Bioball replacement
- Thread starter billydv
- Start date
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EeyoreIsMySpiritAnimal
Just another girl who likes fish
Like rock rubble?
Pickle_soup
Well-Known Member
I would go with ceramic bio-balls or blocks.
naterealbig
pea brain
I think dry rock will sustain the same nutrient mechanisms as the bioballs, in the same oxygen rich environment. Meaning the rock, if placed in your wet dry will act very similar to your bio balls by processing ammonia quickly to nitrite, and will do little for denitrification.
I think replacing them with rock (or anything) would be a waste of money.
What's got you attached to the wet/dry?
I think replacing them with rock (or anything) would be a waste of money.
What's got you attached to the wet/dry?
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Pickle_soup
Well-Known Member
Dry rock doesn't have the porosity of ceramic media.
naterealbig
pea brain
Agreed, but it doesn't matter to the end result of OP. The high oxygen levels of the wet/dry chamber will prevent denitrification.
Ceramic medias are designed to be kept underwater, in low flow areas to facilitate the growth of anaerobic bacteria.
Ceramic medias are designed to be kept underwater, in low flow areas to facilitate the growth of anaerobic bacteria.
billydv
New Member
This was all setup LONG LONG ago. 30 or 40 years ago wet dry trickle filters were the thing. I also run a Korallin sulphur denitrator with a secondary media reactor filled with aragonite. The protein skimmer is a 35 year old Euroreef (needle wheel pump has now been replaced with a dc version). This was previous science for saltwater fishkeeping. I have lots of colored coral decorations so replacement with live rock not really an option
Pickle_soup
Well-Known Member
I won't run a tank without it. It is literally the most porous pumice on the planet. It does do better in a reactor than in a bag.
I think porosity is over rated 
Pickle_soup
Well-Known Member
Your face is overrated!!!I think porosity is over rated
shwareefer
Valuable Member
The fluval bio-fx media looks interesting as well and you get a lot more for the money than matrix IIRC.
OP, are you trying to correct a problem or are you just changing it because you think you should?
OP, are you trying to correct a problem or are you just changing it because you think you should?
Pickle_soup
Well-Known Member
Bio-balls are a problem.
1ocean
2500 Club Member
Siporax is also very good. I have a their large box in a reactor with high flow and a second in a reactor with very slow flow in my sump. Did this to save room when I took out all my bio balls from the sump chamber. I also have 100 pounds of live rock in another chamber, which I got from someone who had a them in his sump chamber for his two very large tanks. 1000 gallons. The live rock get high flow and very little light. My sump is 72x21x20.
shwareefer
Valuable Member
He's managing nitrates with a sulphur denitrator so not a problem.
1ocean
2500 Club Member
Yep. I added a bio pellet LifeGard xl too, to manage nitrates as he added a Sulphur denitrator. I found a great idea ,from a reefer overseas, which I made is to add bio balls into a tall tower so water trickles, slowly and over them and out the bottom to help with gas exchange and increase O2 in the water. The towers have to be out of the water so that all the bio balls are not standing in water. I found places that sell these, looks like they have plastic hair curler looking things in the tower. The towers are pricey, and the curler things sell for like 100 bucks. Guy overseas uses bio balls. My 300 has a good number of fish in it so I figured this would help.
billydv
New Member
Im thinking of changing the bio balls out so that maybe I can improve efficiency of the biological process but ideally live rock in the main tank would have been the solution. I just dont want to swap decorations
Pickle_soup
Well-Known Member
Put a small light on that LR in and algae will grow on it, it's like a little scrubber.
