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Oceanic Reef Ready setup and bio balls question


MarsRover

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All,

 

I have recently acquired a used Oceanic ~40 Gal reef ready setup with a ~10-15 gal reef ready sump.

 

I ran it for about a week with vinegar (4.5 gals) and fresh water, scrubbed and rinsed thoroughly, ran with fresh water and drained yesterday.

 

Filled it with saltwater last night and about 20lbs of live rock. Going to add some aragonite sand tonight and possibly pick up some more live rock today.

 

My question now is with Bio balls. I have read peoples opinions about them starting a "nitrate factory" but i have also read, and am more inclined to believe, that they generally tend to do this if detritus gets entrapped in the bioballs.

 

I'd like to keep the bio balls out of the sump and convert it into a refugium with cheato and LR. Attached is a picture of my sump setup with the bioball box empty.

 

I think the additional surface area of bioballs is still beneficial if used properly however. So here's what i'm thinking:

 

Why not toss the bioballs into the overflow box? Making it more of a wet/dry filter? Also the turbulent flow over the bioballs will prevent detritus from getting stuck?

 

One concern i had was it might plug the drain hole so i plunked one in there (fits perfectly.............) and added a few more back there to float around for solidarity and i am currently awaiting any filling up of the over flow box (been about 10 minutes now and nothing noticeable yet).

 

I'm thinking about getting some eggcrate and putting a platform at the just above the level of the drain hole. I think this will further reduce the likely hood of a nitrate factory and in a way produce a wet/dry filter. Additionally i'll be adding a mechanical filter sponge to pre filter the water after it pours over the over flow, prior to it reaching the balls.

 

This all serves the added benefit of quieting the slosh noise as the water pours over into the box.

 

 

Thoughts??

 

Thanks!

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Even with good flow through the media there will be some material that will still become trapped, so that's the reason why most people don't use them. If you wanted to use them make sure that you clean the media thoroughly on a weekly basis, to ensure that there is no material being trapped that could lead to water quality issues.

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msparklym13

Even with good flow through the media there will be some material that will still become trapped, so that's the reason why most people don't use them. If you wanted to use them make sure that you clean the media thoroughly on a weekly basis, to ensure that there is no material being trapped that could lead to water quality issues.

HI I am embarrassed to ask but I have not cleaned my bio balls before. What do you recommend? Thank you so much!

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HI I am embarrassed to ask but I have not cleaned my bio balls before. What do you recommend? Thank you so much!

 

 

No need to be embarrassed. Rinsing them thoroughly with freshwater will be enough, if they are really dirty you could always soak them in vinegar overnight and then rinse them thoroughly after they are done soaking. I would do this on a weekly basis.

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william_payne1

I personally don't like them, you have enough maintenance to do, why add more work load to it? So much gets stuck in them it turns a rinse into a 45minute scrubbing and picking job. I would recommend using Fluval BIOMAX in a net bag, you pull it out once in awhile run it under hot freshwater w/ a quick scrubbing motion and let dry, done! Although everyone has what works for them, no two tanks are the same I have found even in my own tanks... I would also suggest trying one media for a month or two and take note of pros and cons before switching to another brand or type that way after a few try's you at least know what works best for you. Personally I would just stick to LR and Macros... Good luck!

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The bioballs are harmless, especially in a setup where a deep sand bed will be used, or any sand for that matter. what bioballs entrap pales in comparison to any sb that isn't kept detritus free.

 

now if someone has a dedicated no detritus setup, all detailed params kept in check for ULNS systems (nobody on this board I know of, perhaps a few) then bioballs and cleaning will matter in keeping the system clean and free of waste

 

in a typical reef, having or not having BB makes no diff.

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If you maintain the bio balls it shouldn't be an issue. I know a lot of ppl don't recommend them and mostly because its added work that may not be necessary.

 

Its like filter socks and floss, never switch those out or never rinse/replace a filter sponge - you end up with a nitrate factory.

 

I truly believe what can work for one can be a disaster for another and the key to any successful aquarium is maintanence

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Live Rock > Bioballs. Bio Balls are an old idea and concept someone at petsmart or petco will tell you you need. For reef tanks I would argue bioballs are a straight no go.

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If you maintain the bio balls it shouldn't be an issue. I know a lot of ppl don't recommend them and mostly because its added work that may not be necessary.

 

Its like filter socks and floss, never switch those out or never rinse/replace a filter sponge - you end up with a nitrate factory.

 

I truly believe what can work for one can be a disaster for another and the key to any successful aquarium is maintanence

So you're saying to never even clean mechanical filter sponges that are there to capture detritus?

