Filter issue

[WtksBlondie104]

I have a wet dry filter with the blue Bio balls, and a RIO 2500 pump. I have a lot of dirt or sand in the bottom of the filter, in the section where the pump is. When I take a flash light and look, I can tell that there is a collection of stuff that is in the clear tube that goes from the pump to the tank. What can I do about this? Should I be alarmed? How do I clean it?

[ReefNeck]

I have a wet dry filter with the blue Bio balls, and a RIO 2500 pump. I have a lot of dirt or sand in the bottom of the filter, in the section where the pump is. When I take a flash light and look, I can tell that there is a collection of stuff that is in the clear tube that goes from the pump to the tank. What can I do about this? Should I be alarmed? How do I clean it?

The biggest problem will be Nitrates! You should slowly and only a few at a time remove the Bio Balls and replace them with Live Rock Rubble.

You can siphon out what is laying on the bottom. As for the hose, If it has alot of build up of algea and crud it would be easiest to just a new peice at your LFS or hardware store and replace it.

[WtksBlondie104]

I have heard from other people that the Bio Balls are not that great. How come we will have a nitrate problem? ?

Where do you get live rock rubble from?

[ReefNeck]

I have heard from other people that the Bio Balls are not that great. How come we will have a nitrate problem? ?

Where do you get live rock rubble from?

The Bio Balls hold particulate matter that breaks down into Nitrates. Thus causing the buildup.

I get all my Rubble Rock from www.reeferrocks.com It's not Live when you get it but will become live in a short period in your sump and it's not very expensive. Looks good too.

They call it Frag Rocks or Just Rock Rubble.

[WtksBlondie104]

How soon will I need to change from Bio balls to live rock rubble? This is what is causing all the junk in my filter?

[ReefNeck]

How soon will I need to change from Bio balls to live rock rubble? This is what is causing all the junk in my filter?

Not "Causing" it but trapping it and raising nitrates. You have to replace them slowly, A Little at a time. Take a few out about every other day. Then when you get down to none, Add Rock Rubble back where it was.

You can use a prefilter sponge on your overflow box to catch most of the crap that builds up but it has to be cleaned quite often or it can build up the nitrate level from the trapped detritus.

[davejnz]

I agree to a certain extent that the bio-balls will trap particulates thus raising your nitrate level.The thing is,LR rubble will also trap particulates just as easy.The reason wet-dry/bio balls cause elvated nitrates is this.Bio-balls are a place for aerobic(oxygen living) bacteria to grow.This bacteria is what converts ammonia to nitrite then to nitrate.So,you end up with a filter that is constantly producing nitrate.In order to have low nitrate levels in a reef tank,you need to have a balance between aerobic and anaerobic(low to 0 oxygen) bacteria.Anaerobic bacteria are found in the bottom layers of the sandbed and the inner pore structures in LR.Aerobic bacteria are found on just about every substrate in your tank.When you add an external "biological" filter such as a wet-dry,the huge amounts of aerobic bacteria they grow cause an inbalance with the amount of anaerobic bacteria in your tank.Since this anaerobic bacteria is what processes nitrate,they can no longer keep up with the levels of nitrate being produced by these external "bio" filters.

[Fatman]

Cant you over come with with a deep sand bed?
Ive had my tank up for a little over 3 1/2 months, after month 2 , (and constant weekly 10% water changes) Ive had 0 to negligible ammonia, nitrite, & nitrate levels. Now I think one of the reasons is because of my deep sand bed (3 to 4 inches), and a reasonable amount of LR, so is it that BAD to have Bio Balls? As long as lets say you have the anerobic bacteria to balance it with?

[davejnz]

Yes,if you have an established DSB with anaerobic bacteria populations that can handle this constant Nitrate level production from these bio-filters than i suppose it could.However,whats the point in having one of these filters?Since aerobic bacteria will colonize just about every kind of substrate(rock,glass,plastic,etc.)in your tank,why would one need another place/filter for them.Even though its possible for a wet-dry to work,as mentioned above,bio-balls also are a place that traps/filters particulates(mechanical filtration).Mechanical filtration like this is not a good idea IMO for a reef tank.
Unless cleaned regularly,the particulates in mechanical filters(bio-balls,sponges,filter floss,etc.)will decompose thus degrading water quality.