Liverock and bioballs

Titus07 · 04/08/2009, 06:26 PM

Is it counterproductive for me to have 150lbs of live rock in my 125g tank and be running bio balls in a wet/dry as well? The live rock is on top of a 3" bed on top of a plenum.

Stanley-Reefer · 04/08/2009, 06:45 PM

Let me shed some light on this for you. I have been doing this for some time and my previous 180 had bioballs, LR, LS, skimmer. Mostly lps and leathers with a few sps wild colonies thrown in (before frags were abundant) and I was SUCCESSFUL.

Fast forward to last Jan, got back in the hobby with a 90 same set up more sps and good results. October same year added a 175 same set up LOTS more sps.

Had friends from lfs do the tank while on vacation etc. He recommended to take the bioballs out. I had been having some nitrate/algae blooms that my husbandry controlled.

REMOVE THE BIOBALLS--they trap all the crap a polyfilter will trap you can easily change with a new one and the skimmer pulls the rest. My algea is gone, my nitrates are gone and my sps are in fast forward in both tanks.

REMOVE TEH BIOBALLS SLOWLY. I guess I did it over a month twice a week to allow the system to adjust without them.

best thing I ever did!

Titus07 · 04/08/2009, 08:09 PM

I have heard that a poly sock filter would take out plankton too. What is the truth to this claim?

Fishboy321 · 04/08/2009, 08:19 PM

ok i have a bio cube with the stock filter, would you suggest me to slow take out my bio balls?

reefscape15 · 04/08/2009, 08:37 PM

yes take out bio balls slowly, and remove all sponges and filter socks. This will leave you with the best results. If you still want to run carbon or anything like that, a media reactor is the best way to go

Titus07 · 04/08/2009, 11:09 PM

if you take all that out, then you have no mechanical filtration

Fishboy321 · 04/09/2009, 12:56 PM

i was told by a friend to replace the bio balls with small pieces of live rock which holds more types of bacteria that neutralize more of the nitrate /phosphates? good idea?

mkarston · 04/09/2009, 02:10 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by reefscape15
yes take out bio balls slowly, and remove all sponges and filter socks. This will leave you with the best results. If you still want to run carbon or anything like that, a media reactor is the best way to go

Do you not run any mechanical filtration at all? I agree with getting rid of the bio balls as well, but I (and I thought most reefers) run a filter sock, a skimmer, and a reactor for carbon, GFO, etc...

Changing my filter socks every 3-4 days is one of maintenance items I dread having to do the most, and would love to get rid of it, if I new many others were having success doing this. I would then of course have to deal with a micro-bubble issue.

Fishboy321 · 04/09/2009, 02:48 PM

i just have the stock bio cube filter no protein skimmer

Mr. Brooks · 04/09/2009, 03:22 PM

You can actually run a tank successfully using only live rock. I placed live rock rubble in the first two chambers of my nano cube. No mechanical filtration at all. I stock lightly and feed sparingly. Do a water change once a month and I'm set. Two fish and a bunch of corals doing quite well in a 24 gallon nano cube.

I applied the same principle to my 225. Big skimmer, lots of flow, lots of live rock. No filter socks, no sponges, no traps of any kind. I got so sick of cleaning filter socks. I depend on my skimmer to pull out most of the bad stuff once it's dissolved.

I do however use bioballs in my QT. That's about all they're good for IMO.

reefscape15 · 04/10/2009, 06:26 PM

Mkarston - No i don't use any mechanical filtration. All you really need is live rock, a oversized skimmer and high flow. The flow will keep your detritus suspended which the skimmer will remove and the rock will keep your parameters in check. I used to run carbon and bio-balls but it became too much of a hassle to keep it clean and everything. Bio balls are okay if you have them tumbling, but if they are sitting still they will be a nitrate factory! I've been contemplating setting up a media reactor to run Chemipure in, but it's really not a necessity for me, although it would help keep my water change frequency down a little bit

reefscape15 · 04/10/2009, 06:30 PM

fishboy - the same thing would happen if your live rock is in a low flow area. They will help reduce nitrates/nitrites because of porosity, but any obstruction will give a spot for detritus to settle and will end up putting nitrates back into your system. If you have your bio-balls constantly being stirred around, i would leave them and maybe add a couple pieces of rubble rock as well, but if the water is too low flow it will not aid you to have anything in that area

04/08/2009, 06:26 PM	#1
Titus07 Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2007 Posts: 288	Liverock and bioballs Is it counterproductive for me to have 150lbs of live rock in my 125g tank and be running bio balls in a wet/dry as well? The live rock is on top of a 3" bed on top of a plenum.

