Bio Ball Myth's ?

[tspors]

OK here is the debatable question. Many people here when the question of Bio Balls are brought up even when the balls are not the main question, we see the response "get rid of the balls". "They are satan", " they are nitrate factories". so on so on. Now I ran an 80g with them for years No problems, and am running them in my 150 and will continue to. I only work with 2 LFS in the area and both are private owned family operated for years, 1 = 15 years and the other over 25 years. BOth use Bio balls in there personal tanks and in the shops. So truthfully, I am sure some people no nothing on this and just jump on the latest band wagon. I saw someone respond to a Bio Ball question saying how bad they were and he was just starting up a tank and had 2 months exp with saltwater. Bio Balls have been around for many years, I know technolgy changes, but as a business owner and in my field for over 30 years technology has not always changed to the good. So in general and for some of the real new hobbyist's coming on here that have them, do they really need the Sh$%^ scared out of them about the balls?

Myth or Legend?

I will enjoy the responses.

[atvdave]

I had them in my tank, along with sponge filters and my Nitrates where sky high. I got rid of them and now my Nitrates are 0, and have been for years.

Are they bad?... are they Satan?... NO

It all depends on your system, and your tanks chemistry.

And the majority of new people who are told to get rid of them are all complaining about the hight Nitrates... from what I have read.

[reeftreasure]

I agree with tspors on this one and get rid of them especially if you start getting into SPS and reef only systems.
For fish only this would be fine but reef systems I wouldn't think twice about it. Yes, softies can survive but most softies hang out around garbage bays for which water's aren't as clean as their hard coral counter parts. Just my 2 cents.

[Michael]

yep we jump on the band wagon about bio balls, if fish only it wouldnt bother me if i had them, however with reef i think that living rock and vigorous flow is enough, no need for anything else, except a skimmer of course

[joeychitwood]

My own experience proved that in my tank, Bio-Balls caused high nitrates. Being a "state of the art" reefer back in the late 90s, I used Bio-Balls after carefully researching the many different media configurations.

Once I read and became convinced that live rock, good water movement and vigorous skimming (and skimming is debatable among some) were the basic requirements for good water quality, I removed the Bio-Balls over a few weeks, and my nitrate level dropped to zero. There were no other changes to the tank at the same time.

I admit that certain ideas become dogma in a forum setting. For instance, Remora skimmers, one of which I happily utilize, were initially highly praised and recommended. However, for reasons not immediately obvious to me, the "forum opinion" changed en masse, and now they are often criticized.

[tspors]

My tank is Fish, softies, and hard ones ( didn't sound right). Just to share:

[reeftreasure]

Congratulations and hope that you wont run into any issues with this. There are also reefers who never do water changes and also have a excellent looking tanks. If it works for you than go for it.
Your tank looks great

[tspors]

Wow, Only took 5 replies before the below the belt shot came.

[joeychitwood]

Originally posted by tspors
Wow, Only took 5 replies before the below the belt shot came.

Exactly which of the above replies do you consider "below the belt?" I fail to see any smart aleck responses.

You can find reefers who have healthy tanks with no water changes, no sand beds, no skimmers, using crushed coral, tap water, etc. That doesn't mean they are right or wrong. You asked for opinions, and you've received them, but I don't see anyone taking a shot at you. Lighten up a little.

[Michael]

Originally posted by tspors
Wow, Only took 5 replies before the below the belt shot came.

good one

i think the tank looks great buddy, really great, nice set up, i love tanks that look established and thriving, like the cabinet as well, hey look you are going to get reefers who believe bio balls cause nitrate, tbh they probably will, however your very experienced and your husbandry skill will prevent nitrate problems, i just avoid anything in my tank except rock and flow plus skimmer, i will follow this thread and may pop back in again later

[tspors]

I know it states the tank looks good:

Congratulations and hope that you wont run into any issues with this. There are also reefers who never do water changes and also have a excellent looking tanks. If it works for you than go for it.

This just made it sound like what is being done is wrong. I have found over the years there is no right or wrong here.

Thanks Joey and Michael, I have seen your responses on this forum before and find you both respectful, and no finger points.

Maybe your right Joey...... I think I will up my Meds.... I do like them.

[seapug]

It's definitely a debatable whether or not they are bad, but there's certainly no question that they aren't necessary in a well maintained tank with live rock. If you use them and your water quality is good, corals are growing well and you don't mind having half the space your sump dedicated to something with questionably dubious functionality, then there's no reason to change.

[joeychitwood]

I've found that if a topic is repeatedly debated with no general conclusion, it probably means that the correct answer could go either way.

If you would like to see some hilarious discussions with intense feelings and strong opinions, read about cables for stereo and theater systems on audioasylum.com. Some (like me) feel that an electron stream in a wire is an electron stream. Others feels that floor vibrations, elevation off the floor, and most importantly, sky-high prices (like $25,000 for a pair of speaker wires) all somehow affect the electrons and cause the sound to vary.

It's funny to read someone state with a straight face that cables should be left un-dusted, as the sound will be better when they are dusty.

[tspors]

Where up North are you Joey?

[joeychitwood]

Originally posted by tspors
Where up North are you Joey?

Detroit Lakes, Minnesota.

[tspors]

I lived in Blaine for 10 years.

[joeychitwood]

I have two daughters in St. Paul. Detroit Lakes is a nice little town, but the local fish store is discontinuing the marine business. The nearest reef store I'm aware of is in Duluth or Minneapolis.

[reeftreasure]

I lived in Bursnville Minnesota for about 6 years, it' a beautiful state.

[atvdave]

Originally posted by tspors
I have found over the years there is no right or wrong here.

BINGO!!!!!

Everybody's system is different.

[reefergeorge]

Bio balls do there job great. If they create high nitrates in your system. You need to add a prefilter, or do a water change.
The only way they will spike your nitrates is if you have high ammonia, or let them get really nasty. They can't create nitrates from nothing.

[tspors]

Thanks Reefer G. My thoughts exactly!

[stanlalee]

isnt that the whole purpose of their existance: high surface area to harbor aerobic bacteria allowing copious amount of ammonia processing to the end results nitrates. its their job to create nitrates and yours to remove them.

[crvz]

Originally posted by reefergeorge
They can't create nitrates from nothing.

Yep, that's right. In my experience, they create an opportunity for detritus to collect, which is where the nitrates would come from. But if you do a good job of either keeping the flow in good shape or having a pre-filter to remove the opportunity, they'll help out just fine.

For newbies, who dont often understand the best way to set stuff up, I think this has more potential, but if well established they can be rather effective.

[Gary Majchrzak]

this topic comes up a lot.
here's a link to a very informative fact filled thread on the topic of bioballs:
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/sh...3#post11672033

[Bruno3047]

Here's a couple of links to discussions I've had re: bio-balls.

http://reefcentral.com/forums/showth...readid=1378015

http://reefcentral.com/forums/showth...readid=1378586