gscottnelson
New member
Its been about 12 weeks and I have been running bio balls on my 125 gallon reef tank and the nitrates are not reducing at all.
Any ideas?
Scott
Any ideas?
Scott
Bio Balls not removing Nitrates
- Thread starter gscottnelson
- Start date
tanksfishtank
Premium Member
+1! You will need to do a few small water changes to get them to drop!
cloak
New member
Bioballs don't "retain" nitrates, they're just very efficient at producing them, in the right environment of course. (wet/dry) If you don't have something else in your system to offset this, (chaeto, DSB, etc) they can get out of control.
Check this out.
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1992027&highlight=bioballs
Check this out.
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1992027&highlight=bioballs
gscottnelson
New member
Big Mistake - I meant Bio Pellets
Big Mistake - I meant Bio Pellets
I have a Bio Pellet Reactor - and the nitrates have not been going down. Maybe I need to add some of that bacteria to kick start it?
I have turned my phosphate reactor off, but still no reduction.
Big Mistake - I meant Bio Pellets
I have a Bio Pellet Reactor - and the nitrates have not been going down. Maybe I need to add some of that bacteria to kick start it?
I have turned my phosphate reactor off, but still no reduction.
slapshot
Active member
Phosphates and nitrates are linked. If your nitrates are not dropping and you have enough pellets then you need to lower your phosphates. Try running some PO2 remover.
What is the nitrate level?
Wrong. The balls themselves do not produce anything. Due to their high surface area, they RETAIN a lot of crap that turns into nitrates. That's why they are called 'traps.'
sporto0
New member
"Due to their high surface area" they are very effecient at hosting nitrifying bacteria which convert ammonia to nitrites to nitrates, detritus is trapped everywhere & until it is no longer organic, it will produce ammonia which is ultimately converted to nitrates, don't get too hung up on the word trap.
even if you use the word 'trap' that is their job! that is the whole purpose of bio balls. you can use any other work you like, but ultimately it is their job to trap/retain/collect/host microbes that end up turning into nitrates.
and yes, turns out the op was actually referring to bio PELLETS and not balls.
I agree the discussion is not about bioballs, but I think there some confusion on what bioballs do and why they may be considered by some to contribute to elevated nitrate, and I want all "New to the Hobby" readers to be on the same page on that issue.
One reason is they trap detritus. That is not their function, but it can happen. Whether that is an issue depends on what otherwise might happen to that organic detritus. If it just goes elsewhere and stays there and decays, it makes no difference where that happens. If the organic detritus is otherwise removed somehow, then that would lead to less nitrate.
BUT, there is another aspect to bioballs that can lead to higher nitrate with them than without them in the same system, and that gets at EXACTLY what their intended purpose is, which is to allow bacteria to convert ammonia into nitrite then nitrate.
Such filters do a fine job of processing ammonia to nitrite to nitrate, but do nothing with the nitrate. It is often non-intuitive to many aquarists, but removing such a filter altogether may actually help reduce nitrate. So slowly removing them and allowing more of the nitrogen processing to take place on and in the live rock and sand can be beneficial.
It is not that any less nitrate is produced when such a filter is removed, it is a question of what happens to the nitrate after it is produced.
When it is produced on the surface of media such as bioballs, it mixes into the entire water column, and then has to find its way, by diffusion, to the places where it may be reduced (inside of live rock and sand, for instance).
If it is produced on the surface of live rock or sand, then the local concentration of nitrate is higher there than in the first case above, and it is more likely to diffuse into the rock and sand to be reduced to N2.
So the overall rate of eliminate of nitrate is increased without the bioballs.
One reason is they trap detritus. That is not their function, but it can happen. Whether that is an issue depends on what otherwise might happen to that organic detritus. If it just goes elsewhere and stays there and decays, it makes no difference where that happens. If the organic detritus is otherwise removed somehow, then that would lead to less nitrate.
BUT, there is another aspect to bioballs that can lead to higher nitrate with them than without them in the same system, and that gets at EXACTLY what their intended purpose is, which is to allow bacteria to convert ammonia into nitrite then nitrate.
Such filters do a fine job of processing ammonia to nitrite to nitrate, but do nothing with the nitrate. It is often non-intuitive to many aquarists, but removing such a filter altogether may actually help reduce nitrate. So slowly removing them and allowing more of the nitrogen processing to take place on and in the live rock and sand can be beneficial.
It is not that any less nitrate is produced when such a filter is removed, it is a question of what happens to the nitrate after it is produced.
When it is produced on the surface of media such as bioballs, it mixes into the entire water column, and then has to find its way, by diffusion, to the places where it may be reduced (inside of live rock and sand, for instance).
If it is produced on the surface of live rock or sand, then the local concentration of nitrate is higher there than in the first case above, and it is more likely to diffuse into the rock and sand to be reduced to N2.
So the overall rate of eliminate of nitrate is increased without the bioballs.
slapshot
Active member
Last edited:
I've never heard of them called "nitrate traps" just "nitrate factories." Either way, there are certain applications where it makes sense to use them (some breeding systems, fish only tanks, etc).
Palting
New member
LOL!!! Anytime bioballs are mentioned in a post, the thread deteriorates into this nitrate trap/factory discussion, regardless of what the thread is all about. I think I will sporadically start a thread with a one word title, "Bioballs", and a one word first post, "bioballs" and we can all go at it over and over again each time 
Lets talk about Biopellets and phosphate, something I know nothing much about but would like to learn. Same as the OP. Shall we? Please?
Lets talk about Biopellets and phosphate, something I know nothing much about but would like to learn. Same as the OP. Shall we? Please?
Lets talk about Biopellets and phosphate, something I know nothing much about but would like to learn. Same as the OP. Shall we? Please?
We're still waiting for the OP to give us some info, such as the nitrate test results, but...
Organic carbon dosing, including pellets, tends to reduce nitrate disproportionately more than phosphate, leaving phosphate behind in many instances when nitrate is gone for reasons that we understand well. That's one reason that folks using organic carbon dosing often also use GFO to mop up remaining phosphate.
FWIW, I prefer viengar to pellets. I don't really see any advantage to pellets. The theoretical advantage of confinign the effect to the pellet surface seem to not hold up in reality, as folks have often gotten cyanobacteria remote from the pellets.
Vinegar is easier to control and change doses at will, you can control the time of day of dosing to keep the effects on O2 and pH when you want them, and I think many more types of bacteria and other organisms readily consume acetate (from vinegar), while cyano tends to be somewhat less pleased with acetate than with some other organic carbon sources.
Randy, do you prefer vinegar over vodka? For the tank of course 
ken55
A wing and a prayer
LOL!!! Anytime bioballs are mentioned in a post, the thread deteriorates into this nitrate trap/factory discussion, regardless of what the thread is all about. I think I will sporadically start a thread with a one word title, "Bioballs", and a one word first post, "bioballs" and we can all go at it over and over again each time
I'm certainly still a new guy here but even I have seen this time and again. and again. and again.:crazy1:
