I'm setting up my 90g and I've read good and bad things about HOB bio wheel filters.. need some opinions. I've heard about the nitrate build up. Not sure if this tank will be coral just yet or not. I figure if that's the only draw back it's easily managed with a good nitrate killer. Thoughts? I'm on vacation all week and need a project to get into. Thanks!
Bio wheel or Nay..
- Thread starter Dastins
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the definitive answer:
most people nit pick detritus in a biowheel, or from bio balls, and then they keep an old cruddy sandbed
in that hilarity is the full answer, they are optional. run 4 if you like it cannot kill your tank. The live rock and live sand provides enough filtration for any fish loading ive ever seen, so is any form of extra surface area -required-? no
but people like to employ them all the time as our hobby is built on exceeding min nitrification surface area requirements. I assure you that if anyone hooked up 4 biowheels to my reef in miniature, no harm would become of my reef and id simply keep them clean. if extra cleaning isn't worth the work, then don't use em.
most people nit pick detritus in a biowheel, or from bio balls, and then they keep an old cruddy sandbed
in that hilarity is the full answer, they are optional. run 4 if you like it cannot kill your tank. The live rock and live sand provides enough filtration for any fish loading ive ever seen, so is any form of extra surface area -required-? no
but people like to employ them all the time as our hobby is built on exceeding min nitrification surface area requirements. I assure you that if anyone hooked up 4 biowheels to my reef in miniature, no harm would become of my reef and id simply keep them clean. if extra cleaning isn't worth the work, then don't use em.
You pretty much read my thoughts. As long as the maintenance is continuous any problems should be noticed before any major damage can be done. I was thinking two double bio wheels on each side so I would be running a quad system. For the 90 should I use hobs big enough for one and run two or dial down day two for the size of a 60 gallon?
it gets a little confusing but holding to the original point it wont matter, there is no config that you could use or not use biowheels that would harm a reef tank. even if you didn't ever clean them, they'd be less dirty and impactful to a sw aquarium vs any average sandbed of 2+ yrs age.
the accurate way to think about how the filter bacteria apply to this scenario is using any biowheel at all is so far beyond the tank nitrification surface area requirements, the configuration, flow, speed or rating doesn't apply. use any combo on full blast or dialed down, your measurements w remain the same.
The ammonia that the living animals make inside your tank is in high demand, highest among emitted molecules I can think of. It will be uptaken rapidly upon production, and your biowheels w never see any. having something spinning in the water that is seeking ammonia, and not getting any ever, is harmless. the only impact is adding unneeded surface area creates additional cleaning. some might like the extra oxygenation of surface tension breaking filtration schemes, biowheels are harmless to employ in any way. stacks and stacks of bio balls are equally harmless in the same way.
When someone chooses to design a tank with no retentive sandbed, and very free of detritus, say a true ultra low nutrient acro system, they wont be using these items as detritus really does matter in that design. in 95% of reef tanks, detritus is expected and heartily retained.
the accurate way to think about how the filter bacteria apply to this scenario is using any biowheel at all is so far beyond the tank nitrification surface area requirements, the configuration, flow, speed or rating doesn't apply. use any combo on full blast or dialed down, your measurements w remain the same.
The ammonia that the living animals make inside your tank is in high demand, highest among emitted molecules I can think of. It will be uptaken rapidly upon production, and your biowheels w never see any. having something spinning in the water that is seeking ammonia, and not getting any ever, is harmless. the only impact is adding unneeded surface area creates additional cleaning. some might like the extra oxygenation of surface tension breaking filtration schemes, biowheels are harmless to employ in any way. stacks and stacks of bio balls are equally harmless in the same way.
When someone chooses to design a tank with no retentive sandbed, and very free of detritus, say a true ultra low nutrient acro system, they wont be using these items as detritus really does matter in that design. in 95% of reef tanks, detritus is expected and heartily retained.
JedClampett
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I use a bio wheel penguin filter, but I just take out the bio wheels
steve&mari
Blessed Reefer
Good information has been given. I've never used em on a reef always run a sump ect. But they worked great on my fw systems with regular maintenance as with any filtration system.
and good bac science is added if we can come up with scenarios where extra surface area is -required- in saltwater tanks, per the above it was all optional on tanks using live rocks/sand etc.
lets say someones tank cracked and they need to put a bunch of fish into a 30 gallon tank for holding, no time to cycle
you could then employ massive surface area items if they were somehow pre aged somehow...which I guess could be another pro of using one redundantly on a large tank. you'd always have a source of ready nitrifiers for any instant QT tank needed lol. its hard to find scenarios where they might be required, but its nice to know you could hook up fifteen extra canisters of any passive high surface area media and your ammonia will still read 0
lets say someones tank cracked and they need to put a bunch of fish into a 30 gallon tank for holding, no time to cycle
you could then employ massive surface area items if they were somehow pre aged somehow...which I guess could be another pro of using one redundantly on a large tank. you'd always have a source of ready nitrifiers for any instant QT tank needed lol. its hard to find scenarios where they might be required, but its nice to know you could hook up fifteen extra canisters of any passive high surface area media and your ammonia will still read 0
