Bio-Balls Don't Go Bad, They
Just Get Dirty!
_________________________________________
Why blame the bio-balls
for nitrate problems in your saltwater aquarium when it's not their fault?
How often have you read postings or email from aquarists who complain about their bio-balls going bad? The quickest and most often suggested solution we see to this problem is too, get rid of the bio-balls, now!! This is ridiculous. It is NOT the bio-balls contained in a wet/dry trickle or other type of biological filter that have gone "bad", but just like with an undergravel filter, it is the "lack of proper maintenance" that turns them into a nitrate factory.
It is only when bio-balls as well as other similar types of biological filtration mediums are allowed to become dirty and encrusted or embedded with broken down organic matter, DOCs, that they contribute to a nitrate problem in a saltwater aquarium. There is no need to immediately trash or remove them, which should NOT been done in the first place because it can cause your whole system to crash, you just need to clean them up. Once this has been accomplished, and as long as this is the "sole source" generating the nitrate in the aquarium, with some water changes and by keeping to a good regular maintenance routine after that, nitrate and bio-balls woes in all likelihood will decrease.So how can you tell if the bio-balls are dirty?
One way you can test to see if it's time for a cleaning is by ruffling or lightly stirring up the top layer of the bio-balls. When this is done you will see gunk break loose from them. Now the only problem here is that in most all cases the mass of the organic matter settles in the bottom layer of the bio-chamber, because it gets pushed down by the water dispensed into the filter over time. You can stir the bio-balls up from the bottom to see how things look, but be careful doing this. If the filter is running and the output water goes directly back into the aquarium without being prefiltered first, it can shoot a bunch of the gunk right into the tank. To prevent this you can place a micron-mesh bag that is fine enough to catch the organic matter as the water is dispersed into the tank, or install some type of pre-water filter to trap it. To assist with cleaning up any possible organic matter that may get into the aquarium while you are testing for, as well as performing a cleaning, attach a simple hang-on-tank canister filter (read reviews & compare prices) for mechanical filtration and run it during and several hours afterwards.Before You Start Cleaning
- This is a procedure suggested to
be performed only on aquariums that have been running for at least
4 months, because the nitrifying bacteria have had time to develop a strong
population, and in all likelihood the bio-balls have begun to accumulate
a substantial, but not overwhelming amount of DOCs.
As far as how often a cleaning needs to be done, if your system has been running for some time, say longer than 6 months, with no bio-ball maintenance at all, it may take a little time to get them cleaned up first. After that you can determine when cleanings need to be performed based on how your individual system is set up and functions. After a while you will know when to do it.
Even though periodic bio-ball cleanings are important, this procedure strips away and weakens the nitrifying bacteria population that keeps the ammonia/nitrite in check in an aquarium. Therefore, it is vital that you do it properly to avoid stressing your system, and possibly causing new tank syndrome.
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