Bioballs. Yeah or nay?
- Thread starter Jennyw
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Jenny I've been watching your threads regarding the algae and I know exactly what you should go to make that tank perfect, it's nothing like what you are being advised so far, it's far simpler. Even if you keep or not keep bioballs it won't matter long term. You have a special tank, want to know why? Because look at the coralline dotting and aged purple nature of that rock. Nobody has pics like that. You were sold a primo system.
There have been a few people on this site that I've talked to by phone because it's easier than just typing it all out, I don't mind chatting if you ever want to about your nano. But to type out the basics, its that you should simply lift out that perfect live rock you have, set it on your cabinet, use a pointed kitchen knife to lightly debride the algae off surfaces before it takes over, that way you never have to scrape a bunch of purple growth area.
During this Dental type procedure you are rinsing off the rock and the scraped items with clean saltwater, it's like keeping teeth clean. Manually clean your algae, don't mess with water params, hold the normal mode but hand kill your algae outside the tank. Run steady state on water changes, not as a reaction to algae. Algae is hand killed outside your tank because that type of rock stack you have is easily lifted up and removed for easy cleaning and put back you really have a neatly accessible tank that you can hand guide and preserve that matured look
There have been a few people on this site that I've talked to by phone because it's easier than just typing it all out, I don't mind chatting if you ever want to about your nano. But to type out the basics, its that you should simply lift out that perfect live rock you have, set it on your cabinet, use a pointed kitchen knife to lightly debride the algae off surfaces before it takes over, that way you never have to scrape a bunch of purple growth area.
During this Dental type procedure you are rinsing off the rock and the scraped items with clean saltwater, it's like keeping teeth clean. Manually clean your algae, don't mess with water params, hold the normal mode but hand kill your algae outside the tank. Run steady state on water changes, not as a reaction to algae. Algae is hand killed outside your tank because that type of rock stack you have is easily lifted up and removed for easy cleaning and put back you really have a neatly accessible tank that you can hand guide and preserve that matured look
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These three very large work threads are not meant to overload you, they're specifically to show things that will make that nano reef run as you want it to. Using other people's tanks page after page in proof.
Items covered in these three threads:
What you can and can't do with live rock
How sandbeds work over time in nano reefs
What it takes to restore two hundred invaded reef tanks. Look at their tanks at the time of offer, how did they get invaded? Be opposite. Your algae growth is early, any action you take now will really make a difference vs waiting till full takeover
If you have to clean a tank, how can you do that without causing a recycle?
Lastly, if I don't ask for nitrate, phosphate, ammonia or nitrite readings in these threads- not once- yet we turn out restored tanks for ten years, how important would those params be in making your tank behave?
Ok, bulletproof nano reefing in three threads:
https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/the-microbiology-of-reef-tank-cycling.214618/
Sandbed biology, fixing tanks that stored up waste in their sandbed vs keeping them clean
https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/t...ead-aka-one-against-many.230281/#post-2681445
The exact method that will make your rock free of algae by this weekend and not kill that coralline, not kill coral, will kill algae.
https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/reef2reef-pest-algae-challenge-thread-hydrogen-peroxide.187042/
the reason bio balls don't matter one way or another is you should keep your system clean. I wouldn't care if you used red bricks inside of a filter, if you keep them clean. Whether you used any filter at all or not wouldn't matter, we list what matters there.
Above is the blueprint for the strongest nano reef technique, if all those three threads are truly studied your tank will be bulletproof and the incidentals you choose will never affect the longevity of your tank you'll be free to experiment with the system above as the base go to
The bacteria you add or not add won't matter long term.
Items covered in these three threads:
What you can and can't do with live rock
How sandbeds work over time in nano reefs
What it takes to restore two hundred invaded reef tanks. Look at their tanks at the time of offer, how did they get invaded? Be opposite. Your algae growth is early, any action you take now will really make a difference vs waiting till full takeover
If you have to clean a tank, how can you do that without causing a recycle?
Lastly, if I don't ask for nitrate, phosphate, ammonia or nitrite readings in these threads- not once- yet we turn out restored tanks for ten years, how important would those params be in making your tank behave?
