Replacing bio balls with LR

[Clayton7]

I think I already know the answer to my question, but I would like to get the R2R's opinion. Can I replace the bio balls in my wet/dry sump with live rock?
Background: Tank has been running for 6 years total, last year I purchased and moved the tank to my house from a fellow reefer. I was focused on getting everything back up and running so everything went back together the way it was to minimize downtime. The tank as been set up and running for approximately a year since with every little issues. The reefer I bought it from had it jam-packed full of live rock which now I am wanting to open up the display a bit to have a little more room for inhabitants. The sump is an eshopps wet/dry sump which has bio balls in the inlet chamber. My idea is to take the bio balls out and replace them with some of the excess LR from the display. What say y'all about my plan? Should I expect any funny business from doing so?

 

[Azedenkae]

I think I already know the answer to my question, but I would like to get the R2R's opinion. Can I replace the bio balls in my wet/dry sump with live rock?
Background: Tank has been running for 6 years total, last year I purchased and moved the tank to my house from a fellow reefer. I was focused on getting everything back up and running so everything went back together the way it was to minimize downtime. The tank as been set up and running for approximately a year since with every little issues. The reefer I bought it from had it jam-packed full of live rock which now I am wanting to open up the display a bit to have a little more room for inhabitants. The sump is an eshopps wet/dry sump which has bio balls in the inlet chamber. My idea is to take the bio balls out and replace them with some of the excess LR from the display. What say y'all about my plan? Should I expect any funny business from doing so?

Imo if the tank is jam-packed with live rock, then the bioballs probably have not been doing too much anyways and it should be fine to just take out the bioballs and replace with live rock.

I don't think there'd be much funny business going on. There could be some die-off or exposure of detritus that had stuck around, but if your filtration system is robust enough that should not be an issue.

 

[Clayton7]

I think at this point the volume of live rock is the main source of filtration. My system is more of a franken-system. Main display is 72 gallons with a 15 gallon sump which I also have a 25 gallon frag tank plumbed into it. There is a CPR HOB skimmer on the display and a 4 gallon HOB fuge with cheato on the frag tank. I don't know exactly how much live rock is in the display, but it is well over 150lbs.