Removal of Bio balls..... should I shouldn't I????

[baldyguy]

After reading the above I am now thinking of removing some/all of my bio-balls. The sump is fed by 2 weirs...... water passes through filter wool/sponges for mech filtration and into the first chamber via the trickle tower pic 1...... first chamber has nothing in except a heater just to keep the temp up, second has bio balls in also but float in water as it passes under the next baffle and so on through skimmer, UV ets before returning to the main tank. I always have Nitrate readings of 5-10 and am now wondering if I have too much bio media etc. I have loads of LR and sand base should also be doing it's job.

If I was to put some form of macro algae in what lighting should i use? Standard lights for the house or T5 etc...............

 

[melosu58]

Split this off another thread to create separate thread.

 

[rugie]

bio balls or any mechanical filter is not recommended for a reef setup. all of these things create a nitrate dump. t5s would be good, cheato is a decent algae to use. be careful of the macros they can and do become a problem, the old growth needs to be pruned & discarded on a regular basis, (assuming that it is flourishing)