Bio Balls...is there a difference?

Gotcha.
I know that they need to be rinsed often in order to keep them from being a problem, but I was thinking, Coraline loves plastic, would it help it grow?

Any one know about the color difference playing a special part?

 

No. The color will not stimulate or benefit biofilm developing microfauna at all. The largest cofactors for bacterial growth is temperature, pH, nutrient availability etc..things that would impact the cellular physiology of the organism directly and it's need for replication.

The color choices is a marketing device to give the consumer more choices. Personally I would pick the lightest color one, just so I could monitor superficial growth of alga etc

 

Awesome thanks.
I was just wondering because some guy at the flea market had several kinds for sale but he had no clue what they were.
I ended up getting a grocery bag chock full of bio balls, a huge Red sea master test kit (New) some filter pouches (to put carbon, filter media in) 15 lbs of live sand all for $20.

 

ARGH! Nice score! ;D

 

Thanks. He also had an Aqua C skimmer and several power heads, reef supplements, filter media,food and garlic (to soak the food in), and a ton of miscellaneous items and he had no clue what they all were. He said hes got a lot more, and he's going to bring it this Sat to the flea market

 

The problem is they are not porous so only provide surface area for aerobic bacteria and not denitrifying anaerobic bacteria. You need something that anaerobic or facultative bacteria can get way down into so they become oxygen starved.

 

I personally dont use them. I cant say the are not good as I think they have a place but people tend to think they are no maintaince. The reality is that you need to rinse them and keep them debris free. Many people dont have good husbantry so this does not happen and then they become nitrate factories. So if you do no maintaince on your tank or your sump even your filter pad can become nitrate factories. There are pros and cons to them but you really cant out do a pro with a con or vice versa. I will never have them in my tanj but I also have over 350 lbs of lr in my 220 so I feel that there is suffecient area for the bacteria and I did have nitrate issues with my bb. I dont know if this helps but its just my .02

 

Look harder. I've seen 600 gallon systems with huge fuge's full of bioballs. In a tank that size cycling can take... well, forever. They greatly reduce the cycle, and can absorb more bioload quickly. There are ways of addressing the resulting concerns without chemicals.

 

Thanks for the input everyone!
Mirandacollc- Very true. I will follow the rinse every 2-3 day rule so hopefully I won't have problems. If I do, out they go I suppose.

 

Have you ever tried them? Now, of course I am biased but here is my great system that has always had bio balls.......