Wet/Dry Filter

i just bought a 120 gallon tank with a built in overflow and it come with a truvu wet/dry 125 filter. I am going to make the tank into a fowlr. I heard that keeping the bioballs in could lead to a problem so i was wondering what i should do wether i keep the bio balls or what else could i do.

 

you'll want at least 100+ pounds of lr for that tank.. use the bioballs now and down the road slowy start taking them out, as your 100 pounds of LR will take over the bioload. then as you take bioballs out, id put some lr rumble in there place. I did this on my tank over a 4 week period. and no negative effects.. I also had my bioballs since 1998 and only recently removed all of them and now have 0 nitrate system.. plus I added some mangroves/chaeto in the sump too..

 

Perfectly said. Although if your starting this, then I would recommend not using the balls at all. Start with the LR rubble from the start, but if $$ is the issue, the use the balls first. Just remember, in this hobby, patience is a virtue!
Good luck and keep us posted!

 

Ah, another mis-informed aquarist....Again, Bio balls are one of the most efficient forms of filtration. There is absolutely nothing wrong with them. Bio balls can not and do not create nitrate. Detritus collecting on the Bio balls or rock rubble will/can cause nitrate from the decay. Using a drip tray with filter media over the bio balls will prevent any accumilation of said detritus.

 

There is absolutely no good reason to use live rock rubble over bio balls. Any wet/dry filter will do the same regardless of the media you use. Now perhaps an argument could be made that LR rubble is not efficient as say ceramic media.... but then if you are going to use a W/D...then why make it less efficient?

W/D will be fine with a FOWLR.... if you want a reef then you don't want a W/D. Bio balls as said do not "produce" nitrates... they simply break down amonia and nitrites that are there anyway in a very efficinet oxygenated area. The difference is that it does not house nitrate eating bacteria in low oxygen zones like live rock does.

 

true, I would lightly clean/wisk around your bioballs in your old WC tank water to remove crap off them.. but is a pita. My thoughts with FOWLR is most ppl probly learn towards adding some lowlight/easy corals down the road since the tank pretty much is heading in that direction with all that live rock in there. but if this isnt the case here, you can do either bioballs or not. if you dont want the hassle of cleaning them every month then do with them...I use a filter in my drip tray but stuff still gets past into that compartment.. and that filter needs cleaning daily.. IMHO

 

When I bought my setup, the PO had removed the bio balls from W/D. I put ceramic back in but it was submerged. I used that fine filter sheet stuff. It would plug up in 2 or three days. Still had to clean the ceramic with my water changes. Now I never had a problem with or without the ceramic. My nitrates have always been zero. W/Ds do have there place, one just needs to understand what exactly they are doing and if that is going to be best for your setup.

 

so keeping the bio balls wont be a problem?

 

not as long as you dont neglect them and let debris get all over them. You'll know its time to clean them when you do everything and your nitrates wont come down.. I never cleaned mine for years and still used 2 prefilters before the BB compartment in my wet/dry.. man when I did finally clean them, it was NASTY. but either way your good.. just know the pros and cons..

 

Not at all if you maintain them properly. Each time you do a water change just rinse them in the waste water. DO NOT rinse them in fresh water.

Bio-balls work very well for FOWLR systems, and Powerman is 100% right that live rock rubble will cause the same problems as bio-balls.