Bio-ball or coral chip

[Seawater]

There seem to be two school of thoughts about using which medium for filtering. Most LFS are using coral chips but Aquatechnic is using bio-ball with very little sand bed and tank condition seem to be among the best.

Anybody have any experience to share?

[Achilles Tang]

I am using bioballs for my current setup for 2 years plus... and it works.

I did battle nitrates initially but when the tank matured... i have zero nitrates now for a long time.

I did use AZ-NO3 (you can buy from www.fishnfriends.com, the local distributor) in the beginning and that helped a lot.

If you tell the Americans you use bioballs you will get flamed, trust me. They have abandoned that system a long time ago and moved on to NNR.

The Germans are still using bioballs... and so would Aquatechnic as they have German products to sell.

They are using the true berlin method, which has no substrate. However, I heard from someone that the secret to their clean tanks is daily maintenance and massive water changes.

Personally, I feel that bioballs do help with heavy stocking. The problem is that they work too well! You will need to make sure that you have a DSB to process all that nitrates produced.

Remember the nitrogen cycle? Ammonia > nitrites > nitrates > nitrogen.

Any part of the filtration system that is inadequate will see a jump in one of the above parts of the cycle.

Nitrogen is the end result and is harmless. Nitrates is not as dangerous as it seems as a lot of corals and livestock has a high tolerance for nitrates (NO3).. in fact, clams and some corals process some of it as nutrition... the dangerous part of the cycle is the beginning, where ammonia and nitrites (no2) are highly toxic.

That is why newbies experience a tank wipeout when they rush through the initial tank cycling process or overstock suddenly.

You need to give time for the appropriate bacteria to grow and to cope with the sudden influx of ammonia, nitrites and nitrates.

Bioballs are effective in processing nitrites to nitrates in a wet/dry environment. Too effective. And that's the problem. So that's why it's called a 'nitrate factory'!

As for coral chips in the filtration system... I have that in my tank as I copied LFS without questioning why. To grow bacteria? To release calcium?

I will be removing coral chips from my sump system as I do not find they do anything but to clog detritus in them.

Coral chips do not release calcium naturally as LFS claim unless they are exposed to very low PH... which do not exist in reef tanks unless you put them in a calcium reactor, where you inject CO2 to bring down the PH. So that theory is moot.

Coral chips as a biological bed? Well.. a deep sand bed made of fine sand is a better and proven filter. Once you see a deep coral chip bed trapping all the detritus that you can't siphon out.. you will understand... I don't see any worms or copepods in my coral chip compartment so it won't be cleared for some time too.

So which is right and which is wrong?

Who knows? Different school of thoughts still exist because people had/have success with it and until they try the other school of thought and proven it can work too or be even better... then 'old schools' will still exist.

Different strokes for different folks.

[Phang]

They have abandoned that system a long time ago and moved on to NNR.

Achilles,

What's a NNR??? been try to figure that out...

Now we have figure out how bio balls in a trickle system eliminates Ammonia and Nitrites ... I think I would be interested in how Nitrates can eliminated.... My nitrate level every high!!!

from DSB to phleum systems to ......

What about the water flow in this areas... understand for Nitrate eliminating bacteria to develope, must have slow water flow....

Could coral chips also be excellent breeding beds for this type of bacteria... since their nature is very close to that of LR????

[Achilles Tang]

Ahhh...NNR... see the acronyms (abbreviation) list in the New to the Hobby forum!

[Achilles Tang]

What about the water flow in this areas... understand for Nitrate eliminating bacteria to develope, must have slow water flow....

Could coral chips also be excellent breeding beds for this type of bacteria... since their nature is very close to that of LR????

Yes, very very slow water flow is typical of the environment where denitrification takes place.

Take for example, a DSB... or a plenum.

For coral chips to simulate a DSB... you will need a very DCCSB (hahaha.. go figure that one out!)

I just think that it's not efficient to use coral chips as compared to fine sand. There is still a lot of spaces between coral chips compared to compacted sand particles.

Bacteria-environment wise, the inner core areas of LR are also very inefficient compared to the massive surface area typical of a DSB . IMO, I think a true DSB would work better with little rock than a shallow SB with lots of LR.

[Phang]

Hi Achilles,

I think I will be doing this.... Buy those mini baskets (with lots of holes in them) from the 1.99 shop... place them inverted in the back of my tank...

will serve as LR holders and also prevent too large organisms from disturbing my so called DSB....

I'm thinking of keeping Pistol Shrimps.... HEHE

BTW, what's the recommended flow rate for DSB...

[Achilles Tang]

Yes, that will work... the LR rack idea. Just make sure the basket is strong and won't leach chemicals as some plastic would.

Errr.. there is no recommended flow rate for DSB.... flow rates are for circulation in the main water column in your tank.

As long as you don't have enough current to create a tornado in your tank, your DSB will remain a DSB and not a sandstorm!

[Seawater]

On the same subject, is it better to do without filter wool or with wool to trap dirt? Even that should the wool be place before water entering the sump or should it be place before water enter the main tank? Care to share? Thanks.

[Achilles Tang]

Hi seawater,

Personally, at my current overflow, I have a compartment to trap stuff with filter wool. In my sump, I also use wool to trap before it goes down the bioball compartment.

In my new setup, my overflow has been designed to install a removable filter wool tray for occasional use... but I am intending to let detritus settle in the overflow, sump and refugium where it can be removed by pods or by manual suction. It can be turned into a refugium as I will be installing removable stockman pipes which will keep the water level high in the overflow to reduce noise.

I am having enough circulation in my main tank to keep detritus waterborne all the time so it can be swept into the overflow.

[Seawater]

Hi Achilles,

Thanks for sharing the valuable knowledge. You r verrry meticulous. I sure everyone here is impressed. You have thought of every possible scenerio and I am sure your new tank is going to be the standard every dream to achieve.

[Achilles Tang]

Err... if that is a compliment... wo bu gan! I am just a little hardcore that is all... wife will disagree though! Hahaha!

I seek knowledge and try to pass on what I know, it benefits the hobby, especially one as expensive, beautiful, fragile and yet brutal.

I am sure there are lots of advanced aquarist around, just crouching lionfish, hidden dragonwrasse... haha.. feeling corny today!

Oh... another tip: if you neglect cleaning/replacing the filter wool, your water will become dirty again, as the trapped organic matter will decompose and leach back into the water.