Bio Balls

[sKuLLy]

I need advise regarding my refugium. I am in the middle of my cycle, 4 weeks, but my question is I plan on a reef and fish tank are the bio balls in my refugium a bad for corals? I read they are a nitrate factory and could cause problems. Right now I have zero nitrates?? Please guide me.:whstlr:

 

[wooddood]

i used a wetdry with bio balls for a long time and never had any problems, althouh i did regulary rinse them off, every few months. hope this helps you some.




dave.

 

[Woodstock]

The complete nitrogen cycle has 3 steps.. ammonia --> nitrItes --> nitrAtes --> harmless gas.

Bioballs can only complete the first 2 steps... With the high volume of oxygen available, the wet/dry method is very efficient at growing the bacteria to reduce ammonia into nitrItes, then into nitrAtes. However, this leaves out an important last step of turning the nitrAtes into a harmless gas....

The best method is to provide 1 - 1.5 lbs rock per gal of water (sugar fine aragonite sand as a substrate works also); Remove the bioballs (slowly over a several weeks) and let the rock/sand take care of the entire nitrogen process. This method can complete the last step (nitrAtes -> nitrogen gas) because the rock/sand provide the needed anearobic (no oxygen) area for the special nitrAte eating bacteria to do its job.

 

[sKuLLy]

thanks for the info. Once my cycle is complete I will start to remove the balls slowly. Currently I have 100lbs of live rock in my 125gal with live sand and mud.

 

[cheeks69]

Depending on your bio-load Live Rock and a Deep substrate may not be enough to naturally reduce nitrates through anaerobic bacteria that's where a quality skimmer comes in, it'll remove decaying matter before they break-down into nitrates.