Question of the Day Removing your bioballs??

[Art]

If we accept that aquatic plants prefer to uptake ammonium instead of nitrate, why do we all insist on a large biological external filter that converts ammonium to nitrate?

Here me out.

My observations: Biological filters

• Are very efficient at reducing ammonium to nitrate;
• Most aquarists have large external biological filters;
• Rarely get cleaned so they tend to become coated with detritus (the tank’s toilet) impacting efficiency and increasing DOC; and
• Increase the cost of maintaining an aquarium.

Theoretically, removing the external biological filter would:

• Allow for plants to uptake ammonium as opposed to nitrate thereby lower the energy cost of conversion;
• Remove a source of DOC from the aquarium;
• Lower your maintenance in time and costs; and
• Bacteria in the substrate and everywhere in your aquarium would still provide some biological filtration.

Now, I haven’t done this but I may begin to slowly reduce the size of my biological filter over time.

What are your thoughts? Why are we so programmed to think that removing the biological will result in an algae bloom?

Let’s hear from you.

 

[Phish Tank]

I think I was programmed to believe bio filter == good because of the effect of ammonia/nitrites on the fish.

 

[ElleDee]

There are definitely people in the hobby already doing this, either using a power head or an empty filter to move water. If Aquarium Science is to be believed on this, sponge holds more microbes than bioballs anyway, so you'd need to give up significant mechanical filtration as well, unless you wanted to just use filter floss or something. That would be a major downside to reducing filter volume in my opinion - I like my water to be particulate free.

I am weary to messing around with encouraging ammonia in the water column too much because my ph is right around 7 and I'm concerned about toxicity to livestock, but I do have some ammonical root tabs I am going to try out for individual plants. Those make me nervous too, but I'll start with just one and see how it goes.

 

[Ed Wiser]

As someone with a long history of in the Reef hobby. The reef hobby found out years ago I mean like the 1984
That the rock in the reef tank was doing all the bio filtration.
I would think the pants have bacteria on them too.
Bacteria will only grow to the point of the food level. So many times the bacteria in and on the plants consume all the food before it reaches the filter.

 

[ElleDee]

I would think the pants have bacteria on them too.
Bacteria will only grow to the point of the food level. So many times the bacteria in and on the plants consume all the food before it reaches the filter.

Yes, I would guess that the filter media is redundant in a mature tank. But do we know that in-tank organisms are definitely getting first crack? I don't know anything about reef systems and how applicable it is here.

 

[Unexpected]

According to Facebook, changing water stops the cycle and must recycle every water change. So all you would need to do for extra ammonia is change the water .

 

[RickyV]

This is something I have thought about recently. I do not run any biological filtration in my tanks and have not had any problems. However if I had space I would run a large bio tower. In my Moina tank I have noticed the significant difference a trickling filter has on oxygen. Before installing a trickle filter my Moina were very nice and red which is correlated with low oxygen levels. After adding a trickling component to the filter they have almost completely lost their red color suggesting the oxygen content is very high now.

My big planted tank recently got a problem with a pump continuously sucking in a small amount of air. After this I have noticed a significant improvement in the water clarity and the plants are pearling like never before. This all suggesting oxygen is much higher now. I do not know the exact levels before and after, but I have a very significant amount of agitation on the surface, in the overflow and in the sump so I thought this was surely enough. But clearly the tank was still lacking in oxygen. If I had a trickling filter all the nitrifying bacteria would have access to non limiting amounts of oxygen keeping oxygen levels in the tank high.

I would also imagine a trickling filter is going to be several times more efficient at processing dissolved organics than submerged bio filters. And dissolved organics are said to be a huge cause of algae.

I also thought plants may help reduce biochemical oxygen demand by consuming ammonia thus reducing microbial oxidation of ammonia, but it must not be very significant based on my findings on the big planted tank and on my Moina culture with a big plant filter.

 

[Pepere]

Rarely get cleaned so they tend to become coated with detritus (the tank’s toilet) impacting efficiency and increasing DOC; and

I do so wonder why it is they rarely get cleaned.

The owners manual on my Fluval 207s call for monthly cleaning… so, I clean them monthly…

First Saturday devotions…. I find by doing it monthly it only takes 15 minutes or so and really is not onerous to do so…

I cant imagine leaving it for 6 months or so as Isee on some youtube videos and the muck and gunk impacted in those videos. Much more pleasant doing it monthly…

I am finishing up a new stand for a 75 gallon tank. I bought an Oase Biomaster for that tank. I am looking forward to being able to just clean them monthly prefilters often and going longer periods on the rest of the filter..

 

[Mr.Shenanagins]

I think this calls for an experiment. It makes me think about certain scenarios like that of a dead fish, we all know how much that can wreak havoc on a tank and result in an explosion of algae related issues. How do you quantify how much the plants and bacteria that exist in the system as a whole without the extra biomedia housed in your filter/sump is effectively taking up said ammonium? Am I going about this too simple minded?

 

[Ed Wiser]

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Yes, I would guess that the filter media is redundant in a mature tank. But do we know that in-tank organisms are definitely getting first crack? I don't know anything about reef systems and how applicable it is here.

I was among the first hobbyists in the USA do at that time called the Berlin method. German aquarists found this out by equipment failure. They found the coral rock in the tank had bacteria on the surface of the rocks to eat the biological waste. It’s a balance of material and load. For fresh I would think a heavy planted tank it could be done. Some things like black beard algae are form of bacteria.

 

[HardeeParty]

 

[GreggZ]

I've thought for years that the "bio" aspect of a filter really does not do much. Now to be clear I have absolutely no idea why I think that......and I could be completely wrong.........but it seems logical it's everywhere on every surface of the tank.

I've slowly been removing mine. My filters have four bins and only one in each has bio balls. Stuffed the other bins with more filter floss. Seems to make no difference.

When I started removing lots of them I tested several times for ammonia. Never a slight hint of any (according to the test!).

Might just remove the rest to see if there any discernable difference. To be clear not a recommendation to do so, but I'll likely take it to it's logical conclusion in my tank just to see what happens.

 

[Kwyet]

My 68 gallon tank went without a filter at all for a month once (I was waiting for a part). I did put an airstone in it I think. I don’t remember if I was using CO2 at the time. It didn’t have any problems though.

 

[CMooner]

Good day all,

IMO, There are benefits to external canister filters removing detritus and larger particles from the aquarium. Canister filters can get some equipment out of the main aquarium such as running in-line heaters, driving CO2 reactors as well as providing flow to the aquarium. I would rather clean the filter than let mulm accumulate in the aquarium, the crud has to go somewhere. As far as biological media effectiveness, does it help?, probably. Does it hurt? probably not. The aquarium substrate holds more detritus than any external filter ever could and should be kept up with. IME, a well run aquarium will have a filter that stays clean longer than a troubled tank. I run mine pretty lean, K1 media and one sponge pad, no fine floss.

Cheers

 

[suggsisrandom]

I have a biocube so should I add bioballs or something else?

 

[anewbie]

While bio balls are a waste of money (imho); biological filtration is important for fishes as even small dosage of ammonia can cause long term issues. I use mostly sponges - of course with most of my aquariums being blackwater (ec 20-30 ph 4.8 to 5.6); ammonia isn't nearly as dread as in aquariums with higher ph