 

I thought the idea was to have these filter sponges so that you can capture the macro-detritus and remove...

 

if what youre saying is the case, then why bother with a filter sponge in the first place?

 

thanks

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jamescstein

So you're saying to never even clean mechanical filter sponges that are there to capture detritus?

 

I thought the idea was to have these filter sponges so that you can capture the macro-detritus and remove...

 

if what youre saying is the case, then why bother with a filter sponge in the first place?

 

thanks

No he's saying if you never clean them....

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I'm definitely saying its a must to clean equipment, change out filter pads/socks, rinsing media bags because not cleaning them leads to nitrate issues.

 

I don't recommend filters sponges like aquaclears for sw, even rinsing them weekly isn't enough.

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smart call

 

and this brings into question the entire concept of filtration and extra surface area in a nano reef...helpful, or counterproductive?

 

if you are using a filter/sump/arrangement as po4 remover media, or nitrate remover arrangements, that is sound

 

if you are using a filter scheme to lock in detritus cast up from the main tank by sand sifters, currents, feed waste etc, and you plan to clean those filters then that's ideal

 

but if we are using filters because we think they are needed to avoid a cycle then that's where things begin to change

 

we are already dealing with excess surface area in reef tanks anyway, no extra is needed to avoid raw ammonia. live sand and live rock truly is enough surface area to carry a bioload and always have no ammonia, knowing that allows us to use or not use filters (bioballs) as needed

 

 

even though bioballs aren't harmful, they present extra cleaning needs

 

 

all that live rock we stack into reefs, again, requires cleaning and if we don't rid them of detritus, no magic anaerobes are doing it for us, the live rock will be pumping nitrate *not* reducing it.

 

so many things are backwards regarding filtration in the nano reef, its worth dissecting.

 

there isn't a real need for bioballs in reefing simply because we already have too much surface area that requires manual cleaning and export. even if we add bioballs, chances are someone is being export lazy in another area of the tank and adding the bioballs added no harm. they matter only in the detailed, uber clean reef, which none of us have heh

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  • 3 weeks later...
ReeferBrian

I have a 10 gallon nano reef aquarium that's been running for 8 months now,and it looks great after much trial and error lol.my wife wasn't against me having a reef tank but wasn't excited really either.now she is hooked and I just bought her a coralife14 gallon biocube which came with the bioballs included.I'm a retired cop and have plenty of time on my hands so cleaning the bioballs weekly isn't an issue for me,so I'm going with them,.if and when nitrates become an issue ill change to something else.I have found in this hobby that something that works for one,might be horrible for someone else.I truly understand the concern of waste build up but this can partly be overcome with not over feeding and good husbandry,those things alone will not solve the waste issue,but before I understood over feeding,I was guilty of it,lol,

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msparklym13

 

 

No need to be embarrassed. Rinsing them thoroughly with freshwater will be enough, if they are really dirty you could always soak them in vinegar overnight and then rinse them thoroughly after they are done soaking. I would do this on a weekly basis.

Thank you! I haven't cleaned them yet but I can say my water levels have been great! I know no one is a fan of Bio Balls but I was such a newbie I was afraid to do any DIY projects :-)

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msparklym13

I have a 10 gallon nano reef aquarium that's been running for 8 months now,and it looks great after much trial and error lol.my wife wasn't against me having a reef tank but wasn't excited really either.now she is hooked and I just bought her a coralife14 gallon biocube which came with the bioballs included.I'm a retired cop and have plenty of time on my hands so cleaning the bioballs weekly isn't an issue for me,so I'm going with them,.if and when nitrates become an issue ill change to something else.I have found in this hobby that something that works for one,might be horrible for someone else.I truly understand the concern of waste build up but this can partly be overcome with not over feeding and good husbandry,those things alone will not solve the waste issue,but before I understood over feeding,I was guilty of it,lol,

My tank was a gift from my husband- When I say gift it was actually my hope for almost a year! I have a Biocube 29- He had no idea what was going into it and laughs that in the salt world he should actually just buy a boat so I can see fish while he dumps money into it (like our tanks). I am already scheming for a MUCH bigger tank which he laughs about. BUT the great thing is he has gotten really into it. I find him perched on our chair watching the corals and is invested in my hobby. He watches the corals and fish almost as much as I do and enjoys it so much! I am just glad our tank adventures become addicting to our people!

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Learned that in a sump, one doesn't have to buy expensive live rock or ceramic rings , instead try man made clay balls used in aquaculture called hydroton. It is very light, lots of surface area for bacterial to grow including anaerobic ones inside. Pods like it too.