04/08/2009, 08:37 PM	#5
reefscape15 Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: Elmira Heights, NY Posts: 2,812	yes take out bio balls slowly, and remove all sponges and filter socks. This will leave you with the best results. If you still want to run carbon or anything like that, a media reactor is the best way to go __________________ A new beginning........... JIM Current Tank Info: 5g standard softie/zoa tank, just starting a 20H

04/10/2009, 06:26 PM	#11
reefscape15 Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: Elmira Heights, NY Posts: 2,812	Mkarston - No i don't use any mechanical filtration. All you really need is live rock, a oversized skimmer and high flow. The flow will keep your detritus suspended which the skimmer will remove and the rock will keep your parameters in check. I used to run carbon and bio-balls but it became too much of a hassle to keep it clean and everything. Bio balls are okay if you have them tumbling, but if they are sitting still they will be a nitrate factory! I've been contemplating setting up a media reactor to run Chemipure in, but it's really not a necessity for me, although it would help keep my water change frequency down a little bit __________________ A new beginning........... JIM Current Tank Info: 5g standard softie/zoa tank, just starting a 20H

04/10/2009, 06:30 PM	#12
reefscape15 Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: Elmira Heights, NY Posts: 2,812	fishboy - the same thing would happen if your live rock is in a low flow area. They will help reduce nitrates/nitrites because of porosity, but any obstruction will give a spot for detritus to settle and will end up putting nitrates back into your system. If you have your bio-balls constantly being stirred around, i would leave them and maybe add a couple pieces of rubble rock as well, but if the water is too low flow it will not aid you to have anything in that area __________________ A new beginning........... JIM Current Tank Info: 5g standard softie/zoa tank, just starting a 20H

04/08/2009, 06:45 PM	#2
Stanley-Reefer Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Stanley, NC Posts: 1,933	Let me shed some light on this for you. I have been doing this for some time and my previous 180 had bioballs, LR, LS, skimmer. Mostly lps and leathers with a few sps wild colonies thrown in (before frags were abundant) and I was SUCCESSFUL. Fast forward to last Jan, got back in the hobby with a 90 same set up more sps and good results. October same year added a 175 same set up LOTS more sps. Had friends from lfs do the tank while on vacation etc. He recommended to take the bioballs out. I had been having some nitrate/algae blooms that my husbandry controlled. REMOVE THE BIOBALLS--they trap all the crap a polyfilter will trap you can easily change with a new one and the skimmer pulls the rest. My algea is gone, my nitrates are gone and my sps are in fast forward in both tanks. REMOVE TEH BIOBALLS SLOWLY. I guess I did it over a month twice a week to allow the system to adjust without them. best thing I ever did!

04/08/2009, 08:09 PM	#3
Titus07 Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2007 Posts: 288	I have heard that a poly sock filter would take out plankton too. What is the truth to this claim?

04/08/2009, 08:19 PM	#4
Fishboy321 Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2009 Posts: 47	ok i have a bio cube with the stock filter, would you suggest me to slow take out my bio balls?

04/08/2009, 11:09 PM	#6
Titus07 Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2007 Posts: 288	if you take all that out, then you have no mechanical filtration

04/09/2009, 12:56 PM	#7
Fishboy321 Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2009 Posts: 47	i was told by a friend to replace the bio balls with small pieces of live rock which holds more types of bacteria that neutralize more of the nitrate /phosphates? good idea?

04/09/2009, 02:48 PM	#9
Fishboy321 Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2009 Posts: 47	i just have the stock bio cube filter no protein skimmer

04/09/2009, 03:22 PM	#10
Mr. Brooks MASVC Member Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Simi Valley, CA Posts: 3,477	You can actually run a tank successfully using only live rock. I placed live rock rubble in the first two chambers of my nano cube. No mechanical filtration at all. I stock lightly and feed sparingly. Do a water change once a month and I'm set. Two fish and a bunch of corals doing quite well in a 24 gallon nano cube. I applied the same principle to my 225. Big skimmer, lots of flow, lots of live rock. No filter socks, no sponges, no traps of any kind. I got so sick of cleaning filter socks. I depend on my skimmer to pull out most of the bad stuff once it's dissolved. I do however use bioballs in my QT. That's about all they're good for IMO.