Can I lose the BIO balls now.

[rdefino]

I have a 75gal FOWLR 80lbsLR and 80lbsLS. I have an aquaclear 500 running foam and bio cubes. Tank has been running for 3 1/2 months. Can I lose the filter with bio balls and replaced it with a remora pro I have coming in? I still have another aquaclear 500 running carbon and foam and a a magnum 350 running the micron filter.

[MattP725]

I would say definately...

[lando]

I would say you could start. Do not do it all at once. You might want to think about adding more LR, at least another 25 lbs. You can also boost filtration by replacing your bio-balls with LR rubble. You may be able to get it for free from the LFS when they get in a shipment of LR. My LFS knows I like the LR rubble for my sump so they just throw it in with the LR when they re-cure it and call me when they empty the tanks.

[seaham358]

80 lbs of Lr in a 75 is more then enough natural filtration....... TOSS them balls..... I would take them out over a week period just to be on the safe side...

[lando]

80 lbs is a good start but I believe most would still recommend 1.5-2 lbs/gal for proper bio-filtration.

[Sparky]

I agree with Lando, you probably could start to remove the balls, but I would get some more rock for sure.

Mike

[seaham358]

I have have 60 in my 55 for over a year with no problems. I have a lot of fish and a SFE. 1 lb per gal is plenty it will be a LR tank and not a fish tank if he keeps adding rock.
I also have 130 in my 125 with a ton of fish and corals and never had any issues with amm, nitrite or nitrate in over 2 years.
Most of the guys in my reef club all run 1-1.5 lbs per gal. It all depends on the look your going for. I like a lot of swimming room for the fish so I run what IMO is the minimum for good filtration.

[jaiden]

depends on the type of rock as to how much it weighs vs. how big it is and how much bio filtering it does. 1 to 2 lb is a guideline which covers all types.

[lando]

I have around 130lbs in my 72 gal tank. There is still plenty of room for swimming. I could easily add another 30-40 lbs and still have lots of room. Can't have enough LR, IMO...Lando

[piggybank2005]

I took my bio-balls out in a span of two months... very very slowly and nothing bad happened. the bio-ball chambers were very dirty

[Heineken]

Why would you want to take out the bio-balls? Forgive my ignorance, but wouldn't it be even better to just keep them in? Extra protection, right?

[revhtree]

Well Heineken, now it seems that bio-balls are a good place for "crap" to get stuck in and cause high Nitrates. That is most of the reason.

[lando]

As the rev pointed out, they can collect detritus and cause higher nitrates. This is not a problem as long as you rinse the bioballs in SW on a regular basis. Bioballs do a great job of supporting the bacteria that convert nitrite to nitrate. However, they do not do a good job at removing nitrate. Many people remove the bioballs and replace it LR rubble. This is a much better media for nitrate removal.