Ok, bulletproof nano reefing in three threads:
https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/the-microbiology-of-reef-tank-cycling.214618/
Sandbed biology, fixing tanks that stored up waste in their sandbed vs keeping them clean
https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/t...ead-aka-one-against-many.230281/#post-2681445
The exact method that will make your rock free of algae by this weekend and not kill that coralline, not kill coral, will kill algae.
https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/reef2reef-pest-algae-challenge-thread-hydrogen-peroxide.187042/
the reason bio balls don't matter one way or another is you should keep your system clean. I wouldn't care if you used red bricks inside of a filter, if you keep them clean. Whether you used any filter at all or not wouldn't matter, we list what matters there.
Above is the blueprint for the strongest nano reef technique, if all those three threads are truly studied your tank will be bulletproof and the incidentals you choose will never affect the longevity of your tank you'll be free to experiment with the system above as the base go to
The bacteria you add or not add won't matter long term.
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Bio-Balls support the colonization of nitrifying bacteria (good).
But detritus gets trapped in/on them, leading to high nitrates (bad).
Therefore, Bio-Balls require maintenance via periodic rinsing. I used to put them in a bucket of saltwater and blast all the detritus out by using a powerhead.
But detritus gets trapped in/on them, leading to high nitrates (bad).
Therefore, Bio-Balls require maintenance via periodic rinsing. I used to put them in a bucket of saltwater and blast all the detritus out by using a powerhead.
How nice to read that accurate description of bioballs. How did we survive the nineties heh they're not as bad as people make them out. Less porous than cruddy retentive live rock (nitrate pump) and easier to clean. Not saying all live rock pumps nitrate, mine sure doesn't.
Just the irony that in a given hands off system the bioballs will be better for the system because they can be cleaned, a massive stack of live rock will sit right there undisturbed for many until total pocketing and takeover. At least we know to clean the bioballs occasionally.
Just the irony that in a given hands off system the bioballs will be better for the system because they can be cleaned, a massive stack of live rock will sit right there undisturbed for many until total pocketing and takeover. At least we know to clean the bioballs occasionally.
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Interesting read. Thanks!!These three very large work threads are not meant to overload you, they're specifically to show things that will make that nano reef run as you want it to. Using other people's tanks page after page in proof.
Items covered in these three threads:
What you can and can't do with live rock
How sandbeds work over time in nano reefs
What it takes to restore two hundred invaded reef tanks. Look at their tanks at the time of offer, how did they get invaded? Be opposite. Your algae growth is early, any action you take now will really make a difference vs waiting till full takeover
If you have to clean a tank, how can you do that without causing a recycle?
Lastly, if I don't ask for nitrate, phosphate, ammonia or nitrite readings in these threads- not once- yet we turn out restored tanks for ten years, how important would those params be in making your tank behave?
Ok, bulletproof nano reefing in three threads:
https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/the-microbiology-of-reef-tank-cycling.214618/
Sandbed biology, fixing tanks that stored up waste in their sandbed vs keeping them clean
https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/t...ead-aka-one-against-many.230281/#post-2681445
The exact method that will make your rock free of algae by this weekend and not kill that coralline, not kill coral, will kill algae.
https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/reef2reef-pest-algae-challenge-thread-hydrogen-peroxide.187042/
the reason bio balls don't matter one way or another is you should keep your system clean. I wouldn't care if you used red bricks inside of a filter, if you keep them clean. Whether you used any filter at all or not wouldn't matter, we list what matters there.
Above is the blueprint for the strongest nano reef in technique, if all those three threads are truly studied your tank will be bulletproof.
The bacteria you add or not add won't matter long term.
Yes it will stick on the filter and every other filtration surface area of the tank
This is why surface area is a double edged sword
We need x amount of surface area to control our bio loading and then any past that is actually extra cleaning requirement because it will stop your detritus from getting kicked up in the water and taken out in your filtration you'll have to manually hunt it down
This is why in aquaculture production facilities/pet stores / even long term reef tanks here, they're always having to clean and backflush filters. There is no system that self cleans especially in a nano reef.
I'm aware of the new ways that people avoid water changes by dosing certain nutrients
And if they're not finding creative ways to get detritus out of that system, they will be posting in one of those threads above one day LOL
This is why surface area is a double edged sword
We need x amount of surface area to control our bio loading and then any past that is actually extra cleaning requirement because it will stop your detritus from getting kicked up in the water and taken out in your filtration you'll have to manually hunt it down
This is why in aquaculture production facilities/pet stores / even long term reef tanks here, they're always having to clean and backflush filters. There is no system that self cleans especially in a nano reef.
I'm aware of the new ways that people avoid water changes by dosing certain nutrients
And if they're not finding creative ways to get detritus out of that system, they will be posting in one of those threads above one day LOL
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