bio balls necessary?

[nicolicious]

this is a mock up of 90gallon. I want to change my overflow to make it quieter. cant seem to find the diy post right now....

is it cool to get rid of my bioballs? are they doing anything in a tank this old?

 

[fatrip]

they a filled with micro bactira thta help brake down you bio waste, if you replace it with live rock rubble, that would be find, but if you get rid of it you will loose alot of bio load capabilities, if you have a great number of them in your tank now.

 

[dc_909]

Ditch them.

 

[murfman]

If you do decide to get rid of them do so gradually, like 1/4 a week or so. This way the bio load can keep up instead of shocking the system. Best way is to replace them with cured live rock rubble.

 

[drummereef]

If you have at least 1lb/gallon of live rock then you are fine to remove them. Like the above said, remove slowly. 1/4th per week is a good method.

 

[coast2coast7390]

i dont see why nobody likes them i have never had a problem with them...i guess the arguement is that they get dirty but thats only if you dont use a pre filter pad or a filter sock like you are supposed to

 

[ruarox]

i think over long periods of time they build up junk on them. i dont think they would be such a problem if they were kept clean. at 1 lfs bioballs looked like they were covered in mud. i am taking mine out and using rock rubble

 

[papagimp]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9745181#post9745181 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by coast2coast7390
i dont see why nobody likes them i have never had a problem with them...i guess the arguement is that they get dirty but thats only if you dont use a pre filter pad or a filter sock like you are supposed to

The problem is not with how dirty they get, it's with how they colonize with bacteria. The type of beneficial bacteria on them is receiving loads of oxygenated water, very aerobic, this type of fitlration does absolutely nothing for nitrate removal. You would need anerobic zones for this, no or low oxygen bacteria. Like you get with a DSB or deep within porous live rock. If you are not seeing high nitrates in your system and they stay failry low, as close to zero as possible, than no problem, leave em be. But if you have high nitrates in your system, than removing them may help to reduce this. bacteria will colonize elshwere in your tank and in larger numbers than currently residing in your rock and sandbed, this may help to naturally reduce these nitrates.

But as I said, if you don't have a nitrate problem, and using bioballs, than no point in removing them, they do filter the ammonia, and nitrite very effectively. Which is what makes them great for freshwater or fish only systems.

 

[kurtg]

I ditched mine with no ill effects. It increased by skimmer output and my nitrate levels started to fall shortly after. The goal is to skim out as much waste as possible before it gets reduced to nitrates. Bioballs simply work too well and they reduce waste that would otherwise be skimmed. (Obviously, fresh water would be a completely different game because skimmers aren't effective.)

I heard that you're suppose to clean them, but I never did that so it may have contributed to my issues.

 

[Sk8r]

I grow corals and have fishes, and do not use a filter sock, sponge, filter, or bioballs, only live rock and sand: my corals want 0 nitrate, nitrite, and ammonia. The best way to achieve this imho is not to have bioballs or filters or sponges or filter socks, and to have 1+ pound of porous live rock per gallon. If you have a sump with a lot of bioballs, toss them, install live rock and cheatomorpha in that chamber, light it on an opposite cycle from your tank, and you have a nice little refugium that will keep down algae in your tank and feed your fish free pods.

 

[coast2coast7390]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9747237#post9747237 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Sk8r
my corals want 0 nitrate, nitrite, and ammonia

really just your corals :eek1: ...i think all corals want 0 nitrate, 0 nitrite, and 0 ammonia...but what do i kno

 

[papagimp]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9748336#post9748336 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by coast2coast7390
really just your corals :eek1: ...i think all corals want 0 nitrate, 0 nitrite, and 0 ammonia...but what do i kno

apparently not enough, some corals thrive better with higher nitrates

 

[coast2coast7390]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9748355#post9748355 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by papagimp
apparently not enough, some corals thrive better with higher nitrates

then why do we want to get a rid of nitrates if some corals like them because its pretty much nutrients that they can pull out of the water...so wouldnt you say that a small amount is ok and kept in check with water changes

 

[cayars]

If you can keep your nitrates at a steady 5-10 you will be in great shape nitrate wise.

 

[Sk8r]

Remember I keep fish---so there's always a little something going on during part of the day. I only test at dawn. And I should have specified: I keep acroporas, sps, and they don't like nitrate or phosphate. LPS is a bit different; and mushrooms seem to thrive under conditions that sps really don't like.

 

[coast2coast7390]

so how high do your nitrates get during the day