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Bio balls only carry nitrifying bacteria. Ceramic noodles can carry both nitrifying bacteria on the surface and denitrifying bacteria inside. That makes ceramic rings the hands down winner since they can carry both types of bacteria. You see, ceramic rings increase their surface area through tiny little pores.
Can I use both bio balls and ceramic rings?
Bio balls can only carry nitrifying bacteria but ceramic rings carry both nitrifying and denitrifying bacteria. The pores of ceramic rings offer extra space for bacteria to live. But they can get clogged easily and even permanently blocked.
Are ceramic bio balls good?
Bio balls should only be used for biological filtration only. They simply exist to trap and remove waste. Ceramic rings will ultimately trap more bad stuff, but your bio balls will ultimately do a better job of denitrifying bacteria.
How long do Bio balls last?
How long do Bio-Balls last? Bio-Balls are made to have a large SA to encourage the growth of marine nitrifying bacteria. Once they have a stable poulation, changing them would leave you without all of the bacteria that had grown there. They should last forever.
How many bio balls are needed per gallon?
How Many Bio Balls To Use Per Gallon? Of course, this depends on your specific tank set up, but a good general rule is to use about 2.2 gallons of bio balls per 100 gallons of water in your tank.
Is lava rock better than ceramic rings?
Lava Rock – What Are the Differences? Lava rock provides more surface area for beneficial bacteria to grow when compared to ceramic rings. It is thus more effective for water filtration.
How often should I change my canister filter media?
Be sure to replace the filter media at least every three to four weeks and give the filter housing a quick rinse. If any algae or debris has accumulated in the intake tube, clean that as well.
Where do you put bio balls?
Place the bio balls in the stream of water running through your fish tank’s filter. Although bio balls will catch some pieces of algae, they are not meant to be used as a physical filter. Installing them downstream of a filter membrane will help keep them from clogging.
Can you shower with a ceramic ring?
Ceramic rings can get wet. You can, therefore, wear them everywhere with you. However, be mindful of the environment that you expose it to. Harsh chemicals such as harsh cleaning detergents, chlorine, and saltwater can affect the luster on the ceramic ring.
What’s the best biological filter media?
Biofilter Media Reviews
- Fluval BioMax Bio Rings. Fluval BIOMAX bio rings are composed of silica and aluminum oxide formed into a porous ring.
- Fluval Bio Foam. Fluval Bio Foam is manufactured from a dense, porous foam material.
- Seachem Matrix.
- Eheim Substrat Pro.
- CerMedia MarinePure.
- Marineland Biofilter Balls.
- Bio-Chem Stars.
How often should I replace bio balls?
Bio balls don’t really need replaced. They simply provide a foundation for the helpful bacteria to cling to.
Are ceramic rings worth it?
Because ceramic rings are non-metallic, they are a good choice for those who cannot wear metal jewelry and can be used as a wedding band because it is not as conductive as an electrician. Metal jewelry can also transfer current to sensitive equipment such as computers and cause damage.
Can I reuse old bio balls?
They are very good for a bio filter, but the byproduct is that it produces a lot of nitrates. You can use them, but you’ll have to rinse detritus out of them frequently or they become a nitrate factory.
How do you sterilize bio balls?
If you just want to clean the gunk out of the bio-balls and don’t care about the bacteria that is on them, just put your dirty bio-balls into an old pillow case and run it through your washing machine on the “gentle” cycle with a little laundry detergent for a few minutes.
Are ceramic rings bad?
Your ceramic rings are home to beneficial bacteria. Your new ceramic rings will not have any beneficial bacteria living on them. If you remove all your old ceramic rings and replace them with new ones, you would also remove most of the beneficial bacteria in your aquarium.
What do ceramic rings do in a filter?
Ceramic rings are biological media that provides a very large surface area for beneficial bacteria to grow and live. This bacteria on your ceramic rings is required to complete the Nitrogen Cycle in your tank, which converts harmful ammonia and nitrite in to the less harmful nitrate.
Do bio balls float?
Depending on your application floating bioballs may be fine. We have a 700G tank and require sinking bioballs, therefore we use the Laguna ones Which Indeed DO SINK. and DO NOT FLOAT.
How long does it take for bacteria to grow on bio balls?
Two weeks should be enough time for bacteria to grow on them. That’s if the tank is fully established.
Are bio balls necessary?
Bio balls are used to hold the beneficial bacteria from your tank and not for removing waste products from the system. We recommend that these are used after the water flows through filter foam as the foam will catch and remove any debris from the water meaning these will not get stuck in the groves of the Bio balls.
Should I use bio balls in a reef tank?
Bio Balls can be used in saltwater aquariums but if left uncleaned they easily trap detritus which can lead to high nitrates & phosphates. They provide a large surface area for nitrifying bacteria to colonize however newer technology is available to work more efficiently & require less maintenance.
Do you need to replace Bio media?
Bio media that is a porous solid (not sponge or plastic) such as clay rings, ceramic balls, lava rock, and sintered glass, does need to be replaced periodically as the micro pores fill and clog. Bleaching can sterilize the crud in the pores but won’t clean them out.
Are bio balls good or bad?
IMO bio balls are bad. When you have the proper amount of live rock,one and a half to two lbs per gallon,filter floss and bag of carbon that your overflow drains through you will be in good shape. Bio balls are only bad if you do not keep up with the maintenance on them.
What can replace bio balls?
Bioballs are nothing more than surface area for nitrifying bacteria to colonize onto. A better replacement would be a sand bed or porous rock.
