bio balls?

[lanacane214]

why are bio balls not good for a reef tank?

 

[masterswimmer]

This has been a controversial subject.

Depending upon your usage of bio-balls they are not bad for a reef tank.
The reason bio-balls have a bad rap is because people are accustomed to using them the way they were originally designed to be used, in a wet/dry sump. When they are in the 'dry' section of a wet/dry, they collect detritus and contribute to the nitrite, nitrate, phosphate build up, because they are above the waterline.

If you use the bio-balls the same way you would use live rock, submerged, then they will provide you with a large amount of surface area and basically perform the exact same way LR would perform, as a place for bacteria to colonize.

So once again, it depends upon your intended use for them.

swimmer

 

[Bob 1000]

I think its simply because it something else to worry about becoming a nitrate factory in the long run from my experience....

 

[masterswimmer]

I think its simply because it something else to worry about becoming a nitrate factory in the long run from my experience....

LR is not noted to be a nitrate factory in the long run. Bio-balls, when submerged, are no different. If water were to flow over the bio-balls while above the waterline, that would be a different story.

Hence the controversy

swimmer

 

[Bob 1000]

Yes that's how I've always done it with bio ballsover the water...Not submerged.. But I stop using then years ago..

 

[Potrzebie]

My nitrate was high until I removed the bio-balls. They'll produce nitrate even if submerged -- because they don't harbor anaerobic bacteria. The aerobic bacteria on the bioballs converts fishes' nitrogenous waste to nitrates, but you need anaerobic bacteria (e.g. the ones found in a deep sand bed or within LR) to break down the nitrates further to get rid of them.

 

[SIReefer]

Thanks Masterswimmer.
I got rid of my bioballs in my w/d & my nitrates went down but the noise in my sump was up. To combat this I used a plexi sheet at an angle over my nitrate sponge & carbon. This helped a bit but the splashing is still too loud for me. I'm going to go back to the bioballs but only up to the waterline this time.

 

[Bob 1000]

Gat a denitrifier natureef ....Nitrates who??? Nitrates what???

 

[sporty]

Hey isn't that the reason for bio balls;To produce nitrates which is part of the nitrogen cycle.First it takes amonia and turns it to nitrites then into nitrates.

 

[Bob 1000]

Wow I was under the impression that the cycle was over....