Bio balls again...

[tav397]

Hello again! I'm in need of a bit of advice regarding bio balls (and from the sound of it how to get rid of them..). Quick story is that I've got a 48l resun (essentially river reef) which has been running for about four months. It came with 'mechanical, biological and chemical' filtration, including bio balls, which I have sat in the back compartments. I had an idea bio balls could be risky, but seeing a couple of other topics regarding them has me slightly concerned - I've had all sorts of conflicting advice from lfs's.

The tank has been running perfect levels for the past three months following getting it cycled so I'm slightly concerned if I just take them out it will upset the balance. What would be the best route forwards? I'll put a photo below showing how much rock is in there in case you kind folk might think it is or isn't enough. The pic is from a few months ago so it looks a bit bare! There is the clown you can see, a cleaner shrimp, blenny and green hairy mushroom in there now (+ small clean up crew). Probably should have asked the Internet before to be honest, probably a bit more experience than in my local fish shops! Oh, the tank is running a skimmer as well if that helps. Any advice is greatly appreciated.

 

[Bifferwine]

The tank looks great! If you want to remove the bioballs (I think you should), you can remove them one handful at a time over several weeks. This will minimize the bacteria you are removing from the system at one time. You can also replace the bioballs with live rock rubble after they have been removed.

 

[Smitty]

+1 Biff...

 

[tav397]

Thanks very much, I'll set about doing that gradually over the next couple of months. Should I keep the other filter media or set about removing it in the same manner? Also, will adding live rock slowly cause any issues with cycling/should I be looking at ultimately filling one/all the back compartments? Sorry for how basic the questions are. I'm all for being accountable but so far been going on a montage of lfs advice in good faith which may not have been as good as I anticipated! Good news is the tank is super healthy at the moment so these are all preventative steps rather than emergency. I'll say my hellos with pics tomorrow as its nearly 2am on this side of the pond and I'm trying not to wake the mrs! Dave.

 

[Bifferwine]

What does the other filter media consist of? Floss or sponge? Adding live rock in small amounts shouldn't start a new cycle. You can add dry rock if you want to avoid it completely.

 

[cvcdrk]

Your tank looks really nice.

I look forward to an updated pic. :)

 

[tav397]

Thanks! Sorry for the late reply re: filter things. I've got the bio balls which I'll be fading out, two pouches of carbon 'flakes', and another pouch of resun ceramic rings. I do have another question as last night my last swimming addition (I consider the tank full now bar coral), a neon goby made his way through the weir and into the back compartments. 2 hours of fishing eventually scooped him back in!

The issue is that while trying to save him I noticed that the back compartments have relatively a lot of crap in them. When doing a water change should I try to remove it or will it upset the tanks balance?

Also, in order to avoid more situations like last night I cannibalised a net to put over the weir. Is this a sensible thing to do?

Still enjoying the learning curve though! D.

 

[tav397]

Another quick question, what would be best for securing the net (on a short term basis) if it is a good idea? The better half is a primary school teacher so lots of blue tac, tape etc but don't want to introduce anything potentially toxic!

 

[tav397]

Another quick question, what would be best for securing the net (on a short term basis) if it is a good idea? The better half is a primary school teacher so lots of blue tac, tape etc but don't want to introduce anything potentially toxic!

 

[Bifferwine]

Using a net is fine -- lots of people do. You can use tape. But I'm not sure how the water would impact that. I think it'd detach. If you don't mind something more permanent, you can use silicone or super glue gel to keep it in place.

You should clean the compartments of the filter if they are collecting crap. As that crap breaks down and rots in your tank, it is producing nitrates, which is lowering your water quality (which defeats the purpose of the filter).

 

[tav397]

Thanks for the advice, it's not massive amounts in the back but it's better to prevent potential problems than treat them I would imagine. Labour of love if you will! Xx

 

[Bifferwine]

If the junk is accessible, you can try sucking it out with a turkey baster.