bio wheel looks new after 2 months with fish

[jwh0818]

Yup. The bio wheel should be treated like a sponge in your filter. It has bacteria if your tank is cycled. If it gets filthy looking then your not cleaning it enough and the surface area for the bb to grow on is gonna be massively reduced thus causing the bb to start dying off

 

[tnfinfan]

Yup. The bio wheel should be treated like a sponge in your filter. It has bacteria if your tank is cycled. If it gets filthy looking then your not cleaning it enough and the surface area for the bb to grow on is gonna be massively reduced thus causing the bb to start dying off

Not really. The water doesn't flow through it like a sponge but rather over the surface so it doesn't really get nasty. I had algae in the old tank and it grew on the spillway but not on the wheel. So, I never cleaned the wheel. Ever. Not even a swish. Didn't need to.

 

[PerfectDepth]

Brownish red build up, smells like fresh dirt! Mmmm

bb is microscopic - invisible to us. The build-up is just waste, algae, etc. which is not really an indicator of the amount of bb present in a given area. In fact, if you have really good mechanical filtration, you might not see any build-up on your wheel for a long, long, time (this is a good thing). Also, if you bio-wheel has a lot of gunk built-up on it, it probably won't have as much available surface area and can no longer hold as much bb. Discoloration will happen over time, but other than the color changing from bright white to a duller color, ideally the bio-wheel should look like a brand new one, without any build-up clogging it up.

 

[Brookster123]

bb is microscopic - invisible to us. The build-up is just waste, algae, etc. which is not really an indicator of the amount of bb present in a given area. In fact, if you have really good mechanical filtration, you might not ever see much build-up on your wheel for a long, long, time (this is a good thing). Also, if you bio-wheel has a lot of gunk built-up on it, it probably won't have as much available surface area and can no longer hold as much bb. Discoloration will happen over time, but other than the color changing from bright white to a duller color, ideally the bio-wheel should look like a brand new one, without any build-up clogging it up.

you're saying there is no bb in my reddish brown build up?? I think the bb is having a field day in all that gunk!

 

[PerfectDepth]

you're saying there is no bb in my reddish brown build up?? I think the bb is having a field day in all that gunk!

No, that's not what I'm saying. BB will grow on any surface that has water flowing over it. I'm sure there is a lot of bb on the build-up, since the "gunk" has surface area for bb to grow on too, just not quite as much surface area as the clean, unclogged fibers of the bio-wheel. For a comparison, think of ceramic bio-media. The reason it is good bio-media is because it is so porous. If the pores get too clogged with gunk, there is a lot less "real estate" for the bb to grow.

Unfortunately, removing the gunk means you are removing some of your bb, too. So, I don't recommend cleaning it unless it becomes a problem and is no longer able to handle the bioload. (don't clean or replace bio-media all at once though - use your best judgment)

 

[mkatts]

Oh, for crying out loud. No, you cannot see the bacteria without a microscope. But, where do you expect them to grow? The wheel has a massive surface area for such a tiny thing and great conditions for them to grow on. They thrive where the conditions are good.

BTW, for the first year or more, I changed my filter cartridges every few weeks. So yeah, I DO know it works. And, as stated above, I moved a wheel, a rock, and two decorations to a new tank with the fish and it was insta-cycled. Obviously, the wheel was populated well enough to support the tank's occupants without the cartridge or the gravel or the ones growing on the tank walls. It was clearly plenty full.

I'm not sure why you doubt it? This is not a new technology. If it didn't work, you'd find people screaming on here about their tank crashing after changing the cartridge. But they don't because it just doesn't happen.

Wow. You need to calm down. I am not doubting anybody. Read this entire thread to start with. There have been conflicting answers from many people.
Even the stupid pamphlet that came with my filter showed that it would accumulate brown and green deposits by 4 weeks and fully covered withind 8 weeks. Thus my concern that something it not right with my biowheel.
I am new to this and trying to understand. Becuase I ask questions back, does mean I am doubting anybody. That is how people learn. You ask questions, questions are answered. Those answers sometime generate new questions. It's very simple really.

 

[tnfinfan]

I didn't say you were doubting me, I said you were doubting proven technology. One person presented an opinion (with zero evidence, BTW) that the wheel isn't enough by itself. I'm backing up my claims that it most definitely is because I dislike when people present opinion as fact.

 

[Brookster123]

I didn't say you were doubting me, I said you were doubting proven technology. One person presented an opinion (with zero evidence, BTW) that the wheel isn't enough by itself. I'm backing up my claims that it most definitely is because I dislike when people present opinion as fact.

i simply said I.. Personally, would not trust "just" the wheel, sane as in my ac's I would not trust "just" the biomax, I think filter components working in tandem contribute to the overall well being if the tank, remove any one component and it's your experiment.. Not mine.
P.s. Read through some threads and you'll find 93% of members will recommend the don't chuck filter until it's falling apart, and. 60% will say bio wheel is bogus..

 

[PerfectDepth]

I didn't say you were doubting me, I said you were doubting proven technology. One person presented an opinion (with zero evidence, BTW) that the wheel isn't enough by itself. I'm backing up my claims that it most definitely is because I dislike when people present opinion as fact.

No tank has "more than enough" bb, rather just enough to consume the amount of ammonia/nitrites that is currently available in the water column. So, removing a filter pad or cartridge does remove some of this bb, which eventually gets replenished. The key is not to remove too much bb at one time, because if it can't replenish itself quickly enough, there will be a mini-cycle.

