Siporax

[Reef-Geek]

I don't understand, one of the first suggestions I get from this hobby is to get rid of the bio-ball/bio-medias, cause they can become a nitrate factory.

Do things work differently now and seems everyone is doing minimal rock work with bio-media?

[Myka]

Originally Posted by Reef-Geek

I don't understand, one of the first suggestions I get from this hobby is to get rid of the bio-ball/bio-medias, cause they can become a nitrate factory.

Do things work differently now and seems everyone is doing minimal rock work with bio-media?

It's so backwards isn't it? Bioballs are no good because they don't support anaerobic bacteria - that's the stuff that lowers nitrate and phosphate when you carbon dose. It seems like porous bio medias are quite good at hosting anaerobic bacteria. Back in the day there were trickle filters that some people said reduced nitrate - now we know why.

[vanreefer]

Thanks for the link!! Any rule of thumb for how much siporax per tank volume?

[Reef-Geek]

Originally Posted by Myka

It's so backwards isn't it? Bioballs are no good because they don't support anaerobic bacteria - that's the stuff that lowers nitrate and phosphate when you carbon dose. It seems like porous bio medias are quite good at hosting anaerobic bacteria. Back in the day there were trickle filters that some people said reduced nitrate - now we know why.

Thanks for the explanation Mindy, Berlin is so old school now

Does that mean any bio-medias can work cause they are definitely more porous than LR, Why not buy something cheap like:
http://www.jlaquatics.com/hagen-fluv...-500-gram.html

rather than the more expensive and hard to get Siporax? Is it proved Siporax work much better than other bio-medias, if so how much better?

[Myka]

Originally Posted by Reef-Geek

Thanks for the explanation Mindy, Berlin is so old school now

Does that mean any bio-medias can work cause they are definitely more porous than LR, Why not buy something cheap like:
http://www.jlaquatics.com/hagen-fluv...-500-gram.html

rather than the more expensive and hard to get Siporax? Is it proved Siporax work much better than other bio-medias, if so how much better?

Something about Siporax being made of glass and pore size makes it better, I think. I really haven't delved into it much. I just know it works to lower nutrients if you do it right.

Check out this monster thread, and maybe if you feel like sifting through all 669 replies (currently) you can come back and let us know what you learned! http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/sh....php?t=2526998 "Reefvet" is the biologist I was referring to earlier. I followed the thread for the first few pages, but not after that.

[Reef-Geek]

Thanks for the link, I didn't read the whole post but also don't know why this topic is so debatable, there should be a simple before and after comparison to proof it works, or not.

[Potatohead]

Originally Posted by Reef-Geek

Thanks for the link, I didn't read the whole post but also don't know why this topic is so debatable, there should be a simple before and after comparison to proof it works, or not.

Bio-balls become a nitrate factory because they trap a bunch of junk and they're hard to clean, it has nothing really to do with anaerobic bacteria (bacteria which consumes nitrates) which is what you are trying to achieve by using these different medias. In order for anaerobic bacteria to live, they need low water flow and no oxygen. When you have a very porous material, like the sintered glass that Siporax or SubstratPro is made of, you are allowing anaerobic bacteria to live deep within those pores. Those pores don't exist in a bio-ball, it's just plastic. One bio-ball has about seven square inches of surface area. How many are in a liter? Let's be generous and say 25, so in a litre you have around 175 square inches of surface area. In a litre of Siporax, there's 2900 square FEET.

Now, as I said earlier do you really NEED that much surface area, especially if you have ample live rock or other medias? I think the jury is still out, but you can never have too much, the question is whether that extra surface area allows anaerobic bacteria to live and/or thrive. Sera says on their site Siporax does work when used in large quantities. I know some guys online are using like three or four litres per ten gallons, which isn't exactly cheap and needs a lot of space. The other question is can you use biopellets or carbon dosing etc and a much smaller amount of media and achieve the same end result? Usually you can.

[Myka]

Originally Posted by Reef-Geek

Thanks for the link, I didn't read the whole post but also don't know why this topic is so debatable, there should be a simple before and after comparison to proof it works, or not.

It's debatable because there is so much incorrect anecdotal evidence. There are lots of people out there that are using these products and NOT achieving an anaerobic zone, and thus they are not successful.

Originally Posted by Potatohead

I stand corrected... I think the same principle applies however

I edited it and corrected it for you. The rest of your post is spot on.