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erinmegan85

I have a Biocube 14 and I removed the Bio Balls and replaced them with Live Rock rubble for extra filtration. I honestly just didn't want another added hassle of removing the bio balls to clean, and then put back in the tank. What can I say, I'm lazy!

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jamescstein

I have a Biocube 14 and I removed the Bio Balls and replaced them with Live Rock rubble for extra filtration. I honestly just didn't want another added hassle of removing the bio balls to clean, and then put back in the tank. What can I say, I'm lazy!

 

That live rock rubble will also collect detritus just like bioballs will

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erinmegan85

 

That live rock rubble will also collect detritus just like bioballs will

No problems so far. I also have filter floss on top though, and change that out quite regularly. Maybe that's why.

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ReeferBrian

My tank was a gift from my husband- When I say gift it was actually my hope for almost a year! I have a Biocube 29- He had no idea what was going into it and laughs that in the salt world he should actually just buy a boat so I can see fish while he dumps money into it (like our tanks). I am already scheming for a MUCH bigger tank which he laughs about. BUT the great thing is he has gotten really into it. I find him perched on our chair watching the corals and is invested in my hobby. He watches the corals and fish almost as much as I do and enjoys it so much! I am just glad our tank adventures become addicting to our people!

my wife for months wasn't into my 10 gallon set up,but to her credit she nverever complained when I had to spend money on it.the first time she saw the corals pop under the moonlight she was hooked.now I catch her actually working on the tank like scraping algae off the glass! It's so much more fun when your spouse gets into it....so rewarding!
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What about the debris they trap that is so small it isn't visible?

 

Personally though, I would never put something like that in an overflow, you are asking for a flood.

 

I use something similar in my small pico's since I do not have much live rock in there (and no flood risk) but in this situation, I do not see the benefits > the risk.

 

My thought is your bioballs convert ammonia/nitrite to nitrate.... but you truly don't need that with the amount of surface area you already have from sand/rock. You are not really gaining much, if anything.

 

More is not always better.

 

All,

 

I have recently acquired a used Oceanic ~40 Gal reef ready setup with a ~10-15 gal reef ready sump.

 

I ran it for about a week with vinegar (4.5 gals) and fresh water, scrubbed and rinsed thoroughly, ran with fresh water and drained yesterday.

 

Filled it with saltwater last night and about 20lbs of live rock. Going to add some aragonite sand tonight and possibly pick up some more live rock today.

 

My question now is with Bio balls. I have read peoples opinions about them starting a "nitrate factory" but i have also read, and am more inclined to believe, that they generally tend to do this if detritus gets entrapped in the bioballs.

 

I'd like to keep the bio balls out of the sump and convert it into a refugium with cheato and LR. Attached is a picture of my sump setup with the bioball box empty.

 

I think the additional surface area of bioballs is still beneficial if used properly however. So here's what i'm thinking:

 

Why not toss the bioballs into the overflow box? Making it more of a wet/dry filter? Also the turbulent flow over the bioballs will prevent detritus from getting stuck?

 

One concern i had was it might plug the drain hole so i plunked one in there (fits perfectly.............) and added a few more back there to float around for solidarity and i am currently awaiting any filling up of the over flow box (been about 10 minutes now and nothing noticeable yet).

 

I'm thinking about getting some eggcrate and putting a platform at the just above the level of the drain hole. I think this will further reduce the likely hood of a nitrate factory and in a way produce a wet/dry filter. Additionally i'll be adding a mechanical filter sponge to pre filter the water after it pours over the over flow, prior to it reaching the balls.

 

This all serves the added benefit of quieting the slosh noise as the water pours over into the box.

 

 

Thoughts??

 

Thanks!

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Them guys on the tv show Tanked seem to use bio balls a lot on the very expensive clients fowler tanks.... Not sure about corals/reef set ups what they use.

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  • 3 weeks later...

Just an update:

 

Have stocked the tank with a few fish:

 

Large starry Benny

Rusty angel

Marine betta

ORA Black misbar oscillaris pair

 

Had them rolling in her for a few weeks. Then yesterday, the lady said "I'm shocked you haven't gotten any coral for this tank yet?!?" Decided the parameters were ready and it was time to go buy the first piece for this tank. I'd been eyeing the tubipora at my LFS for a while, 35$ for it I thought was pretty sweet so I took it and a feather duster home with me and stuck it in yesterday. Coral banded shrimp spent a good 5 hours digging through it. Think it's still recovering from my iodine and coralRX dipping. Most opened pretty immediately.

Not sure why it posted upside down earlier

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