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Yes. They float. But when placed into a confined space they did fill the area no problem.
Do bio balls need to be submerged?
Bio balls can be submerged underwater! The only time you wouldn’t place bio balls underwater is if you are using them in a trickle-filter setup. Ideally, you should use some form of mechanical filtration, such as a sponge or filter floss, before the bio balls.
Where do you put bio balls?
Place the bio balls in the stream of water running through your fish tank’s filter. Although bio balls will catch some pieces of algae, they are not meant to be used as a physical filter. Installing them downstream of a filter membrane will help keep them from clogging.
Where do bio balls go in a sump?
They are not intended to trap detritus and particles, and if you are using them in the sump, should be placed in the area of your sump least likely to come into contact with detritus, normally closest to the return. Detritus should be removed through other forms of filtration such as a filter socks or filter sponges.
Are bio balls better than ceramic?
Bio balls should only be used for biological filtration only. They simply exist to trap and remove waste. Ceramic rings will ultimately trap more bad stuff, but your bio balls will ultimately do a better job of denitrifying bacteria.
Can I reuse old bio balls?
They are very good for a bio filter, but the byproduct is that it produces a lot of nitrates. You can use them, but you’ll have to rinse detritus out of them frequently or they become a nitrate factory.
How many bio balls are needed per gallon?
How Many Bio Balls To Use Per Gallon? Of course, this depends on your specific tank set up, but a good general rule is to use about 2.2 gallons of bio balls per 100 gallons of water in your tank.
Do you need to replace Bio media?
Bio media that is a porous solid (not sponge or plastic) such as clay rings, ceramic balls, lava rock, and sintered glass, does need to be replaced periodically as the micro pores fill and clog. Bleaching can sterilize the crud in the pores but won’t clean them out.
Are bio balls good for reef tank?
Bio Balls can be used in saltwater aquariums but if left uncleaned they easily trap detritus which can lead to high nitrates & phosphates. They provide a large surface area for nitrifying bacteria to colonize however newer technology is available to work more efficiently & require less maintenance.
What do bio balls do?
Bio balls are used to hold the beneficial bacteria from your tank and not for removing waste products from the system. We recommend that these are used after the water flows through filter foam as the foam will catch and remove any debris from the water meaning these will not get stuck in the groves of the Bio balls.
How long do Bio balls last?
How long do Bio-Balls last? Bio-Balls are made to have a large SA to encourage the growth of marine nitrifying bacteria. Once they have a stable poulation, changing them would leave you without all of the bacteria that had grown there. They should last forever.
Can you reuse bio balls?
Looks good, you can throw them in there. Your tank is still going to cycle some, remember, your going from a 55 (small Bio-Load) to a much larger 210 (large Bio-Load).
How do you clean bio balls?
If you just want to clean the gunk out of the bio-balls and don’t care about the bacteria that is on them, just put your dirty bio-balls into an old pillow case and run it through your washing machine on the “gentle” cycle with a little laundry detergent for a few minutes.
How long does it take for bacteria to grow on bio balls?
Two weeks should be enough time for bacteria to grow on them. That’s if the tank is fully established.
Are bio balls good or bad?
IMO bio balls are bad. When you have the proper amount of live rock,one and a half to two lbs per gallon,filter floss and bag of carbon that your overflow drains through you will be in good shape. Bio balls are only bad if you do not keep up with the maintenance on them.
Can you have too much bio media?
Can you have too much bio media? Yes, especially in a planted tank where the plants are doing a lot of the bio filtration. The excess volume of bio media may take up the space in the filter that could be better used by more mechanical media.
Can I use both bio balls and ceramic rings?
Bio balls can only carry nitrifying bacteria but ceramic rings carry both nitrifying and denitrifying bacteria. The pores of ceramic rings offer extra space for bacteria to live. But they can get clogged easily and even permanently blocked.
How do you use bio balls in a pond filter?
Place the appropriate number of The Pond Guy® BioBalls™ into a mesh filter media bag and place into an area of your pond in direct contact with flowing water. For best results place The BioBalls™ on top of the filter media pad in your waterfall filter box.
Is lava rock a good bio media?
Lava rock – the igneous rock that forms as an erupting volcano’s molten lava cools and hardens – is very porous. When chunks of it live in your filtration system, you provide a lot of surface area for beneficial bacteria to colonize and grow. That’s what makes it such a great filter media.
How often should you replace bio balls?
Fluval says – About half of your Fluval Bio-Max media should be replaced approximately every 6 months – it is not recommended that you replace all of the Bio Max filter media at one time because to do so would upset the balance of beneficial bacteria in your aquarium.
What can I use instead of bio balls?
Bioballs are nothing more than surface area for nitrifying bacteria to colonize onto. A better replacement would be a sand bed or porous rock.
What is the best bio filter media?
Fluval BioMax Bio Rings Fluval BioMax Bio Rings are the best example on the market. Their internal porous system, like the Seachem Matrix BioMedia (see below), help more bacteria to grow than smooth biofilter media do. The ring shape allows for water to flow through the biofilter media.
