myth about bio balls and nitrate factories

[Chandler221]

This has helped me significantly and has also raised some questions for my 8 gallon bio cube.

 

I am currently running bio balls in the first chamber then that over flows over a sponge into the 2nd chamber and then out the pump.

 

I have had my tank running for about 8-9 months now and haven't changed or cleaned my bio balls once. However, I have no coral in there, only some crabs, snails, LR, and a damsel.

 

I clean my sponge once ever 2 water changes ( so twice a month), in the salt water I am cycling out.

 

How should I clean the bio balls? Same way?

 

And Should I be scrubbing the inside of the chambers in the back?

 

What is Chaeto?

 

I want to upgrade to a 29 BioCube but feel I don't know enough yet to maintain a reef because I feel like every time I get on here, I have my mind blown lol

 

 

[Subsea]

Chaetomorphy is a macroalgae used for nutrient export as well as providing a matrix for pods to proliferate.

 

The bioballs in the first chamber of my 30G mud/macro refugium have not been disturbed in 12 years. I have not had a problem. I think that the two reasons that these bioballs are not fouled is large flow rate and prolific pod populations.

 

I suggest you get a large mesh onion sack that can remove all bioballs to be washed off, if required. This would be an opportune time to feed the display tank amphipods if they were housed in this compartment.

 

Enjoy the hobby.

Patrick

[farkwar]

Bioballs were used in wet/dry chambers with high flow back in the 90s (80s?), with mechanical prefilters (like your sponge filter).. Self cleaning for the most part.

 

The AIOs put them under water for some reason.

 

The balls and chamber walls will have a biofilm on them. Thats why they are slippery to the touch.

 

Thats your biological filter, I would not mess with it.

 

You have a small bioload, so not much harm can be done if you do. But why do you want to "clean" it?