Sump Question

[notoriousreef]

I have a 58 gallon mixed reef tank that is now two years old. Currently I run a large skimmer in my sump but I also run a bio ball tower. I am think about removing this tower from the tank due to me reading that bio balls are not the best for a reef tank. Will me removing the bio ball tower have a negative effect on my tank other then needing to add more water back in? I have some dry base rock , should I place this where the bio ball tower was, or should I cycle this rock in a separate tank then place it where the bio tower was?

I have also been playing about with the idea of taking an old 75 gallon bow front I have and turning it into a bigger sump. This would allow me to add a ref, and dosing pumps and a reactor later down the line. But when I go to do this will the extra water volume I had into the sump cause a mini cycle? Thanks for the help

 

[Uncle Salty 05]

The bioballs should be above the water line and not be submerged so there should be no water displaced by them.
When you remove the bioballs do it gradually. Just remove a handful every week to 10 days until they are gone.
I replaced my bioballs with dry base rock and it has worked well for me.
The base rock has a far smaller surface area and is calcareous which helps with buffering capacity.
Hope this helps.

 

[notoriousreef]

Sweet thanks, I just want to make sure I dont crash everything lol.

 

[Uncle Salty 05]

Just take it slow and you'll be fine.

 

[Palting]

Just make sure you have an adequate amount of live rock to take over the biofiltration. Take the bioballs out slowly as mentioned by salty to let the live rock take over, and you should be fine. Then, once you are ready to upgrade to the larger sump, it should be easy.