All bio-balls created equal?

[beviking]

Thinking of getting some bio balls for a canister filter. Looking at all the different makes and models I'm wondering, are there any advantages of one over the other? Thanks!

[RTR]

No, they are not all created equal IMHO. I look for hard plastic, total self-cleaning and long life. My personal choice is Dupla's two bioballs, large for W/D, small for canister use. But since Dupla just changed hands, I don't know the availablity. If Hawaiian Marine Imports still has leftover stock, you might get some discounted, as they are no longer to be the importer..

[blitzen25bm]

the smaller the diameter the better

[JSchmidt]

I agree, smaller is better. I've used Lee's BioPin balls, but they work best in larger canisters because the diameter of the bioball is rather large. I place them in fairly carefully, to get as many as possible in the canister, and then I fill any voids with Ehfimech. The bio-pin balls seem to stay pretty clean (at least in my bio-only canisters).

I've also used a product (again, in bio-only canisters) that used to be called Bio-Pak. (I don't know if it's even sold anymore.) It was basically a bunch of interlocking orange plastic pieces, semi-spherical in shape. It tends to collect biofilm a bit more than the other bioballs, but not terribly so. It was awfully cheap, if I remember correctly.

I probably would avoid those bioballs that are essentially hollow except for a piece of sponge inside. Those seem designed to trap gunk, and once that happened, they'd be pretty poor at supporting bacteria, I'd think.

HTH,
Jim

[blitzen25bm]

i dont like the lees, i think it sjust because i dont like how they look. in my ponds i use these plastic things its just a bunch of plastic looks kinda like shredded paper but its plastic and you can really pack them into the filters.

[JSchmidt]

I'm not so concerned with appearances... I just want them to have lots of colonizable surface area and to be relatively self-cleaning.

Jim

[blitzen25bm]

yea, i bet 99.9 percent of people arent. my LFS gave me like 5 gallons of bio balls but about a third of it was black instead of blue so i brought a few more gallons and over the course of 2 months or so i converted to blue bio balls only. i know something must be wrong with me :shake:

[RTR]

To be honest, I couldn't care less what they look like. Inside the canisters they are difficult to see at best. I am only interested in functionality - sufficient surface area and self-cleaning are the top of my want/need list. Appearance does not make the list at all. I touch my canisters to confirm that they are operating. I look at my tanks, not the filters. ;)

[DEmigh]

Originally posted by blitzen25bm
over the course of 2 months or so i converted to blue bio balls

Sounds like a personal problem to me ;)

[JSchmidt]

Well, Robert, I wouldn't have believed it possible, but we may have found someone even more particular than you about filter media!

;)

Jim

[beviking]

Thanks for the replies.

I was looking at Bio-Mate. They're more rounded than Lee's and come in 1" and 1 1/2" size. They are advertized as being "inert and non-leaching" and "will not clog up with organic matter".

Bio-Pak is offered in Drs Foster&Smiths' catalog but just looking at them makes me think they are more prone to collecting gunk. Thanks for the confirmation Jim!

Do people actually use the balls with sponges in them? To me (consider the source! :rolleyes: ) THAT does not sound like a good idea. I can't imagine ringing out each and every one of those little sponges!:eek:

[RTR]

Yup, blitzen definitely has topped me on that one. :p

beviking - I agree fully on the sponge-centered or sponge-totally bioballs. Why not just use a sponge? they can be perfectly good biofilters, they just do not self-clean at all. No, thank you, not for me.