Anybody change bacteria balls?

[Kapachuka3]

Just wondering does anybody change bacteria balls? Are we supposed to to reduce nutrients?

I mean these

 

[brandon429]

Here’s how those work in a reef display:

if you remove them all instantly and never put them back, nothing bad happens.


if you add three more bags full and run them five years, and then remove them all instantly, nothing bad happens


if you never use them in a reef, nothing bad happens.


if you rinse them in tap water and put them back, nothing bad happens


if you change them for a different type of surface area, nothing bad or good happens they just take up space you’re allowed to take up with whatever you want. The live rock in the display is the base filter and doesn’t need any help. That’s why the accessory filtration is neutral, not required, can be removed or changed in a display tank.


in a quarantine that may be critical surface area, replace them with equally cycled new media if you’re changing out the surface area in a quarantine tank

 

[Kapachuka3]

Here’s how those work in a reef display:

if you remove them all instantly and never put them back, nothing bad happens.


if you add three more bags full and run them five years, and then remove them all instantly, nothing bad happens


if you never use them in a reef, nothing bad happens.


if you rinse them in tap water and put them back, nothing bad happens


if you change them for a different type of surface area, nothing bad or good happens they just take up space you’re allowed to take up with whatever you want. The live rock in the display is the base filter and doesn’t need any help. That’s why the accessory filtration is neutral, not required, can be removed or changed in a display tank.


in a quarantine that may be critical surface area, replace them with equally cycled new media if you’re changing out the surface area in a quarantine tank

Ok cool I have high phosphates and was wondering if I should change some filters thanks.

 

[attiland]

Just like above. I have seen little affect from them

 

[blaxsun]

If you rinse them, just swish them in around in a container of saltwater from your tank - then put back.

 

[brandon429]

Tap is ok to use, since they’re fully neutral in every reef tank, like adding three more steering wheels to a car. What happens to the extra three doesn’t matter, the main one is ok and the live rock handles all filtration even if we remove the sandbed at the same time as the bag of extra filtration surface area. Literally only the live rocks matter / handy to know for reef tank designs


phosphates won’t be impacted either way here. It helps to know when we must concern over bacteria and when we are free not to.

 

[davidcalgary29]

I run them in my builds so that I have instant access to a good source of nitrifying bacteria when setting up a new QT tank. I have a small house and have little space for a permanent quarantine/hospital tank.