Bio Balls-Good or Bad

R

running0485

Registered Member
Nov 7, 2007
2
0
0
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.
 
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.
 
BAD period end of story, bio balls are second only to things like gorilla crabs, flat worms, or aptasia.
 
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?
 
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.
 
jojo22 said:
BAD period end of story, bio balls are second only to things like gorilla crabs, flat worms, or aptasia.
Click to expand...
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.
 
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?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
AquariaCentral.com
Top Bottom