View Full Version : Bio Balls-Good or Bad
running0485
11-07-2007, 9:34 PM
Hey Guys,
I have a reef tank that is fairly established. I set it up in June with stuff from my parents 77 gallon reef tank and I have slowly add things from a store. I seem to be having a problem with Red Slime/ Cyanobacteria. My dad also have a 12 gallon JBJ Nanocube, reef like I have. He doesn't have the problems with red slime that I am experiencing. I have the bio balls, sponges, charcoal and ceramic things in the back of the tank. Now I have read that bio balls are bad and that bio balls are good. I was just wonder what you guys thought and if you had any ideas on how to get rid of red slime when Red Slime Remover isn't working.
What is the turnover rate in the tank? What kind of clean up crew do you have in it? And as for the bio balls, they in themselves aren't bad but they do need regular maintenance to rid them of the nitrates that they will trap.
Fishieness
11-07-2007, 9:52 PM
grins hit the nail on the head.
clean them often. many people use a filter sock to filter out some of the detritus before it settles in the bio balls. but that will need to be replaced pretty darn often.
as far as the cyano, try running phosban, and carbon regularly, keep up with water changes, and lower your nutrients. Adding a refugium instead of bioballs could also help.
jojo22
11-07-2007, 9:52 PM
BAD period end of story, bio balls are second only to things like gorilla crabs, flat worms, or aptasia.
running0485
11-08-2007, 11:12 AM
Umm lets see, I have two Blue Damsals, 3 hermit crabs, two snails, a couple of tiny star fish, a leather, and I think that is about it. So if I just clean the bio balls regularly it should cut down on the nitrates and on the cyano?
Still need to get an idea on what your flow is in the tank. However your clean up crew needs beefing up for a 77g tank.
Nolapete
11-12-2007, 2:21 PM
They aren't bad, but they shouldn't be used in a reef. I had a hard time getting the "bioballs are bad" to click until someone told me the following:
The idea now is to cut down what produces nitrate and doesn't consume it.
Live rock does nitrification AND denitrification. Bioballs on the other hand only do nitrification. In simple terms, bioballs don't clean up after themselves. They create nitrate and don't consume it. Live rock has both nitrate producers and nitrate consumers.
It's not that they are bad. They are excellent for biological filtration in both freshwater and fish only saltwater tanks.
Germanman
11-12-2007, 3:15 PM
BAD period end of story, bio balls are second only to things like gorilla crabs, flat worms, or aptasia.
i have to agree. but like the others said if you do clean them then you should be alright....i would recommend switching them out for live rock though...cant beat natural filtration.
srossnz
12-06-2007, 8:08 PM
Just curious how you clean them? Would cleaning them not destroy the good bacteria living in them? Or are you saying slosh them around in some fresh saltwater mix or tank water?
clean them in old tank water.
I know bio balls are bad in a reef tank, what makes them good in a freshwater? Surely nitrates need to be kept low in a freshwater to avoid algae blooms also, I'm confused.
Grins
12-06-2007, 10:22 PM
They aren't bad, they just need maintained. Even live rock should have debris blown off from time to time. I don't however choose to run my system with bio balls.
Pufferpunk
12-07-2007, 12:36 PM
I know bio balls are bad in a reef tank, what makes them good in a freshwater? Surely nitrates need to be kept low in a freshwater to avoid algae blooms also, I'm confused.
I've always wondered thesame thing. If bioballs, wet-dry, sponges, etc. are nitrate factories in SW, why not in FW?
Pufferpunk
12-07-2007, 12:37 PM
I've found Chemi-Clean to work very well to erradicate Cyano.
joshuacpr99
12-09-2007, 11:03 PM
My tank has up and running for a little over four months now and i am using a wet/dry. I know that is not very long , but so far so good. My water params are perfect and have had no problems keeping them that way. All of my corals are healthy and growing. Like grins said they are not a problem as long as they are maintained. Pre filters make this a much easier task. I have my water running through two pre fiters before it gets to the bio balls and hav'nt had to clean them yet. You do have to clean the pre filters regularly though(every 3-5 days). My lfs runs their whole system on a HUGE!!!!! wet/dry system and they have no problems. They even keep sea apples in all their tanks just to lett people know how well they maintain their water params.