Bio ball sump !!!need help!
- Thread starter Tony757
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Rjukan
Broken
Hi, from what I understand bio-balls are a nitrate factory and you might want to consider a different sump option. Others might be able to guide you in a direction to convert that sump into one that's more suited to a reef system.
Rjukan
Broken
That sump might work out fine, but without the bio balls. I want to say I've read about others who have taken a sump like that and converted it to one without bio balls and incorporated a fuge instead.
As far as the skimmer depth, look up your type of skimmer and it should say what the recommended water depth is.
As far as the skimmer depth, look up your type of skimmer and it should say what the recommended water depth is.
Coralreefer1
Valuable Member
Definitely want to replace bio balls with live rock or the new tiles now available. Bio balls are good for removing ammonia and nitrites but nitrates are not handled with bio balls.
bioballs create surface for bacteria to grow and they work just fine for that. the issue is that they also trap detritus. they are not a nitrate “factory” in that they do not produce nitrates. however, newer ceramic-based media like what marinepure offers provides way more surface area than bioballs.
you can use the bioballs if you’d like cleaning them every so often (i wouldn’t), or remove them and replace with ceramic media or even live rock.
you can use the bioballs if you’d like cleaning them every so often (i wouldn’t), or remove them and replace with ceramic media or even live rock.
cracker
5000 Club Member
Bioballs are older tried & true technology. There much more effective methods these days. So with this filter the balls aren't meant to be submerged . There should be a tray with a bunch of holes drilled in the bottom the water enters & lands in the tray water spreads out & evenly trickles down over the balls. The water level is supposed at the bottom. do you still have this tray? some of the balls at the bottom can be submerged no big deal. How big is the tank? Do You plan on keeping corals? That would be a different story. please tell us more about this tank.
cracker
5000 Club Member
Cool ! Nice tank . You heard right about light not necessarily yet. I will say if you want corals would be best to look into other than bioballs in the sump. Good advice above .
Okay what about marine pure??... the other bio balls. And also I just fixed my filter as you said tray I'm thinking and looked at it and it was upside down now the blue filter is in the tray is evenly trickling over the bio balls
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If u can fit it put one of these bigger blocks in.
https://www.bulkreefsupply.com/marinepure-ceramic-biomedia-plate.html
https://www.bulkreefsupply.com/marinepure-ceramic-biomedia-plate.html
alton
Valuable Member
I use and love bio balls, not for the biological reason but for placing a lot of oxygen in the tank. Number one rule is to have a filter pad in the tray to trap all trash before it gets into the bio balls. The trickle filter you have is probably the worst one ever designed. If you really want to use it at least get three bulk heads installed in the top plate so the return water is distributed more evenly over the filter pad
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I would have to argue that there are other ways to get oxygen into the tank and not use bio balls. That being said with a filter pad in place as long as it’s changed regularly it should be fine. I take it you don’t get an anaerobic zone in bio balls. This where live rock, a marine pure block or even a DSB will work better.
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Captain Quint
Plank Owner of the Orca
Welcome aboard Tony757. You have some amazing rock which will afford several good ways to aquascape for sure.
You mentioned that the tank is in the nitrogen process and with that said it would be the perfect time to remove the bio balls and put some Live Rock and or live rock rubble in the place of the BioBalls. If your tank matures and cycles with the BioBalls you will get to a point where you will want to remove them but you will only be able to remove a little amount of them at a time versus the remove all stage at this point.
Your wet/dry sump is fine but if you bore of it, it would be easy enough to replace.
Thanks for joining and post updates please.
You mentioned that the tank is in the nitrogen process and with that said it would be the perfect time to remove the bio balls and put some Live Rock and or live rock rubble in the place of the BioBalls. If your tank matures and cycles with the BioBalls you will get to a point where you will want to remove them but you will only be able to remove a little amount of them at a time versus the remove all stage at this point.
Your wet/dry sump is fine but if you bore of it, it would be easy enough to replace.
Thanks for joining and post updates please.
