Bioball replacement

[billydv]

I still have my custom built wet dry trickle filter in the sump. I guess dry live rock now the recommended way to go. Any suggestions for swapping the bioballs with something else?

 

[EeyoreIsMySpiritAnimal]

I still have my custom built wet dry trickle filter in the sump. I guess dry live rock now the recommended way to go. Any suggestions for swapping the bioballs with something else?

Like rock rubble?

 

[Pickle_soup]

I still have my custom built wet dry trickle filter in the sump. I guess dry live rock now the recommended way to go. Any suggestions for swapping the bioballs with something else?

I would go with ceramic bio-balls or blocks.

 

[naterealbig]

I think dry rock will sustain the same nutrient mechanisms as the bioballs, in the same oxygen rich environment. Meaning the rock, if placed in your wet dry will act very similar to your bio balls by processing ammonia quickly to nitrite, and will do little for denitrification.

I think replacing them with rock (or anything) would be a waste of money.

What's got you attached to the wet/dry?

 

[Pickle_soup]

I think dry rock will sustain the same nutrient mechanisms as the bioballs, in the same oxygen rich environment. Meaning the rock, if placed in your wet dry will act very similar to your bio balls by processing ammonia quickly to nitrite, and will do little for denitrification.

I think replacing them with rock (or anything) would be a waste of money.

What's got you attached to the wet/dry?

Dry rock doesn't have the porosity of ceramic media.

 

[naterealbig]

Agreed, but it doesn't matter to the end result of OP. The high oxygen levels of the wet/dry chamber will prevent denitrification.

Ceramic medias are designed to be kept underwater, in low flow areas to facilitate the growth of anaerobic bacteria.

 

[billydv]

This was all setup LONG LONG ago. 30 or 40 years ago wet dry trickle filters were the thing. I also run a Korallin sulphur denitrator with a secondary media reactor filled with aragonite. The protein skimmer is a 35 year old Euroreef (needle wheel pump has now been replaced with a dc version). This was previous science for saltwater fishkeeping. I have lots of colored coral decorations so replacement with live rock not really an option

 

[Bruttall]

Seachem Matrix. I have used this pumice like material in sump tanks for Bio filtration for about 8 years now with extremely good results.

 

[billydv]

Yes,
I was looking at the Seachem matrix stuff. Looks like that might be one of my next renovations here lol

 

[Dan_P]

I still have my custom built wet dry trickle filter in the sump. I guess dry live rock now the recommended way to go. Any suggestions for swapping the bioballs with something else?

Why are you thinking of replacing the bioballs?

 

[Pickle_soup]

Seachem Matrix. I have used this pumice like material in sump tanks for Bio filtration for about 8 years now with extremely good results.

I won't run a tank without it. It is literally the most porous pumice on the planet. It does do better in a reactor than in a bag.

 

[Garf]

I think porosity is over rated :)

 

[Pickle_soup]

I think porosity is over rated :)

Your face is overrated!!!:p

 

[shwareefer]

The fluval bio-fx media looks interesting as well and you get a lot more for the money than matrix IIRC.

OP, are you trying to correct a problem or are you just changing it because you think you should?

 

[Pickle_soup]

The fluval bio-fx media looks interesting as well and you get a lot more for the money than matrix IIRC.

OP, are you trying to correct a problem or are you just changing it because you think you should?

Bio-balls are a problem.

 

[1ocean]

Siporax is also very good. I have a their large box in a reactor with high flow and a second in a reactor with very slow flow in my sump. Did this to save room when I took out all my bio balls from the sump chamber. I also have 100 pounds of live rock in another chamber, which I got from someone who had a them in his sump chamber for his two very large tanks. 1000 gallons. The live rock get high flow and very little light. My sump is 72x21x20.

 

[shwareefer]

Bio-balls are a problem.

He's managing nitrates with a sulphur denitrator so not a problem.

 

[1ocean]

Yep. I added a bio pellet LifeGard xl too, to manage nitrates as he added a Sulphur denitrator. I found a great idea ,from a reefer overseas, which I made is to add bio balls into a tall tower so water trickles, slowly and over them and out the bottom to help with gas exchange and increase O2 in the water. The towers have to be out of the water so that all the bio balls are not standing in water. I found places that sell these, looks like they have plastic hair curler looking things in the tower. The towers are pricey, and the curler things sell for like 100 bucks. Guy overseas uses bio balls. My 300 has a good number of fish in it so I figured this would help.

 

[billydv]

Im thinking of changing the bio balls out so that maybe I can improve efficiency of the biological process but ideally live rock in the main tank would have been the solution. I just dont want to swap decorations

 

[Pickle_soup]

Im thinking of changing the bio balls out so that maybe I can improve efficiency of the biological process but ideally live rock in the main tank would have been the solution. I just dont want to swap decorations

Put a small light on that LR in and algae will grow on it, it's like a little scrubber.