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Bio balls sit in your filter. As water passes over these balls, the nitrifying bacteria filters your water, removing ammonia and nitrites – dramatically improving the water quality. With that said, bio balls are a larger media and will work best in a large sump or external filter.
Do I need bio balls in my filter?
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.
Do bio balls sink?
The Laguna PowerFlo Pro Biospheres Filter Media SINK. The cheaper knockoffs FLOAT. Depending on your application floating bioballs may be fine. We have a 700G tank and require sinking bioballs, therefore we use the Laguna ones Which Indeed DO SINK.
Can I reuse old bio balls?
You can use them, but you’ll have to rinse detritus out of them frequently or they become a nitrate factory.
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.
Where does the bio ball go in a filter?
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.
Should I use bio balls in a 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.
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.
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.
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 better than ceramic?
Bio balls only carry nitrifying bacteria. Ceramic noodles can carry both nitrifying bacteria on the surface and denitrifying bacteria inside. That makes ceramic rings the hands down winner since they can carry both types of bacteria.
Should you replace bio balls?
Bio balls don’t really need replaced. They simply provide a foundation for the helpful bacteria to cling to. In fact replacing them would remove a huge amount of good bacteria that you need.
What is bio gravel?
Biogravel is an entirely new concept for filtration and is essentially a gravel made from sintered glass which has a wide range of applications. The Biogravel is easily cleaned using gravel cleaner (if used as substrate) or by vigorous agitation in water drained off during tank maintenance.
Are bio balls good for freshwater?
Think of bio balls as small plastic houses for nitrifying bacteria. Did you know? Bio balls can be used in both freshwater and saltwater aquariums. And, plastic bio balls have been designed to provide as much surface area as possible for the bacteria to cling to.
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.
How often do I need to clean bio balls?
The bio-balls come out, the yucky water stays behind. Restart the filter. Test for the appearance of ammonia every few days for a week, then every several days over another week after that. If the tests read near zero after this time, it is ok to repeat the process.
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.
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.
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.
Are ceramic bio balls good?
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.
