What if you have a
FO w/inverts and NO
live rock? Would you recommend to take the bio balls out and hose them down every so often?
I have a 60 gallon
sump full of them. They are off the
sump floor. The
sump has a acrylic insert with holes. Its about 3 inches above the floor of the
sump. All the balls are actually out of the water. They are bathed by a large drip plate. The balls are very clean but under them on the bottom of the
sump I can see some algae film. I could probably suck that out, maybe thats where the
NItrates are.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Phurst  If they're in an established filter, they need to be removed over time to allow the bacterial colonies in the rock and sand to build up to take over. The problem with bio-balls is, they're TOO good at what they do. They're very efficient at converting ammonia and nitrite, but the bacteria that removes nitrate is anaerobic, and will not live on bio-balls. That, coupled with their propensity for trapping and holding detritus make them pretty much a very efficient nitrate factory. |
