How Do I Clean A Reef Tank That Has Bio Balls?

Bio Balls are a staple for filtration in the freshwater hobby only when many of those hobbyists move to saltwater this question gets asked over and over over again. This commodity is going to fill in the blanks to why Bio Assurance are best left out of a saltwater aquarium.

Bio Balls tin can exist used in saltwater aquariums merely if left uncleaned they easily trap detritus which tin atomic number 82 to high nitrates & phosphates. They provide a big surface surface area for nitrifying bacteria to colonize however newer applied science is available to piece of work more efficiently & require less maintenance.

Read on to find out why Bio Balls are non good for filtration in a saltwater aquarium and see what alternatives there are to provide a much better way to accomplish biological filtration within your system.

What Are Aquarium Bio Balls?

In their about basic form, Bio Balls are an engineered circuitous shape of plastic with the aim to provide the maximum amount of surface expanse for a given book of space.

The surface is used to colonize Aerobic Nitrifying Bacteria that catechumen Ammonia to Nitrites, and Nitrites to Nitrates.

What Practise Aquarium Bio Assurance Do?

As the water trickles through the Bio Balls in a trickle filter, it allows Aerobic Nitrifying bacteria to abound. Aerobic Bacteria is a type of bacteria that thrive in an oxygen-rich environment. This type of bacteria forms the ground of the beginning 2 parts of the Nitrogen Cycle:

Converting Ammonia to Nitrites
&
Converting Nitrites to Nitrates

>>To find out more on the Nitrogen Cycle you can read my commodity Here on the aquarium Cycle<<

The Nitrogen Bicycle is a constantly running process in your aquarium and information technology is how female parent nature turns waste into less toxic compounds that your fish, invertebrates, and corals can tolerate in pocket-size amounts.

The fundamental in every aquarium is to ensure at that place are plenty Nitrifying Bacteria to cope with the amount of waste product inside the aquarium. Bio Balls were created to help abound the number of bacteria within a given volume.

Can Bio Balls Exist Used In Saltwater Aquariums?

30 years ago they were a great product, or so many people thought. With the advances in technology and experience, we have found means to look deeper into the microscopic levels of aquarium filtration to engineer better and more means to help keep our livestock healthy.

So why should Bio Balls not be used in a saltwater aquarium? As yous are in your enquiry stage of a saltwater aquarium I'k sure you lot are seeing on the forums many people calling them 'Nitrate Factories'.

Many hobbyists institute some success with Bio Assurance because they regularly cleaned them to ensure detritus was not condign trapped in the balls, then breaking downwards and releasing Ammonia, Phosphates, and Nitrates.

The true reason why Bio Balls are not good for saltwater aquariums is more scientific:-

Earlier I mentioned that Bio Balls provide a great environment for Aerobic Nitrifying Leaner. Nonetheless, because the water by and large trickles through Bio Balls they do not provide a good habitat for bacteria that grow in Oxygen-Depleted environments.

This type of bacteria is known as Anaerobic Nitrifying Bacteria.

Aerobic & Anaerobic Bacteria

Aerobic Bacteria:
Catechumen Ammonia to Nitrites
Convert Nitrites to Nitrates

Anaerobic Bacteria:
Convert Nitrates to Nitrogen Gas

Without Anaerobic Bacteria the only style to forestall Nitrates from building in your saltwater aquarium is past regular cleaning and maintenance and frequent water changes.

With Anaerobic Bacteria you have another janitor on your filtration team to aid remove the Nitrates past converting it to Nitrogen gas which so bubbling out to the water's surface.

Anaerobic bacteria grow in areas of depression menstruation and low oxygen – Two areas already mentioned that y'all will not get when using Bio Balls. Then how do you become areas in your filtration with low menstruation and oxygen? Read On to observe out…

Are There Alternatives To Aquarium Bio Balls?

The 2 near popular areas for colonizing both Aerobic and Anaerobic Bacteria are Alive/Dry Rock and Live Sand. Myself included, many new aquarists to the saltwater hobby take no idea why there is such a large hype when it comes to using Live or Dry Stone and Live Sand.

My Reef – Twenty-four hours One. Dry out Rock & Alive Sand

We all only used rocks and gravel in our freshwater tanks so why can we use that in a saltwater aquarium? The primary reason is that freshwater fish can tolerate incredibly high levels of Nitrate compared to their saltwater counterparts.

The Live/Dry Stone and Live sand proved the massive surface area needed to grow sufficient amounts of bacteria that are required to process the waste matter to levels in which sensitive marine life can tolerate.

The third alternative is a fairly new product chosen MarinePure. It is a manufactured textile filled with cavities and tunnels to provide immense surface area for both Aerobic and Anaerobic Bacteria. Many aquarists identify blocks or spheres of this material in their sump to increase the growing areas to ensure their system has the most bacteria available to procedure waste product.

To find out more than near MarinePure you can see it HERE at Amazon.com

Can Trickle Filters Be Used On A Saltwater Aquairum?

If yous have been using an erstwhile-style trickle filter with Bio Balls and you lot discover its time for an upgrade or you accept been contesting high Nitrates you may take just figured out why.

The primary affair with anything saltwater is to slowly make Whatsoever alter. If I was in this situation hither is what I would practice to make a filtration switch.

Chances are that if you are running a trickle filter you have the room under your stand to supercede it with a sump!

Remove Trickle Filter and place the sump in the same location
Remove the Bio Balls from the trickle tower and give them a rinse in a bucket of aquarium water – Discard that water
Place the Bio Balls into a mesh bag in the sump to proceed them all together.
Add in one brick of MarinePure
Each Week remove Bio Ball bag and rinse in a bucket of tank water
Remove 25% of the Bio Balls and discard
Echo Steps five&vi until there is plenty room to add another brick of MarinePure
Finally, remove all the BioBalls and enjoy your new sump setup

How Practice You Make clean Aquarium Filter Media?

No matter what filter media you lot run you need to be careful almost how you clean it. Regular cleaning is the just way to go on Detritus from collecting in information technology and brainstorm to interruption downwardly.

Many people making the leap from freshwater simply wash their filter nether the tap. Do this in a saltwater aquarium and go ready for a Tank Crash! The benign bacteria is your friend and you need to do everything y'all tin can to keep your colonies salubrious.

Practice Not Ever Launder Your Filter Media Under A Tap!
It Will Kill Your Nitrifying Leaner

As mentioned above, the best mode to clean any filter media is during a water change. Before dumping the h2o removed from the aquarium downwards the bleed, just grab a couple of buckets full and and then give your filter media and gentle milk shake in those buckets. Y'all will be surprised how much brown junk comes out of the cleanest looking media!

Another great tip only earlier your water change is to Mag-Clean your glass and give ALL your rocks, MediaPure Blocks and sump a good smash with a turkey baster. Go all that dirt into the water column, then do your h2o change!

After implementing this regimen you will find you will have fewer detritus each week and therefore less breaking down and releasing Nitrates and Phosphates.