View Full Version : Bio Wheel....
kikanakala
08-10-2007, 10:34 AM
I have a 5 gallon with a Bio Wheel. Does it need to be changed and if so, how often? I have read in some places that it does, and in some places that it doesn't. My husband rinsed it off the other day because it had a lot of gunk on it. Was that okay? Thanks for the help!
Weezer
08-10-2007, 10:38 AM
Bio- wheels should not be changed, as long as it spins its OK, let it get dirty, it can be swished in a pail of tank water if it gets really bad,......:)
silentskream
08-10-2007, 11:30 AM
if you do "rinse it out" don't do it in tap water!!!
kikanakala
08-10-2007, 12:53 PM
Great, my husband already did. What's going to happen now?
It depends on how thoroughly he rinsed if. You probably lost at least some of the beneficial bacteria that colonizes the biowheel. You may go through a mini cycle, where the Ammonia spikes up and you have to do some water changes. Test for ammonia over the next few days.
kimmisc
08-10-2007, 1:48 PM
The purpose of the bio-wheel is to provide a highly oxygenated, large surfice area for your good bacteria to live. The brown slimey stuff in your filter and on your bio-wheel is the bacteria... I may be told differently about that in a minute, but it's just what I've read.
Leave the bio-wheel alone unless it stops turning. If it stops turning, pick it up and clean the pins on the ends of it. If gunk is weighing it down, rinse it in tank water that you've removed during a PWC.
As for it being washed in tap water, if your tap water is chlorinated, it probably killed your bacteria. Fortunately, you still have bacteria in your filter and substrate. You might have a little ammonia/nitrite show up for a couple days. Just test the water and do PWCs if necessary.
cichlidcichlid
08-10-2007, 1:49 PM
watch the tan cery closely for the next week!
If the water starts to get a little cloudy it is fine, just the bacteria regenerating.
Just keep an eye on the ammonia, nitrite, and the nitrate.
Slappy*McFish
08-10-2007, 1:51 PM
Yeah, they aren't designed to be changed/replaced and should last the life of your filter. They very rarely need cleaning, either. I've been running an Emperor 400 for a couple of years and I've never had to clean the bio-wheels. I've never had any problems with them not turning or getting gunked up, either. I have, however, had to clean the spray bars that make them turn. The holes do get clogged over time and you need to make sure the water coming out is turning the wheel as efficiently as possible.
jm1212
08-10-2007, 6:19 PM
if it was briefly rinsed, there still could be some bacteria left on the biowheel. if he put it under the tap water for a while to get everything off, then most likley all of the bacteria are dead. watch your water parameters closley, but the bacteria should recolonize the biowheel soon.
Rbishop
08-10-2007, 7:31 PM
pwc .....pwc...pwc....