Bio-wheels?????

[SweetFawn]

I read in a thread that bio-wheels can harbor some bad bacteria and actually cause some algea probs. Does anyone have any thoughts on this?

I am having some problems with cyano, I syphen out the cyano every day and have increased the frequency of water changes. But can't seem to get rid of it. It is killing lots of coraline just as it was really taking off.

Perameters:
pH-8.1-8.3
temp-80
sg-1.025
cal-415
alk-9
trites-0
trates-0
phos- <0.3

I will be getting a skimmer on Tue, I am sure being skimmerless is part of the problem, but after reading the thread on bio-wheels I am worried that they will cause more damage than good. Any advise would be greatly appreciated.

 

[blmeier7]

There are mixed reviews on the biowheels. I have used them in the past on a reef tank but would recommend letting live rock/sand handle the biological filtration. If you get an efficient skimmer this could help removed the excess nutrients causing the cyano outbreak. If you are adding any supplements to the tank I would stop and let your weekly water changes handle this. You might also cut your feeding in half and see if it makes a difference. I have also read that old bulbs can sometimes be the cause of cyano.

 

[Paintbug]

yep, bio-wheels or anything with bio in the name will cause nitrates. they will do a good job of breaking down ammonia, and nitrites. but when i comes to nitrates, they cant break it down to nitrogen gas. that is how nitrates are removed from the water. i see your nitrates level is at 0. that may not be accurate. if you have a cyano bloom, the algae will consume the nitrates as fast as they are produced. so you probablly have them, its just your test kit isnt detecting them.

i also see you have a .3 phosphates reading. that is also adding to the problem. those come from over feeding, tap water, and some other places.

a skimmer will help with the problem but its probablly not going to cure it. only time will tell.

one thing that really helped me get my cyano under control is to run my lights less each day. i was running my lights for a total of 12 hrs. now im up to 9 hrs. i dropped 1 hr each day until i hit 6 hrs total. i ran them for 6 hrs a day for about 5-6 days. the cyano started melting away. i would syphon it up when i would do a water change. i did a 10% water change about every 2-3 days for the first week. now i only have a small patch of stuborn cyano on the sand that i syphon away on my bi-weekly water changes. its not completely gone but its under control, and slowly going away.