Bio Balls: Yeah or Neah

[Captainhemo]

My tank (60 gal + 50-60 lbs LR, 20 gal sump) has been up for about 3 years. The first chamber of my sump has always been full of bio balls but I am trying to make room for a new in-sump skimmer, currently have a hang on back.
Can I lose the bio balls and if so, shoould I remove them slowly or all at once ? I've also always run a couple of foam Fluval blocks in the sump, should I also consider removing these once I upgrade my skimmer ?
Is it generally thought that this type of wet/dry and mechanical filtration does more harm than good ?

[robzilla]

i'd lose them, they become a nitrate factory.

[justinl]

they only become a nitrate factory if you dont maintain them properly. you really should rinse them well every month. most people are too lazy to do that so then the balls become problematic.

If you dont want to have to do the monthly rinse, then just replace the bioballs with LR rubble (roughly ping pong ball sized). I would not do it all at once. i think 20% per week replacement should work fine.

wet/dries are not problematic if properly maintained. they just require a monthly maintenance that most reefers either dont know to do or are too lazy to do (like me) if there is another easier alternative.

[Captainhemo]

Hehe, well they have definately been neglected. I guess I'll slowly start removing them as I'm really gonna need some room for an in sump skimmer.
I really need to redesign this sump, kake the 1st chamber just wide enough to accomadate a skimmer, then try and make the rest into a reurg/retrun chamber (sep by eggcrate?). A 20g tank sure gets used up quick

[EmilyB]

I am in need of more bio-balls for my FW. I will pay a nominal fee and shipping if you are willing

[Pan]

A neat way to maintain bioballs in your overflow is to make little levels with egg crate. You make like a tower with different floors attach some high strength fishing line...like ocean fishing line and pull it up and clean a different floor each month. People just don't like them because you have to clean them.

[Aquattro]

In my opinion, if you have a reef tank with a pound per gallon of rock and a sand bed (or even forget the sandbed), you do not need supplemental biological filtration. It will only add to the NO3 that your rock is working hard at removing. Next water change, pull half. Water change after that, remove the rest, send them to Calgary.

[fencer]

I agree if you don't backflush your bioball tank once in a while you potentially do have nitrate sink. One other fact about using bioballs is that they contribute to oxygenation of the water by have high surface area. Although I have never measured the REDOX potential with and without them. True a GOOD skimmer can also do the same thing.

[Captainhemo]

Gonna start pulling them out tomorrow. EmilyB, I want to make sure things are stable before I get rid of the BioBalls

[phillybean]

Are you from Kelowna hemo? If so, I have a old (it is old) 33 gallon you could make a sump out of. I was going to use it for mine until I got my hands on a 55 gallon. We can do it NHL style, a trade for "future frag considerations"