bio balls vs liverock

[norat915]

Have a 120 gal with a bio ball wet dry filter system should I take out the bio balls and replace with live rock if so how much and do I need lighting

[KEITHHAYS_2000]

What kind of system do you have? What type of Animals? How Many? etc, etc.

[norat915]

cycling tank now with 150lbs of dried rock already have 75 gal softy this one will be a fowlr just curious after tank cycles if it would be a good idea to replace bio balls with liverock have a sealife system aquapro 200 wet dry filter rio 3300 mag 9.5 bubble mag skimmer 18w uv sterilizer dual overflows with durso pipes

[nanojg]

I dont think there is a difference between live rock and bioballs. Wet dry filters will become nitrate factories in either case.

[fishaholic911]

Just remove the bio-balls

[JoeRonda]

I know, why don't you add more BIO-BALLS.

[Pallobi]

bio balls are not good imo... harbor nitrates alot... for a fish only, perhaps some well established bio balls if well kept and PROPER maintenance is performed regularly... but honestly, the live rock in the display, once established, will do a far better job imo... bio balls are garbage... jmho

[JoeRonda]

Originally Posted by Pallobi

bio balls are not good imo... harbor nitrates alot... for a fish only, perhaps some well established bio balls if well kept and PROPER maintenance is performed regularly... but honestly, the live rock in the display, once established, will do a far better job imo... bio balls are garbage... jmho

[neoonex]

whats the best way to setup a refug / sump... whats the main difference between the two and why put them together?

[Sean_South]

Originally Posted by neoonex

whats the best way to setup a refug / sump... whats the main difference between the two and why put them together?

A sump is a tank below your display tank used to hold equipment to keep the display more visually appealing such as heaters, protein skimmers etc, and have more water voulme which increases the tanks stability. A refugium is often added into a sump as it it easier then plumbing a second tank into the display. The fuge is used to increase stability, and possibly grow certain foods such as pods for certain fish in a place where they can multiply and you do not need to fear predation.

[viggen]

Nothing wrong with bio-balls, been using them since the early 90's with great results. If you want a FO tank then keep them. If you want to go to the reef side with anemone's or anything else along those lines then ditch the w/d & make the w/d a fuge. It really depends on what you want to do.

I have been setting up my 475g & I was going to go the LR route with a refugium & all that. I was told by several shops/installers to stick with a w/d due to the fish I like to keep. I was also told to do a deep sand filter to keep the nitrates down. I will add one to my tank one of these days.

LR gets expensive & you can't or shouldn't put copper in the tank.

[KEITHHAYS_2000]

Originally Posted by norat915

cycling tank now with 150lbs of dried rock already have 75 gal softy this one will be a fowlr just curious after tank cycles if it would be a good idea to replace bio balls with liverock have a sealife system aquapro 200 wet dry filter rio 3300 mag 9.5 bubble mag skimmer 18w uv sterilizer dual overflows with durso pipes

The bio-balls do a slightly different job from the live rock. The harbor a different aerobic bacteria that very quickly convert ammonia and Nitrite to nitrate. They don't however create more nitrate than the system will eventually produce anyway, they just do the conversion faster. You probably could do without them, but if the system is stable, I wouldn't touch it..at least not all at once. If you do exchange them with live rock, do it a little at a time.

[neoonex]

What would you guys suggest if im going reef on a 110g tank? i have a w/d but i am hesitating to get rid of it. never setup a refug or a sump before.

[stevie-o]

If you are doing a fowlr keep em. I've also seen reef tanks with hardy corals do fine with them

[neoonex]

Originally Posted by stevie-o

If you are doing a fowlr keep em. I've also seen reef tanks with hardy corals do fine with them

a fowlr?

[southernfish]

Fish only with live rock-fowlr

[neoonex]

Originally Posted by southernfish

Fish only with live rock-fowlr

no, i plan on doing a reef tank.

[karsseboom]

Originally Posted by neoonex

no, i plan on doing a reef tank.

If your doing a reef then loose the bio balls....not even a question.

[viggen]

yea, remove bioballs if a reef tank, they will cause problems one day

remove slowly

[wildman926]

No one is really explaining why you should ditch the bio balls, so I will give it a stab.

There are two types of bacteria, aerobic and anaerobic.

Aerobic bacteria is exposed to the rich oxygenated water, and there are two species of bacteria in aerobic bacteria, nitrosomonas and nitrobacter. Nitrosomonas convert ammonia to nitrite. Nitrobacter turn nitrite into nitrate. Both bio balls and live rock contain these bacteria. But this is where it stops for bio-balls.

Live rock will also have anaerobic bacteria beyond the surface, which is oxygen poor. This bacteria will turn nitrates into nitrogen gas, which is harmless for the tankmates.

This is why bio balls are called a nitrate factory. They can not break down the nitrates that they produce. The nitrates are not good for a reef tank, but can be tolerated by a fish only tank. If you have enough live rock in the display tank, it should take care of the nitrates. But, only measurements can determine this.

[alton]

Originally Posted by viggen

Nothing wrong with bio-balls, been using them since the early 90's with great results. If you want a FO tank then keep them. If you want to go to the reef side with anemone's or anything else along those lines then ditch the w/d & make the w/d a fuge. It really depends on what you want to do.

I have been setting up my 475g & I was going to go the LR route with a refugium & all that. I was told by several shops/installers to stick with a w/d due to the fish I like to keep. I was also told to do a deep sand filter to keep the nitrates down. I will add one to my tank one of these days.

LR gets expensive & you can't or shouldn't put copper in the tank.

X2

I also started in 91 first with bio bale and then moved to bio balls. My 200 was set up for 10 years before I moved up to my 300 and Nitrates stayed below 5 with a bunch of fish. I have always been a big believer in trickle filters. I also have a fuge with rubble and chaeto that dumps into a large open sand bed refugium. It has been a month since I did a water change and my nitrates yesterday where at 1 to 2. If you have a lot of trash in your tank then keep a filter pad in the tray over the bio balls to keep them clean.

[wildman926]

Here is a pic of my sump just taken.

[neoonex]

Originally Posted by wildman926

Here is a pic of my sump just taken.

Thats not a bad idea... i have a wet / dry rated for 125gal. i might just do that.. but i would like to attach a fuge. What size sump / fuge is recommended for a 110g?