why remove bio balls?

[rabid frog]

Ive got a quick one for some one to explain to me... Ive got a wet dry/trickle filter... with bio balls, why does everyone get rid of these? <img src="graemlins//confused.gif" border="0" alt="[confused]" />

 

[reeferx]

People hear that wet/drys are 'nitrate factories' so they dump 'em.
I don't subscribe to this, but it is pretty popular. Wet/drys are excellent at breaking down ammonia and nitrites. They just don't deal with nitrates.*
The deep sand bed and/or a refugium with a lot of caulerpa deals with the nitrates.
*Some wet/drys might handle a bit of nitrates since some of their balls are completely submerged in water.

 

[richard rendos]

A wet/dry filter is an extremely efficient biological filter. The end product of aerobic bacteria on nitrogen is nitrates. You need anaerobic bacteria to convert nitrates to free nitrogen. This is why people refer to wet/dry's as nitrate factories.

 

[trailer trash]

<a href="http://www.anchofish.com/_paletta/mp_jan2001_berlin_method.htm" target="_blank">Good Info</a>
LR filtration along with a DSB is now very popular and IMO the "cutting edge" in reef keeping.
I ran a W/D with bio-balls for years. Removed the Bio-balls, turned sump into refugium added, the sand a few years ago and things never look better not to mention zero nitrates.
W/D filters have their place in a fish-only tank but for a lightly stocked(fish) reef, bio-balls are passe and not necessary.
Just my 2 cents.

 

[rabid frog]

Well I have 60 lbs of lr and a dsb of about 21/2 to 3 in.. plus a fluidized sand filter so my boi balls should be safe right??

 

[reeferx]

I would keep them or get more rock.
I do see a little redundancy between the wet/dry and the fluidized bed filter, but I am not sure. Don't those do the same thing as a wet/dry? Or do they denitrify?

 

[rabid frog]

Im not sure either but I had both so I fugured it wouldnt hurt anything, was I wrong in my assumption?

 

[justin_ny]

i also have wet/dry filter in my tank. my nitrate is never drop. i was thinking about removing the bio balls slowly and put a small live rock in the sump. what do u think guys, is this still produce nitrate for my tank?