Live Rock And Bio Balls

[CLARKY]

Hi , i have a 100 gallon fish only system . Can i have your views on my filteration please , as i am new to this hobby . Tank been running one month .

Water is pumped through my protein skimmer , through a sock of activated carbon into my , trickle filter with bio balls and pumped back into the tank

In the tank i have about 40 - 50 kgs of live rock

I also have 3 pumps moving water around . 2 @ 2000l an hour , 1 @ 1500l an hour

Is this ok ? Can anyone see problems ahead .

Would you be kind enough to explain some questions I have about Live rock as well please . These may sound stupid , but only way to find out, is to ask

Does live rock require a certain amount of lighting
Does it need feeding
Does it require supplements

many thanks

Paul

 

[ILuvTropicalFish]

Does live rock require a certain amount of lighting
Does it need feeding
Does it require supplements


You do not have to do anything for the live rock. And your setup sounds good. What kind of lighting do you have?

Has your tank cycled? Do you have any fish in the tank?

 

[CageUK]

Welcome Paul

Sounds like you have quite a setup as an introduction into marine.

As you have live rock in the tank it is generally known as a FOWLR (fish only with live rock). Because you have a substantial amount of live rock the bio balls are not really necessary and in fact are often accused of generating nitrates which you want to avoid in a marine setup. If you wish to keep them, just keep a careful eye on your nitrate/phosphate levels.

If the powerheads are the total amount of water movement in your tank then you are a little light on flow, not critically so but worth considering adding more powerheads particularly if you are stocking on the heavier side or adding corals. If you have the filter pumps in addition to the powerheads then this will help.

Re: your questions on live rock.

Nearly all life needs light of some kind. If you mean does it need special lighting then the answer is no. Live rock and fish need just basic T8 or preferably T5 lighting. Corals need more intensive T5 or Metal Halide lighting

Live rock (or rather the inhabitants of it) will find it's own sustenance from the general detritus and uneaten food from the fish feeding. No special needs here.

Ditto except the coralline algae that grows on the rock consumes calcium. Normally just regular water changes will provide enough but as you get more and more of this then you may have to start calcium supplements.

Do keep us up to date as to how the tank progresses and post some pictures so we can all see how it goes

 

[andywg]

Because you have a substantial amount of live rock the bio balls are not really necessary and in fact are often accused of generating nitrates

Only by people who cannot consider where the nitrates would come from (hint: do you really wwant spare ammonia in your tank to prevent nitrates rising?)

which you want to avoid in a marine setup.

In a reef set up yes, in a fish only then anything below 100ppm is going to be fine in 99% of circumstances (including keeping fish as sensitive to water conditions as sharks).

 

[CLARKY]

Hi Andywg

Are you saying my system is ok . I am becoming baffled by some of the science of the hobby .

I believe my tank has cycled . ammonia = 0 , nitrite = 0 , nitrite 60 .

have 2 clowns that appear to be doing fine .

many thanks

Paul

 

[SkiFletch]

It depends on your intentions for the system Clarky. If you're going fish only, then that's just fine. If you plan on going full blown reef, you might wanna get those nitrates under control first. And never forget that your reading of 60 could be false. Nitrate hobby level test kits (even the "good ones") are woefully inaccurate and it's always worthwhile to get a second oppinon from a friend and/or LFS. Most will be kind enough to run a quick nitrate test for you to verify your own reading.

 

[karaim]

Can someone explain to me why bioballs create excessive nitrates while LR creates less? Doesn't the same bacteria live in both? If so, then the same amount of nitrates should be created.

I don't have bio-balls but I was just curious as to why they are not recommended. It would seem they do the same exact function as LR.

 

[CageUK]

It is an often debated subject and a few threads on these forums which would be worth searching out if you are interested.

This is one of those threads featuring Andywg.

 

[ILuvTropicalFish]

My 125 gallon has been running for 1.5 years. I have plenty of LR and I have bioballs. My nitrates are 60 - 80 most of the time. I have a heavy bioload due to the critters I have selected for my tank. Nothing I have tried has reduced the nitrates significantly for any length of time. I now have a skimmer and a refugium and I am carbon dosing with Vodka. That is another topic altogether. I am slowly removing my bioballs due to some of the convincing arguments I have read on other threads that they do not help anything. I recommend reading other threads on the subject.

 

[SkiFletch]

Have you had that 60-80ppm reading verified by an LFS or a fellow fishkeeper? Could be a bad test kit?

 

[andywg]

My 125 gallon has been running for 1.5 years. I have plenty of LR and I have bioballs. My nitrates are 60 - 80 most of the time. I have a heavy bioload due to the critters I have selected for my tank. Nothing I have tried has reduced the nitrates significantly for any length of time. I now have a skimmer and a refugium and I am carbon dosing with Vodka. That is another topic altogether. I am slowly removing my bioballs due to some of the convincing arguments I have read on other threads that they do not help anything. I recommend reading other threads on the subject.

What convincing arguments are these? I am yet to see as inlge convincing argument that they cause increased nitrates unless you also remove nitrate export on their sintallation or you do not maintain the tank correctly.

 

[ILuvTropicalFish]

What convincing arguments are these? I am yet to see as inlge convincing argument that they cause increased nitrates unless you also remove nitrate export on their sintallation or you do not maintain the tank correctly.

I guess I did not make my point. The theory is that bioballs do not help nitrates that they actually may interfere with nitrate removal. I have done weekly water changes. I test my water regularly with fresh test kits. I have had my lfs test them as well. I have used media that is supposed to remove nitrates. I have fed my fish less. There is no food waste. In five minutes or less, all food is consumed. I am to more advanced techniques and theories to try to get nitrates down. I don't know that I that I can prove the theory one way or the other yet, but in my tank it seems that it may be worth a try, since no other methods seem to be working. I will start a new thread when I finally succeed in lowering my nitrates.

Sorry Clarky, did not mean to take over the thread. I suggest you check into it and see if the evidence makes sense to you.

 

[CLARKY]

What convincing arguments are these? I am yet to see as inlge convincing argument that they cause increased nitrates unless you also remove nitrate export on their sintallation or you do not maintain the tank correctly.

I guess I did not make my point. The theory is that bioballs do not help nitrates that they actually may interfere with nitrate removal. I have done weekly water changes. I test my water regularly with fresh test kits. I have had my lfs test them as well. I have used media that is supposed to remove nitrates. I have fed my fish less. There is no food waste. In five minutes or less, all food is consumed. I am to more advanced techniques and theories to try to get nitrates down. I don't know that I that I can prove the theory one way or the other yet, but in my tank it seems that it may be worth a try, since no other methods seem to be working. I will start a new thread when I finally succeed in lowering my nitrates.

Sorry Clarky, did not mean to take over the thread. I suggest you check into it and see if the evidence makes sense to you.

No problem . I have found this all very interesting . This marine hobby is the nuts !!

 

[ILuvTropicalFish]

There is always something else to learn. I have been fascianted at all the information that is out there to learn and sort through. I don't see myself getting bored with it any time soon....it is quite addictive. Good Luck!

 

[andywg]

I guess I did not make my point. The theory is that bioballs do not help nitrates that they actually may interfere with nitrate removal.

...

Sorry Clarky, did not mean to take over the thread. I suggest you check into it and see if the evidence makes sense to you.

Would you care to provide some of this evidence here? Quite how bioballs can prevent macroalgae growing, or a deep sand bed from containing the anoxic conditions we desire I don't know.

I am still yet to see any actual evidence that bioballs cause nitrate problems other than people only using them and not doing water changes.