I have plenty of live rock for my 29 gallon fowlr. I have 2 clowns, 1 fire fish, and 1 chromis. I have a prism deluxe skimmer and hob filter. Will adding bio max help me create a bigger bio load so that I can add one more fish? Because the more biological filtration the more bio load, correct? Because the live rock and bio max will help break down the ammonia, intro nitrite, into nitrate right? So if I have more biological filtration will it help so that my fish won't produce ammonia faster than my biological filtration can handle? So that my biological filtration can keep up with the ammonia being produced by my fish, at least enough to turn them into nitrates?
Bio balls=greater bioload?
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4FordFamily
Tang, Angel, and Wrasse Nerd!
If you don't clean bio balls very frequently, then bio balls became nitrate factories, and then bio balls = less fish. In time, 95% of people's bio balls become a detriment IMO, IME.
Biological filtration can be increased with lots of rock, live sand, carbon dosing, time, sponges in the sump or somewhere out of sight with good water flow going through (to give bacteria a place to proliferate), etc.
The secrets to my grossly overstocked tanks is VERY heavy skimming (3x tank volume), lots of rock, sump with sand and macroalgaes, and when needed 25-40% water changes.
I've kept large overstocked tanks without water changes for long periods of time thinking my tank was self sustaining because my test kit was faulty. Nitrates got up to 180 ppm!! My test kit read 10-20 ppm.
Truth is, generally speaking, heavily stocked tanks just mean more work and expense for you. I consider it worth it, however. I have great luck doing it but I have years of experience to draw from.
Biological filtration can be increased with lots of rock, live sand, carbon dosing, time, sponges in the sump or somewhere out of sight with good water flow going through (to give bacteria a place to proliferate), etc.
The secrets to my grossly overstocked tanks is VERY heavy skimming (3x tank volume), lots of rock, sump with sand and macroalgaes, and when needed 25-40% water changes.
I've kept large overstocked tanks without water changes for long periods of time thinking my tank was self sustaining because my test kit was faulty. Nitrates got up to 180 ppm!! My test kit read 10-20 ppm.
Truth is, generally speaking, heavily stocked tanks just mean more work and expense for you. I consider it worth it, however. I have great luck doing it but I have years of experience to draw from.
Do you think I can add this stuff and then j could be able to add maybe one or two more small fish?Have a look at biohome ultra maxi media I run 10 kilo of it in my sump it's very porus and is like an expansion of live rock in my opinion it takes a while to seed but it's proven to work
4FordFamily
Tang, Angel, and Wrasse Nerd!
Doubtful, it doesn't really work that way
Randy Holmes-Farley
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I've never heard of a reef aquarium with live rock whose max "bioload" was really limited by the ability to process ammonia, which is what bioballs will do.
More typical limiting parameters are oxygen (in a power failure), the ability to export nitrate and phosphate, and crowding driven disease and aggression.
More typical limiting parameters are oxygen (in a power failure), the ability to export nitrate and phosphate, and crowding driven disease and aggression.
Bio Load is the amount of waste that your current and coral produce. A 29 gallon tank is limited due to space or territory of your fish not by bio load.
the bacteria and consumes the ammonia in the water is only going to grow to the point that there is "food" = ammonia in the water to supply their needs. You can add all the bio media you want and if there is not food for the bacteria they will not grow and populate the extra media.
the bacteria and consumes the ammonia in the water is only going to grow to the point that there is "food" = ammonia in the water to supply their needs. You can add all the bio media you want and if there is not food for the bacteria they will not grow and populate the extra media.
