Bio ball removal

[TheUnfocusedOne]

so im gonna mod out my ap12

and i have some bio balls in the back of it

and im gonna put some lr rubble there with some cheato

will taking out the bioballs mess with tank being set?

i have lr n ls in it n its been cycling for like 4 weeks at home

[justaguy2]

so im gonna mod out my ap12

and i have some bio balls in the back of it

and im gonna put some lr rubble there with some cheato

will taking out the bioballs mess with tank being set?

i have lr n ls in it n its been cycling for like 4 weeks at home

 

From what I have read removing the bioballs may reduce the bacteria, but you can always take one or two out per day. Do you have enough live rock in the tank?

 

Why put LR rubble in the back? It will trap crap just the same as anything else you put back there. If you need more biological filtration why not just 'sprinkle' rubble in the main tank? If you create a column of it in the back chamber how will you ever clean out the crap that accumulates? That is one 'mod' I have not been able to wrap my brain around. If bioballs are bad, how does LR rubble improve upon it in terms of trapping gunk?

 

The chaeto I understand as it is an algae that sucks up nutrients pest algae would thrive on, but the LR rubble stacked in the back I just don't get.

[TheUnfocusedOne]

i seriouslys have always thought the same way

i mean in my 3g in my fuge theres alot of crap from the rubble

i think i might say screw it n just get some floss n cheato n like some purgien n or stuff for it

[Clubby]

You can get universal filter bags, they are just a mesh bag that you can put the rubble into then put it into the back chamber, this way you can take the whole lot out and give it a rinse in the tank water you remove from a water change and vacum the chamber.

(apparently) The advantage of Live Rock rubble is that it will contain more beneficial bacteria than bio-balls but could still become a nitrate trap (like any filter media will) if not regularly rinsed, although not as bad as Bio-balls would.

[dshnarw]

You can get universal filter bags, they are just a mesh bag that you can put the rubble into then put it into the back chamber, this way you can take the whole lot out and give it a rinse in the tank water you remove from a water change and vacum the chamber.

(apparently) The advantage of Live Rock rubble is that it will contain more beneficial bacteria than bio-balls but could still become a nitrate trap (like any filter media will) if not regularly rinsed, although not as bad as Bio-balls would.

 

What's the point in putting a few pieces of rubble in a bag for filtration when you have so much sand and live rock sitting in the display doing the exact same thing? Do yourself a favor, and find a different type of filtration for that area, and do something your tank couldn't otherwise do (like add some macroalgae and reduce nitrates).

[FyrFighter2004]

What's the point in putting a few pieces of rubble in a bag for filtration when you have so much sand and live rock sitting in the display doing the exact same thing? Do yourself a favor, and find a different type of filtration for that area, and do something your tank couldn't otherwise do (like add some macroalgae and reduce nitrates).

 

One way to look at it is that if your filter is maintaing a good 10-20X flow rate the LRR in the filter will theoretically have more water pass over it than the LR in the tank(Maybe) im no scientist. But if you have a good flow rate in the main tank with powerheads and what not, the LRR in the filter is just one more weapon to filter with. I do agree however, to find other ways to filter.Im probably going to turn the center chamber of my nano 24g(when i get it) into a fuge. live sand and some chaeto. As for the bio balls, theyre as good as gone.

 

Either way, i think the trick is to find a way to achieve excellent filtration without becoming a nitrate factory.

[dshnarw]

One way to look at it is that if your filter is maintaing a good 10-20X flow rate the LRR in the filter will theoretically have more water pass over it than the LR in the tank(Maybe) im no scientist. But if you have a good flow rate in the main tank with powerheads and what not, the LRR in the filter is just one more weapon to filter with. I do agree however, to find other ways to filter.Im probably going to turn the center chamber of my nano 24g(when i get it) into a fuge. live sand and some chaeto. As for the bio balls, theyre as good as gone.

 

Either way, i think the trick is to find a way to achieve excellent filtration without becoming a nitrate factory.

 

I have to disagree with the idea. Tons of aquarists have run their tanks with no sumps or external filtration, relying on the live rock in their tank for filtration, and having no problems. That says to me that a couple pounds of rubble in the back of a tank is just doing the same job that the rock in the tank is. Thus, it's not "one more weapon" but more of the same...a redundant system which, in this case, is unnecessary.

 

Agreed on the last statement - hence why I think the macroalgae fuge is the way to go. It directly uses nitrates that would otherwise build up and is, therefore, a much more valuable use of space.

[FyrFighter2004]

I have to disagree with the idea. Tons of aquarists have run their tanks with no sumps or external filtration, relying on the live rock in their tank for filtration, and having no problems. That says to me that a couple pounds of rubble in the back of a tank is just doing the same job that the rock in the tank is. Thus, it's not "one more weapon" but more of the same...a redundant system which, in this case, is unnecessary.

 

Agreed on the last statement - hence why I think the macroalgae fuge is the way to go. It directly uses nitrates that would otherwise build up and is, therefore, a much more valuable use of space.

 

touché, when i said one more weapon i was meaning to say exactly what you more clearly said, that it was just an addition to an already existing form of filtration. Good im so glad for htese forums or my butt would be so far up the creek without a paddle when i start setting up my tank

[StevieT]

+1 remove bio balls, do not replace with live rock rubble. There is no need, your display will provide all the bio filtraion you need. Best thing I did to my tank was remove the live rock rubble. All it does is trap detritus and limit flow. Run a good carbon media like chemi pure and some purigen in your rear chambers. Cheato is also a good addition if you have light.

[GobyDude]

Another good thing to think about with chaeto... it can also house the beneficial bacteria that your liverock is used for, plus it removes nitrates. I say, get rid of bioballs, find a post about pulling the black vinyl off the back of your tank, and put a light back there and chaeto in the back chambers.