Help! Should we remove bio ball from wet/dry?

[Andrea1]

For our reef tank. Is it best to remove the bio balls from the wet/dry and just have water in there? Do we leave the filters in there? We have plenty of live rock..
What do you suggest?

Thank you,
Andrea

 

[ChrisRD]

I prefer live rock + skimmer and no bio-balls.

 

[Andrea1]

Hey Chris,
I agree with you. From what I have read most people do prefer taking out the bio balls. The thing is, I could not find many facts to back up peoples opinions as to why they prefer no bio balls. My husband needs to know why.
Can you or anyone give us some facts about why we should remove the bio balls, when they are sold with the wet/drys?

I thank you,
Andrea

 

[Anonymous]

1. Detritus will collect in them where it is not easily removed and degrade your water quality over time.

2. They work too well at converting waste products to nitrate, but then do nothing about the nitrate accumulation. That is why they are affectionately known as nitrate factories. While nitrate is not especially hazardous to fish, when it gets too high it will fuel algae growth and your more delicate inverts may not grow and thrive.

Live rock, on the other hand, will enable the process to convert the wastes to nitrate and the nitrate will in turn be processed to a harmless gas which will bubble away out of the tank.

 

[Andrea1]

Wonderful.
And nothing should be placed in the water? Do we need the pad filters?

 

[Anonymous]

Wonderful.
And nothing should be placed in the water? Do we need the pad filters?

Some people use something like a pad for mechanical filtration, others don't. It depends on if you are counting on a population of critters in your water to feed corals etc.

I don't use mechanical filtration all the time, but I am going to try this weekend temporarily placing a couple filter pads in my sump and blasting detritus from my rocks, then removing them after the water clears.

Sumps and how to run them are every bit as individual as the display tanks we keep. :wink:

 

[wyw]

Don't forget if you use the filter pads to clean then often or you might have the same nitrate problem. I have a sock on my sump and change it weekly. I've read some recomentations to change every day or two.

 

[Andrea1]

Thanks for your responses. Went around to four different LFS's and asked about removing the bio balls. They all said no way. They were like Oh my God...No way. None of them could answer why, just the standard answer.
Well, my husband is not convinced yet... We just added some grape caulerpa to help witht he nitrates.
If we keep the bio balls, How often should we clean the filter pads?
Once a week?
Thanks,
Andrea

 

[Andrea1]

PS... Regarding the Grape Caulerpa. It is better to keep it in the sump part of the wet dry instead of in the tank?

Thanks,
Andrea

 

[Anonymous]

I never had any bioballs in my sump.

I quit using sponge filters too because I don't like to clean them. And you do need to clean them ofter or the accumulate gunk that is not good for your water.

I would see using sponges on an as needed basis like Minime suggested.

As for the cualerpa, it needs light to stay alive. So the sump part would probably be the easiest place to put it.

Louey