Bio Balls Specifically In Aqua Medic Percula Tanks

[kitenski]

Evening panel,

From searching and asking in UR over the past year there does not seem to be a concensus on wether to keep the bioballs as supplied with the Percula tanks, or ditch them.

Some owners keep them, some ditch them and fill the void with smashed up LR.

I'd love to hear your opinons on wether to keep or lose the bioballs, but also your reasoning.

regard,s

greg

[jez]

Hi
I recommend that you remove them as they are designed to act as a trickle filter and will lead to elevated levels of nitrate. Saying this I presume you have live rock in the tank if so its best to leave it to the rock to handle the filtration.

regards Jez

[mark-c-]

sorry to jump on your thread Greg hope you dont mind,

ive been thinking of taking the bio balls out for a little while now and adding smaller pieces of live rock in this chamber.

my thoughts were to leave them in to start with as aquamedic wouldnt put then there if they were not needed but i do think that its possible for nitrates to build up over time using them.

if you thought it were best to take them out would you only take a few out at a time and empty the chamber over a week or 2?

Mark

[kitenski]

good question Mark, I reckon removing a handful every few days would be the best approach?

Do other panel members agree with Jez on removing them?

regards,

Greg

[Tiggsy]

Originally posted by gregh@Jan 11 2006, 18:42
good question Mark, I reckon removing a handful every few days would be the best approach?

Do other panel members agree with Jez on removing them?

regards,

Greg
When i sopke to AM on this issue they said (as you would expect) that you MUST leave the balls in- however, this was on the basis that a perc is suppose to be a ready to run tank. If you have LR you are no longer using the supplied AM filtration as your main filter - hence it becomes surplus to needs (IMO)

I removed mine over 3 weeks and have no sign of nitrates with a very heavy fish load. (this was prior to my sump addition)

T

[craighuckins]

I removed most of mine and replaced with some chaeto lit with a 6400k energy saving bulb! (retained a thin layer of balls to stop algae getting sucked into return pump).

[simon garratt]

Its entirely dependant on the rest of the system desighn, ie

1. are you running a decently realistic skimmer that will remove a good proportion of dissolved organics before they break down.

2. Are you using a decent quantity/quality of LR as your main bio filtration which is loosely assembled to allow plenty of flow.

3. Are you realisticly stocked for the tank volume, with good maintanance schedules.

If your happy with the above, I see no reason why not to remove them gradually. In many cases this leads to a more balanced filtration system as far as nitrification and de-nitrification goes. This also applies to LR placed in these high flow high 02, 'waste trapment' areas as well.

regards

Si.

[jobr]

I used to subscribe to the thought of AM didn't put them there for nothing.

But as Simon and others have said if you have a decent skimmer / Live Rock then you are not using the tank as AM thought.

I took mine out over the course of two months at 25% at a time and replaced with Live Rock rubble.

[stm]

A Meds concept design for the Percs and all other A M Tanks are all based on trickle filters. It's something they can't seem to keep away from. I think coz of all their work within the lobster market 8-)
The anthias is a result of Retail pressure to produce a tank system without all the gubbins to make their range more affoardable and expandable. Add whatever calcium reactor bibs and bobs along the way.
Depending on whats in it ( Fish / Reef ) will depend on what advantage it has. Fish, ideal. reef, has some draw backs. Filled with rock rubble will serve as a bio filter with minimal anoxic denitrification. long term will become just a nitrate factory. best to leave empty and let the rock in the main tank do the work. Me i might be tempted to remove the media, put a light over the trickle compartment and add some algae, I could add some silica sand call that mini mud.
But I think thats already been done 8-)
If theres enough rock as a filter , remove the trickle slowly
If theres not enough, leave it in there, it's needed
Adding rubble will not help any further than the main rock
regards
Chris

[simon garratt]

Chris.......... At long last someone who agrees about 'not' putting LR rubble in high flow/02 sump areas..........

:)

Youve made my day.....


regards

Si.

[Reefworks]

Just because a tank has a trickle filter of bioballs does not mean that it will have nitrates. However IF you are finding you are having problems with high nitrates then it MAY benefit you to remove the bioballs.
hth

[rebel]

hi i have a perc 90 and the back of the tank looks on to a window .i covered the back to keep light out but pherhaps i should leave it uncovered to encourage algea in this area any opinions would be great sory if im hijacking thread