Bio Balls

[lyotim88]

So i'm getting ready to make my final order to get my sw tank set up and i'm going to order some bioballs for my sump. Now they have ones filled with carbon(which i suspect i shouldnt need), ones filled with ceramic, and ones filled with foam. Oh and ofcourse regular solid ones. Which one do you think would be most useful? I was thinking the foam filled ones for more mechanical filtration. What do you guy think? Thanks

 

[Colin_T]

I wouldn't waste my time with bioballs. Instead just use some foam and have a piece of filter wool/ Dacron over top of that. the filter wool will trap all the fine gunk and can be washed out each week. The foam can hold bacteria and trap any gunk that gets through the filter wool.

 

[xxBarneyxx]

Yep would agree with colin unless it is your only merans of filtration (IE you dont have liverock).

If it is going to be your only form of filtration I would do as colin said but also put some LR rubble in after the foam.

Personally I dont feel quite right using foam for bio media but I know many people that use air powered foam filters for fish breeding and they work great (not that Im suggesting using an air powered foam filter for a marine tank).

 

[lyotim88]

thanks for the replies. What kind of foam are you talking about?

 

[xxBarneyxx]

Just the normal kind you get in canister filters.
Some like:
http/cgi.ebay.co.uk/FILTER-FOAM-SPONGES-...A1%7C240%3A1318

 

[lyotim88]

and that along with how many lbs of live rock would suffice for biological filtration?

 

[xxBarneyxx]

Depends, what size tank is it and what are you stocking it with.

 

[lyotim88]

Depends, what size tank is it and what are you stocking it with.

it's a 55 gal and it's going to have a snowflake moray, foxface, blue hippo tang, Flame angel, and a blue throat trigger. It's kind of heavily stocked so that's why i wanted bioballs. Wouldn't bioballs be better anyway though?

 

[seffieuk]

Depends, what size tank is it and what are you stocking it with.

it's a 55 gal and it's going to have a snowflake moray, foxface, blue hippo tang, Flame angel, and a blue throat trigger. It's kind of heavily stocked so that's why i wanted bioballs. Wouldn't bioballs be better anyway though?

Nope, bio balls wouldnt be better, most of us throw them away or give them to the cat to play with

hippo tang is too big for your tank
blue throat trigger is also too big for your tank
Fox face - again not suitable for your tank. you would have to supplement algae for them, they have venomous spines and need a larger tank
Flame angel - yes this is ok, very pretty but has been known to nip at corals
snowflake moray - needs a tank of at least 75 gallons

so my friend, it is back to the drawing board

PS to the salty side

Seffie x

 

[lyotim88]

well the marine biologist at my lfs told me that stocking would be fine. Not to mention i will be buying them as juveniles and upgrading as soon as possible. Yes i know this isn't the greatest way to do things but i have to make due with the equipment i currently have as everything i have( mainly the skimmer) is rated for a smaller tank. unless the marineland in-sump skimmer rated for 100 gallons could work on a 125, ill have to wait to upgrade. OR, can i use a 29 gallon sump and the skimmer for a 125 and add another skimmer later on? If i can do this ill just upgrade to a 125 all together.

 

[rabbut]

If it's lightly stocked, you can get away with a smaller skimmer, especially since skimmers aren't actually "essential items" anyway Ther is no issue with up-grading it later if you find it underperforms. Just have to do a few more waterchanges untill you do get a bigger one

 

[BigBeginner]

yea skimmers are just extras, i run all my tanks without one and they do fine, a undersized skimmer shouldn't affect you at all

 

[SkiFletch]

If you're gonna start playing with tanks that might or might not be overstocked three things will help reduce the threat of nuisance algae. First, a big skimmer, second low lighting, and third a good refugium