Porous Bio Media vs Old School Bio Balls

[drblank1]

I am renewing myself to reefing after a decade and my tank is currently "fishless cycling". I want to setup a QT and haven't been able to find the answer to my questions that keeps popping into my head.

Wouldn't bio-balls be a better bio-filter for a QT than say something porous like blocks or rock? Wouldn't parasites and disease have an easier time finding a place to settle in something porous as opposed to bio-balls that house beneficial bacteria but would be a tough place for bad things to settle? I have a spot where I house old school bio-balls I used 10 years ago. I would just grab a block of bio-balls from my sump (they interlock together like Legos) and throw them in the QT with a powerhead.

Then when done the quarantine cycle, I would clean and sanitize all my QT equipment/tank. And give the bio-balls a bleach/water soak, then an citric acid soak, good rinse, and then put them back in the sump for my next QT setup. I actually have 2 blocks of bio-balls in my sump so I could alternate and start my next QT right away.

I appreciate any insight.

Thanks,
drblank1

 

[T-J]

I currently use Bio-Balls in my 120g display. I have them in a chamber in my sump. They won't break down over time, while some of the users on the forums have complained that their porous bio-media have crumbled. Don't get me wrong, I have a ton of live rock, sand and rock rubble as well. But I don't think you can have too much bio-filtration. Bio-balls are just my way of throwing a bio-media brick in the tank. Just a lot cheaper and (hopefully) will last longer.

And yes, I agree that they are even better for a QT for just the reason you mentioned: sterilization.

 

[drblank1]

I currently use Bio-Balls in my 120g display. I have them in a chamber in my sump. They won't break down over time, while some of the users on the forums have complained that their porous bio-media have crumbled. Don't get me wrong, I have a ton of live rock, sand and rock rubble as well. But I don't think you can have too much bio-filtration. Bio-balls are just my way of throwing a bio-media brick in the tank. Just a lot cheaper and (hopefully) will last longer.

And yes, I agree that they are even better for a QT for just the reason you mentioned: sterilization.

Yes, I use them because I have them and have room for them. They are not my primary filtration. I too have lots of sand and rock.

 

[Jay Hemdal]

I'm not a big fan of bioballs - they work great for gas exchange in de-aeration towers, but submerged, they just don't have that much surface area for bacteria to live on. As you probably know, they came into the aquarium hobby in the early 1980s from the aquaculture and waste water treatment industries. They were never designed to run submerged. A good porous non-calcified media is best. Personally, for QT, I use sponge filters.

Jay

 

[Berlibee]

I like when it's once piece, it's much easier to clean and nothing can accumulate around like between bio-balls or other small pieces media like Matrix. So I'm using the bricks.

 

[drblank1]

I like when it's once piece, it's much easier to clean and nothing can accumulate around like between bio-balls or other small pieces media like Matrix. So I'm using the bricks.

so you don't believe bad the stuff can settle in in this kind of porous material. For instance, many say to use PVC fittings for fish hiding places because nothing will stick to it. Same reason you should use sand. Thoughts?

 

[Berlibee]

No, I'm not afraid of this. But in our QT tanks we are using sponge filters like in hatch tank for clownfish.

 

[KellyCorals]

Post in thread 'Bio balls...a thing of the past?'
https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/bio-balls-a-thing-of-the-past.757565/post-8478331

Check out this thread!

Also I recommend adding a filter sock to you sump (eshopps makes a conversion kit for this) and then lightly packing the sock with poly fill. I did that and it really quiets down the sump drain!

 

[G Santana]

I currently use Bio-Balls in my 120g display. I have them in a chamber in my sump. They won't break down over time, while some of the users on the forums have complained that their porous bio-media have crumbled. Don't get me wrong, I have a ton of live rock, sand and rock rubble as well. But I don't think you can have too much bio-filtration. Bio-balls are just my way of throwing a bio-media brick in the tank. Just a lot cheaper and (hopefully) will last longer.

And yes, I agree that they are even better for a QT for just the reason you mentioned: sterilization.

Funny that I ran across this post, I have about 3 or 4 gallons worth of bio balls that I have been mulling over using in the sump. After reading your post I plan on placing them in mesh bags and adding them.
How many do you use in your sump?
My DT is 130 and the sump is a 30 gallon long.

 

[T-J]

Funny that I ran across this post, I have about 3 or 4 gallons worth of bio balls that I have been mulling over using in the sump. After reading your post I plan on placing them in mesh bags and adding them.
How many do you use in your sump?
My DT is 130 and the sump is a 30 gallon long.

I have as many as I could fit into a media chamber in my sump. Not sure how many. IMO, you can't have too much bio-filtration, so if you have the room, add bio-balls, rock, bricks, etc.!

 

[G Santana]

I have as many as I could fit into a media chamber in my sump. Not sure how many. IMO, you can't have too much bio-filtration, so if you have the room, add bio-balls, rock, bricks, etc.!

I wanted to stay away from those bricks for two reasons, 1 they break down over time and 2 I have read them possibly leaching aluminum into the tank. Not sure if any if those issues are proven 100% but bio balls don't have those issues.
Thanks again!!!

 

[X-37B]

I use eheim substrate pro in a mesh bag in my 120.
Probably not needed but cant hurt.
It is very easy to rinse the 3 liters in the bag.
I come from the bio ball era and just see no need for them unless run in a tower type drip mode in a fish only setup.
For them to work you would need way to many for the current state of most sumps today.

 

[David Abbott]

I'm not a big fan of bioballs - they work great for gas exchange in de-aeration towers, but submerged, they just don't have that much surface area for bacteria to live on. As you probably know, they came into the aquarium hobby in the early 1980s from the aquaculture and waste water treatment industries. They were never designed to run submerged. A good porous non-calcified media is best. Personally, for QT, I use sponge filters.

Jay

Hey Jay, back in the 80's my neighbor had a 200G tank with just bio balls in a trickle down filter and it was beautiful, without all the fancy equipment you see today, no skimmers, no nothing. Only one problem it was very loud. I am in the build process of a 150G. bare bottom tank. Have read many articles and vids about how hard it is to get a bare bottom going. Refugium's can get nasty quick. Can I maintain my tank with min. aquascape (100 lbs,) with non calcified media (ceramic balls ???) and extra rock in the sump and some kind of sponge filtration right before the return section. Or could you recommend something. I see pics of how nasty sumps look after awhile. THANKS David

 

[Jay Hemdal]

Hey Jay, back in the 80's my neighbor had a 200G tank with just bio balls in a trickle down filter and it was beautiful, without all the fancy equipment you see today, no skimmers, no nothing. Only one problem it was very loud. I am in the build process of a 150G. bare bottom tank. Have read many articles and vids about how hard it is to get a bare bottom going. Refugium's can get nasty quick. Can I maintain my tank with min. aquascape (100 lbs,) with non calcified media (ceramic balls ???) and extra rock in the sump and some kind of sponge filtration right before the return section. Or could you recommend something. I see pics of how nasty sumps look after awhile. THANKS David

Ceramic media is a much better choice than the old bioballs. I don't do much work with bare bottom tanks, as our displays all have to look "pretty". Our coral reserve systems are bare, and the biological filtration is derived simply from the corals themselves and hard surfaces in the system, but the fish load is zero, so very little ammonia is produced. I'm not really a "coral guy", so I would suggest you start a new thread in the coral section to get better info (grin).

jay