Bio Balls whats the deal
- Thread starter erics3000
- Start date
LFS have a huge ammonia source to try to treat, and have little live rock or sand in most tanks. 
greenbean36191
Premium Member
I get the impression that you think the problem with bioballs is that they trap detritus. That may be the case if they aren't cleaned regularly, but it's not the root of their problem. Even detritus-free bioballs are "nitrate factories" when they're working as they're designed to.
They provide aerobic surface area for nitrifying bacteria- the ones that convert ammonia->nitrite->nitrate. When they're doing their job they quickly transform any ammonia into nitrate. However, their work ends there. To convert nitrate to nitrogen gas you need anerobic bacteria, which can't live on the bioballs, but can live in LR. As a result, if you have detritus-free bioballs and you add ammonia you should end up with nitrate in the water if things are working properly. If you add ammonia to water with LR, most of that ammonia should be converted all the way to nitrogen gas rather than being released into the water as nitrate.
They provide aerobic surface area for nitrifying bacteria- the ones that convert ammonia->nitrite->nitrate. When they're doing their job they quickly transform any ammonia into nitrate. However, their work ends there. To convert nitrate to nitrogen gas you need anerobic bacteria, which can't live on the bioballs, but can live in LR. As a result, if you have detritus-free bioballs and you add ammonia you should end up with nitrate in the water if things are working properly. If you add ammonia to water with LR, most of that ammonia should be converted all the way to nitrogen gas rather than being released into the water as nitrate.
