Is surface area a scam?

[vanguard]

I have a 150g display tank with medium aquascaping and a sand bottom. (Check build thread if you're interested) My sump has a ceramic bio brick, few smaller ceramic bio blocks, and some rocks.

I'm considering removing all the ceramic bio bricks/blocks with the idea that every tank has all the surface area it might need. Removing them would make water changes from the sump a little easier and I'd probably pull a little more detritus with each change.

Question: Does every tank have all the surface area it can possibly need or do these bricks/blocks actually help?

 

[Rick's Reviews]

I have a 150g display tank with medium aquascaping and a sand bottom. (Check build thread if you're interested) My sump has a ceramic bio brick, few smaller ceramic bio blocks, and some rocks.

I'm considering removing all the ceramic bio bricks/blocks with the idea that every tank has all the surface area it might need. Removing them would make water changes from the sump a little easier and I'd probably pull a little more detritus with each change.

Question: Does every tank have all the surface area it can possibly need or do these bricks/blocks actually help?

I have 25g of surface area for sale ?

 

[Oldreefer44]

I have a 150g display tank with medium aquascaping and a sand bottom. (Check build thread if you're interested) My sump has a ceramic bio brick, few smaller ceramic bio blocks, and some rocks.

I'm considering removing all the ceramic bio bricks/blocks with the idea that every tank has all the surface area it might need. Removing them would make water changes from the sump a little easier and I'd probably pull a little more detritus with each change.

Question: Does every tank have all the surface area it can possibly need or do these bricks/blocks actually help?

IMO,
Help?: With biolode=yes
Necessary?: Probably not with aged tank that has reached biological balance unless it is very overstocked.

 

[Rick's Reviews]

I have a 150g display tank with medium aquascaping and a sand bottom. (Check build thread if you're interested) My sump has a ceramic bio brick, few smaller ceramic bio blocks, and some rocks.

I'm considering removing all the ceramic bio bricks/blocks with the idea that every tank has all the surface area it might need. Removing them would make water changes from the sump a little easier and I'd probably pull a little more detritus with each change.

Question: Does every tank have all the surface area it can possibly need or do these bricks/blocks actually help?

I have a 150g display tank with medium aquascaping and a sand bottom. (Check build thread if you're interested) My sump has a ceramic bio brick, few smaller ceramic bio blocks, and some rocks.

I'm considering removing all the ceramic bio bricks/blocks with the idea that every tank has all the surface area it might need. Removing them would make water changes from the sump a little easier and I'd probably pull a little more detritus with each change.

Question: Does every tank have all the surface area it can possibly need or do these bricks/blocks actually help?

These brick/ blocks as you highlighted have a solid core so surface area is based on shape of the 'block' the outside area

You can gain more surface area by drilling cutting blocks into pieces

 

[jkcoral]

I think the porous media like the bricks help. Back in the day, I remember when we’d have 1-2 pounds of rock per gallon because of the biological filtration. Fast forward to today, and I’ve been able to run bare bottom tanks without needing a truck full of live rock thanks in large part to media like this.

You might consider making a little stand or riser for the bricks out of egg crate. This would allow a little bit of flow underneath of them and all you to suck out more detritus that otherwise would’ve been trapped.

 

[Pntbll687]

I have a 150g display tank with medium aquascaping and a sand bottom. (Check build thread if you're interested) My sump has a ceramic bio brick, few smaller ceramic bio blocks, and some rocks.

I'm considering removing all the ceramic bio bricks/blocks with the idea that every tank has all the surface area it might need. Removing them would make water changes from the sump a little easier and I'd probably pull a little more detritus with each change.

Question: Does every tank have all the surface area it can possibly need or do these bricks/blocks actually help?

I think 99% of tanks out there have plenty of rock and surface area within the tank, and do not need any additional bricks or anything in the sump. I say 99% because I'm sure theres someone out there with 25 fish and single 10# rock in a tank.

I found the extra media just collected detritus.

I think the bio bricks and media DO have use though. They should be used to add bacteria to a tank after the initial cycle. They're a great item for an LFS to have in a sump of a display and sell for anyone looking to add biodiversity.

 

[FUNGI]

These brick/ blocks as you highlighted have a solid core so surface area is based on shape of the 'block' the outside area

You can gain more surface area by drilling cutting blocks into pieces

Those "bricks/blocks" are porous. They have a huge surface area.

 

[KrisReef]

Question: Does every tank have all the surface area it can possibly need or do these bricks/blocks actually help?

Tanks that lack biological filtration surfaces can exist in theory and new set ups or vastly overstocked systems are the typical situations where these extra porous blocks might provide benefits if they are seeded with bacteria before the biological overload occurs.

A properly equipped system with live rock or with seeded blocks should be able to handle the biological filtration duties.

If you want to find out if you need them now, then remove them and put them in a bucket of water and watch the water quality to see if ammonia levels rise or not.