For example, say you replace your entire cartridge every few weeks, and you never have a mini-cycle. In that case, the cartridge likely isn't in there long enough to develop a significant population of bb, so the bb ends up growing elsewhere, and whatever amount of bb that was removed with the old cartridge will get replenished very quickly with no problems.

On the other hand, a person might have a cartridge that has never been replaced, just rinsed and re-used over and over, with a substantial amount of bb colonizing it, so it might not be a good idea to remove the entire cartridge/pad at once. In that case, I would advise leaving a section of the old pad in the filter along with the new one, at least for a week or two, to avoid a mini-cycle.

 

[Brookster123]

No tank has "more than enough" bb, rather just enough to consume the amount of ammonia/nitrites that is currently available in the water column. So, removing a filter pad or cartridge does remove some of this bb, which eventually gets replenished. The key is not to remove too much bb at one time, because if it can't replenish itself quickly enough, there will be a mini-cycle. For example, say you replace your entire cartridge every few weeks, and you never have a mini-cycle. In that case, the cartridge likely isn't in there long enough to develop a significant population of bb, so the bb ends up growing elsewhere, and whatever amount of bb that was removed with the old cartridge will get replenished very quickly with no problems. On the other hand, a person might have a cartridge that has never been replaced, just rinsed and re-used over and over, with a substantial amount of bb colonizing it, so it might not be a good idea to remove the entire cartridge/pad at once. I would advise leaving a section of the old pad in the filter along with the new one, at least for a week or two, to avoid a mini-cycle.

+ 1!! Can't lay all that down on my phone with gloves on I agree 110%

 

[mkatts]

Please show me where I have doubted a single post on this thread. I am simply worried that my wheel appearing the same as it did the day I took it out of the box that I was doing something wrong.
As I said the very documents that came with the bio wheel said there would be visible growth on on the wheel within 6 weeks. This growth was the bb. I wish I still had that pamphlet to show what I mean.
again, that is why I asked the question.
This my first go round with with a bio wheel.
I never said bio wheels do not work.
I have no clue if they do or not.

 

[PerfectDepth]

I am simply worried that my wheel appearing the same as it did the day I took it out of the box that I was doing something wrong.

If your bio-wheel "looks" clean, that's a good thing. Don't worry, just take good care of it, and never expose it to any untreated water (chlorine or chloramine).

For what it's worth: My bio-wheel has been fully established for about 10 months now, and it has no build-up on it whatsoever. It still looks brand new except for the color. It has slowly changed from white to a dull gray-green.

 

[mkatts]

Great thanks!

 

[Brookster123]

I'll post a pick of my 4 month old in a bit! I'm curious now.. Hmmmm good or bad growth??

 

[mkatts]

I'll post a pick of my 4 month old in a bit! I'm curious now.. Hmmmm good or bad growth??

your using your baby as a bio wheel??? you really do want thw best for your fish!

Sorry that was the first thing that popped in my head when I read "4 month old"

 

[jwh0818]

your using your baby as a bio wheel??? you really do want thw best for your fish!

Sorry that was the first thing that popped in my head when I read "4 month old"

Haha that's what I thought too!

 

[Brookster123]

your using your baby as a bio wheel??? you really do want thw best for your fish! Sorry that was the first thing that popped in my head when I read "4 month old"

haha what?!? Dirty diapers don't hold bb?? News to me!

 

[tnfinfan]

Let's say your total tank's bb population is 10 million. That's probably much too low but I have no idea of the actual count in a typical aquarium as I'm looking and finding no information on population levels. They populate every wet surface with access to oxygen, after all. But, for kicks, let's say you remove 100,000 of your 10 million on your densely populated filter pad and chuck them. Poor bacteria! It only takes fifteen hours to double the population. Now, that's a fact, I'm not guessing. That time seems an eternity when cycling a new tank from zero but when you already have millions, they adapt to change pretty dang fast. I have yet to experience the dreaded mini cycle and I'd be quite interested to talk with someone who has and find out how it happened. I seriously doubt the answer is "changed the filter pad on my biowheel filter". I've done much worse and haven't crashed a tank yet.

 

[mkatts]

You really need to relax. There is no reason to get worked up like that.

 

[PerfectDepth]

Let's say your total tank's bb population is 10 million. That's probably much too low but I have no idea of the actual count in a typical aquarium as I'm looking and finding no information on population levels. They populate every wet surface with access to oxygen, after all. But, for kicks, let's say you remove 100,000 of your 10 million on your densely populated filter pad and chuck them. Poor bacteria! It only takes fifteen hours to double the population. Now, that's a fact, I'm not guessing. That time seems an eternity when cycling a new tank from zero but when you already have millions, they adapt to change pretty dang fast. I have yet to experience the dreaded mini cycle and I'd be quite interested to talk with someone who has and find out how it happened. I seriously doubt the answer is "changed the filter pad on my biowheel filter". I've done much worse and haven't crashed a tank yet.

By the way, you are correct. I'm well aware of how long it takes bb to multiply. It also doesn't take too long for ammonia to accumulate, respective of tank size. It can't hurt to exercise caution and use your best judgement when replacing any of your media. It sure beats trying to guess the number of bacteria in any given location.