Bio Balls

dallascwbyz · 03/11/2006, 05:53 PM

Good or bad? I've been getting conficting information. I have them currently in my Americle sump. Thoughts? hnx

bertoni · 03/11/2006, 05:59 PM

They work well at converting ammonia to nitrate, but they don't seem to be able to convert nitrate to nitrogen gas. So, in some tanks, they lead to higher nitrate levels. That was my experience with the similar "Bio-Bale" in my BakPak skimmer. They also are a bit of a maintenance nuisance, since you'll need to clean debris off them.

So they can be good, bad, or irrelevant, depending on what animals you want to keep and what the rest of the system contains.

dallascwbyz · 03/11/2006, 06:05 PM

well I have not had any debris to speak of on them. They look clean anyway. I have under a dozen fish, and around 9 different corals. My nitrate is kinda high now, but I havent been using the best water :-( until now. I just made my first batch of ro/di. Will it hurt to remove them? ie spike the system with nitrates?
thnx ~Shawn

bertoni · 03/11/2006, 06:06 PM

If you want to remove them, you should do so slowly, or you might see an ammonia spike. How much live rock is present in the system? Is there a macroalgae refugium? I assume this is the 90g system?

dallascwbyz · 03/11/2006, 06:12 PM

Yes this is my 90. I have turned my sump into a refugium/sump or as I like to call it my resumpium :-) I have about a 100-110 lbs of LR in the main tank, and huge amount of macro in the sump.

mg426 · 03/11/2006, 06:13 PM

I removed mine about 15 % per week everytime I did a water change. Had no problems at all. Nitrates dropped from 20 ppm to around 2 ppm.

bertoni · 03/11/2006, 06:17 PM

Is the macro growing strongly? How often do you harvest it?

Depending on the size and type of fish you have, I would think you should be able to remove the bio-balls slowly, as suggested.

dallascwbyz · 03/11/2006, 06:20 PM

yes the macro is growing very fast, I keep light on it 24/7, I pull handful out evryother week or so for my tang in the main tank.

bertoni · 03/11/2006, 06:31 PM

Okay, if you harvest the macroalgae more aggressively, it will work as a nitrate remover for the system. That might do a lot to help the nitrate problem, if you're interested in that approach.

REEFKEEPA · 03/11/2006, 06:43 PM

Bio Balls=Maintenance.

03/11/2006, 05:53 PM	#1
dallascwbyz Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Seacoast NH Posts: 151	Bio Balls Good or bad? I've been getting conficting information. I have them currently in my Americle sump. Thoughts? hnx

03/11/2006, 05:59 PM	#2
bertoni RC Mod Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Mountain View, CA, USA Posts: 88,616	They work well at converting ammonia to nitrate, but they don't seem to be able to convert nitrate to nitrogen gas. So, in some tanks, they lead to higher nitrate levels. That was my experience with the similar "Bio-Bale" in my BakPak skimmer. They also are a bit of a maintenance nuisance, since you'll need to clean debris off them. So they can be good, bad, or irrelevant, depending on what animals you want to keep and what the rest of the system contains. __________________ Jonathan Bertoni

03/11/2006, 06:05 PM	#3
dallascwbyz Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Seacoast NH Posts: 151	well I have not had any debris to speak of on them. They look clean anyway. I have under a dozen fish, and around 9 different corals. My nitrate is kinda high now, but I havent been using the best water :-( until now. I just made my first batch of ro/di. Will it hurt to remove them? ie spike the system with nitrates? thnx ~Shawn __________________ 120G Reef, 30G refuge, 2 X 250 MH HQI, 4 X T5, LED Moons. Current Tank Info: 120g reef, clams,sps,lps, softies. fuge plumbed into basement.

03/11/2006, 06:06 PM	#4
bertoni RC Mod Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Mountain View, CA, USA Posts: 88,616	If you want to remove them, you should do so slowly, or you might see an ammonia spike. How much live rock is present in the system? Is there a macroalgae refugium? I assume this is the 90g system? __________________ Jonathan Bertoni

03/11/2006, 06:12 PM	#5
dallascwbyz Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Seacoast NH Posts: 151	Yes this is my 90. I have turned my sump into a refugium/sump or as I like to call it my resumpium :-) I have about a 100-110 lbs of LR in the main tank, and huge amount of macro in the sump. __________________ 120G Reef, 30G refuge, 2 X 250 MH HQI, 4 X T5, LED Moons. Current Tank Info: 120g reef, clams,sps,lps, softies. fuge plumbed into basement.

03/11/2006, 06:13 PM	#6
mg426 Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: maryland Posts: 6,923	I removed mine about 15 % per week everytime I did a water change. Had no problems at all. Nitrates dropped from 20 ppm to around 2 ppm. __________________ I found a way to make a small fortune running a reef tank. Start with a large fortune. Unofficial President of the SEACLONE haters club Current Tank Info: 125 mixed reef 110 lbs LR, 1x250watt XM 20K MH 2x175watt XM 20K MH on Magetics 2X96 watt actinic PC, 220 watt VHO actinic, 30 gallon refugium, closed loop system powered by Sequence Dart MSX 200 skimmer 38 gallon sump, Oceansmotions squirt

03/11/2006, 06:17 PM	#7
bertoni RC Mod Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Mountain View, CA, USA Posts: 88,616	Is the macro growing strongly? How often do you harvest it? Depending on the size and type of fish you have, I would think you should be able to remove the bio-balls slowly, as suggested. __________________ Jonathan Bertoni

03/11/2006, 06:20 PM	#8
dallascwbyz Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Seacoast NH Posts: 151	yes the macro is growing very fast, I keep light on it 24/7, I pull handful out evryother week or so for my tang in the main tank. __________________ 120G Reef, 30G refuge, 2 X 250 MH HQI, 4 X T5, LED Moons. Current Tank Info: 120g reef, clams,sps,lps, softies. fuge plumbed into basement.

03/11/2006, 06:31 PM	#9
bertoni RC Mod Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Mountain View, CA, USA Posts: 88,616	Okay, if you harvest the macroalgae more aggressively, it will work as a nitrate remover for the system. That might do a lot to help the nitrate problem, if you're interested in that approach. __________________ Jonathan Bertoni

03/11/2006, 06:43 PM	#10
REEFKEEPA Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2002 Location: New Orleans Posts: 494	Bio Balls=Maintenance. __________________ WE ROCK!!!!!! Current Tank Info: 70 Gallon tub drilled, 120Lbs LR, 140Lbs LS, CPR CY194 Sump w/LR trickle, Mag Drive 9.5 return, 2 x Tunze6025 for flow, 2 x Ice Cap 660 running 6 x 95 W lamps