If they rise, put the blocks back in to avoid damage to ammonia sensitive creatures.

If all you have is coral and clams then you probably won’t see anything because they will eat ammonia greedily.

As far as surface area goes, in theory you could fill the tank completely with blocks to maximize the surface area but there would be no room for any livestock except bacteria.

Biologically speaking the typical tank with rocks and sand will provide adequate surface area for the biological filter to grow and remove ammonia wastes. As fish loads go up the area may be too small and then these blocks would have a purpose, providing there is proper water circulation to bring the ammonia to the bacteria.

 

[HudsonReefer2.0]

I always kept live reef rock rubble w tiles for frags in my Red Sea xl 300

I think 99% of tanks out there have plenty of rock and surface area within the tank, and do not need any additional bricks or anything in the sump. I say 99% because I'm sure theres someone out there with 25 fish and single 10# rock in a tank.

I found the extra media just collected detritus.

I think the bio bricks and media DO have use though. They should be used to add bacteria to a tank after the initial cycle. They're a great item for an LFS to have in a sump of a display and sell for anyone looking to add biodiversity.

Agreed my LFS hooked me up that way when I jump started this system from the 20l. Everthing adjusted well and the tank has had many changes to its current look.

 

[Rick's Reviews]

Those "bricks/blocks" are porous. They have a huge surface area.

Surface area is correct

 

[PeterEde]

I have 8 bio blocks. Each pair should be enough area for my 425. Plus a dozen of the old crumbly block and 10 kg of Live rock. I would expect my Nitrates to be low but I still need to run Nopox. So no I doubt the claims made of these bricks.

 

[Rick's Reviews]

Those "bricks/blocks" are porous. They have a huge surface area.

I'm so porous, I'm so porous.
Let spread out and create a huge surface area

Hold on for a minute.....
why is surface area smaller when we are grouped together,.
Ah
Something to do with mass, or something

 

[Malcontent]

Marinepure's own study says...no.

https://www.cermedia.com/MarinePure%20Project%20Report.pdf

 

[vanguard]

I'm so porous, I'm so porous.
Let spread out and create a huge surface area

Hold on for a minute.....
why is surface area smaller when we are grouped together,.
Ah
Something to do with mass, or something

I kind of get your point, I think. It's hard to tell because I think you're using sarcasm instead of speaking plainly and helpfully.

Sure, each brick is supposed to have the surface area of an American football field. Do I buy it? Kind of, but surface area and effective surface area are not the same.

I have doubts that the internal surface area is as effective as the external surface area. Water just flows around it. Does the middle actually help?

 

[KrisReef]

I kind of get your point, I think. It's hard to tell because I think you're using sarcasm instead of speaking plainly and helpfully.

Sure, each brick is supposed to have the surface area of an American football field. Do I buy it? Kind of, but surface area and effective surface area are not the same.

I have doubts that the internal surface area is as effective as the external surface area. Water just flows around it. Does the middle actually help?

Yup, if you look at molecular architecture we are all mostly empty space with vast amounts of surface area that is too small to be useful as a biological filter framework but it is still a valuable claim especially when you are trying to sell real estate?

 

[ReefGeezer]

The need for surface area is depends on the amount of nitrogen produced and the number of nitrogen users in the system OTHER THAN NITRIFYING/DENITRIFYING BACTERIA. Mature tanks full of corals, macroalgae, phytoplankton, and other nitrogen users just don't need a lot of surface area. In these tanks, bacteria growth is actually depressed. New tanks that are mostly devoid of nitrogen users and lots of fish need more for increased populations of nitrifying/denitrifying bacteria.

 

[Rick's Reviews]

I kind of get your point, I think. It's hard to tell because I think you're using sarcasm instead of speaking plainly and helpfully.

Sure, each brick is supposed to have the surface area of an American football field. Do I buy it? Kind of, but surface area and effective surface area are not the same.

I have doubts that the internal surface area is as effective as the external surface area. Water just flows around it. Does the middle actually help?

Not intentionally,
It's a brick, internal is solid so very minimal surface area, no holes.... Just a solid brick,

 

[FUNGI]

I'm so porous, I'm so porous.
Let spread out and create a huge surface area

Hold on for a minute.....
why is surface area smaller when we are grouped together,.
Ah
Something to do with mass, or something

body mass is a function of volume, while total surface area is a function of area.

 

[Rick's Reviews]

body mass is a function of volume, while total surface area is a function of area.

Sven-Göran Eriksson once said

 

[MoshJosh]

I can't remember where I saw the study, but in a real double blind study it was scientifically proven that the more media bricks you have in your sump the better you are at reef keeping. The same study also found a direct correlation between how many bricks you have and how fast your corals grow (more bricks equals more fast.)

That said you don't need science to tell you the obvious. . . the more bricks you have the cooler you are

If you want to know how cool I am. . . this was my sump before I added water: