mentioned the lr deal but i never thought about it.
thanks again everyone. ill look into this some more.
-bill
http:///forum/post/3165500
I am guessing that you mean no problems and............
If that is true why change???
because i saw some ammonia in my results the other day. it wasnt alot but i would be happier if it was 0..
i have not had any problems but i dont want to see a crazy spike all of a sudden. to mush $ in the tank at this point.
i left my tank running for about 2.5 weeks before i did anything to it. all looked happy and i did a 10% wc and still have ammonia.
i have noticed that there are a few polyps on some frags that wont open. one frag went from healthy to allways closed. about 3/3 polyps wont open. i checked for nudis, yada yada yada. nothing. someone mentioned the lr deal but i never thought about it.
thanks again everyone. ill look into this some more.
-bill
spanko
Active Member
Bioballs are not creating the ammonia. Bioball function is to house aerobic bacteria that will perform the nitrification of the dead and dying products in your tank. You either have a larger bioload than your biofilter can handle, are feeding too much, have had some death or perhaps your test kit is wrong. That would be the first thing that I would check. Take a sample of your water to your local fish store and ask them to check it to verify your readings.
JMO
JMO
deejeff442
Active Member
yea what he said
btldreef
Moderator
Originally Posted by spanko
http:///forum/post/3165676
Bioballs are not creating the ammonia. Bioball function is to house aerobic bacteria that will perform the nitrification of the dead and dying products in your tank. You either have a larger bioload than your biofilter can handle, are feeding too much, have had some death or perhaps your test kit is wrong. That would be the first thing that I would check. Take a sample of your water to your local fish store and ask them to check it to verify your readings.
JMO
+1
Although I'm a LR person, plenty of people have success with bioballs. I think they get a bad rep because people don't know how to use them! (It's how a lot of things get a bad rep in this hobby)
http:///forum/post/3165676
Bioballs are not creating the ammonia. Bioball function is to house aerobic bacteria that will perform the nitrification of the dead and dying products in your tank. You either have a larger bioload than your biofilter can handle, are feeding too much, have had some death or perhaps your test kit is wrong. That would be the first thing that I would check. Take a sample of your water to your local fish store and ask them to check it to verify your readings.
JMO
+1
Although I'm a LR person, plenty of people have success with bioballs. I think they get a bad rep because people don't know how to use them! (It's how a lot of things get a bad rep in this hobby)
btldreef
Moderator
Originally Posted by Scopus Tang
http:///forum/post/3165401
*** Chuckle ***
I'm a LR man myself, but I'm really just hanging out waiting for Joe to show up, can't believe its taken him this long.
Where is he?? I can't believe he hasn't seen this thread yet.
http:///forum/post/3165401
*** Chuckle ***
I'm a LR man myself, but I'm really just hanging out waiting for Joe to show up, can't believe its taken him this long.
meowzer
Moderator
Originally Posted by deejeff442
http:///forum/post/3165700
yea what he said
LOL...yeah what they said
http:///forum/post/3165700
yea what he said
LOL...yeah what they said
bill109
Active Member
Originally Posted by spanko
http:///forum/post/3165676
Bioballs are not creating the ammonia. Bioball function is to house aerobic bacteria that will perform the nitrification of the dead and dying products in your tank. You either have a larger bioload than your biofilter can handle, are feeding too much, have had some death or perhaps your test kit is wrong. That would be the first thing that I would check. Take a sample of your water to your local fish store and ask them to check it to verify your readings.
JMO
i took water to the lfs because my kit is expired they tested it and came up with some ammonia. now, i understand the bioballs them selves do not create the ammonia. the whole trick is keeping them clean. but with live rock it may just over all handle everything better having more bacteria on it from the getgo, that possibly my bio balls dont have on them.?
i lost a clown who mysteriously disappeared and also a leather that was rotting away.
maybe that was the cause? i will never know wha exactly is creating it.
i just was asking for the long run here, LR or bio balls.
i have not had the bio balls as long as some people here may have, i thought maybe someone here could share some experience saying that they have had them for x amount of years and has had or hadnt had any problems.
-bill
http:///forum/post/3165676
Bioballs are not creating the ammonia. Bioball function is to house aerobic bacteria that will perform the nitrification of the dead and dying products in your tank. You either have a larger bioload than your biofilter can handle, are feeding too much, have had some death or perhaps your test kit is wrong. That would be the first thing that I would check. Take a sample of your water to your local fish store and ask them to check it to verify your readings.
JMO
i took water to the lfs because my kit is expired they tested it and came up with some ammonia. now, i understand the bioballs them selves do not create the ammonia. the whole trick is keeping them clean. but with live rock it may just over all handle everything better having more bacteria on it from the getgo, that possibly my bio balls dont have on them.?
i lost a clown who mysteriously disappeared and also a leather that was rotting away.
maybe that was the cause? i will never know wha exactly is creating it.
i just was asking for the long run here, LR or bio balls.
i have not had the bio balls as long as some people here may have, i thought maybe someone here could share some experience saying that they have had them for x amount of years and has had or hadnt had any problems.
-bill
ophiura
Active Member
Originally Posted by spanko
http:///forum/post/3165981
The problems you will experience from having bioballs will have a direct correlation to how well you maintain them. If you let them go, like anything else, they will not perform as designed.
I agree, and if you just put LR rubble in there without care, you will also have problems, IMO.
People often say LR because it sounds good and in the main tank it is great. But rubble, or in a wet dry, can be a bit different. And IMO if you have no issues, there is no real need to change.
This question can not be fully answered without knowing a lot about the tank. In a reef tank with low fish load I would not necessarily go with bioballs (but wouldn't necessarily suggest removing them) but if you have a high fish load - or predators - I would.
In large part the determination is made based on nitrate levels, algae, etc as well.
http:///forum/post/3165981
The problems you will experience from having bioballs will have a direct correlation to how well you maintain them. If you let them go, like anything else, they will not perform as designed.
I agree, and if you just put LR rubble in there without care, you will also have problems, IMO.
People often say LR because it sounds good and in the main tank it is great. But rubble, or in a wet dry, can be a bit different. And IMO if you have no issues, there is no real need to change.
This question can not be fully answered without knowing a lot about the tank. In a reef tank with low fish load I would not necessarily go with bioballs (but wouldn't necessarily suggest removing them) but if you have a high fish load - or predators - I would.
In large part the determination is made based on nitrate levels, algae, etc as well.
