Bio-balls

[ThePiggy]

When I got my first tank, I was advised by my local fish shop, to get bio-balls to aide in the cycling. That was the first time that I had even heard of them. I was wondering what kind of experiences people have had with them.

Good points and bad points?

Thanks!

 

[little_mermaid]

Well I can't give you an answer because when I went to my LPS the other day they said that they no longer carried them. I asked them why and they said that most people don't use them for the tank sizes that they have...whatever that means. *shrugs* Sorry!

 

[ReMz]

Bio Balls are used in sump filtration. They are very common in sumps for saltwater aquariums. No application for tanks filtered with any other method as far as I'm aware.

Certainly not applicable for betta tanks.

Unless someone knows something i dont

 

[LauraFrog]

Bio balls are meant to provide a home for the bacteria that cycle a tank. They are nowhere near as good as bio ceramics (ceramic noodles) but better than nothing. You are better off using bio ceramics if you can get them especially if your filter is small. If you don't have a filter, there's no need for either.

 

[Neon.Tetra]

I've got two of these in my filter, and they came with it, as well as A netted pack of carbon things, and a sponge. The instructions said all three need to be in the filter.

No clue how they work. Would like to know more =]

 

[tyyrlym]

Simple, they provide surface area for bacteria to live on, that's it. The idea is to cram as much surface area into as small a space as possible. Bio balls are used in sumps because they can be manufactured cheaply in large numbers. Ceramic rings provide vastly more surface area per unit volume however. In a betta sized filtration set up ceramics would be a far better choice.

 

[ThePiggy]

I do understand the idea behind bio-balls, but people tend to look down on them and I wanted to understand why. The fish shop that advised me to use them, had hundreds of them that have been in their tanks for a long time. They said that they sold them for people to introduce the essential bacteria into their filtered tanks. This was when I set up my first fish tank, a few years ago. I did buy them and cycled my tank with a some guppies in it. I still have the bio-balls in my tank.

 

[cheesy feet]

1 bio ball per betta is the rule.

 

[ThePiggy]

They were never in my betta tanks.. just in my 10 gallons.

 

[tyyrlym]

I was replying to the reply before mine that asked about them.

I don't see any reason to look down on them its just that in most non-sump set ups ceramic rings tend to be a more efficient way of increasing the bacterial growth area.

 

[Honeythorn]

A couple came with Dunc's tank. So THOSE are what they are! I had heard of Bioballs but had never seen them. I figured they were for filtration, and have left them in there, but I didn't know the name. Well, now I do. His filter is built into the lid and is basically a shallowish flat tray in which sits a sponge, a plastic thing , and the two balls. Under the sponge I placed some very well bacterially loaded ceramic media ( little tubes of the Eheim brand ) from my Eheim 2215 that's running the 30 gal. I crammed as many as I could fit into the bottom of the tray and then put the sponge on top, and the plastic thing on top of that ( I'm considering removing that though and adding another thin sponge or a layer of floss ) Then I poured over some dirty water from inside the bottom of the Eheim to give even more bacteria. The two Bioballs sit just in front of the lip where the water comes out. It works very well.

 

[three-fingers]

I do understand the idea behind bio-balls, but people tend to look down on them and I wanted to understand why. The fish shop that advised me to use them, had hundreds of them that have been in their tanks for a long time. They said that they sold them for people to introduce the essential bacteria into their filtered tanks. This was when I set up my first fish tank, a few years ago. I did buy them and cycled my tank with a some guppies in it. I still have the bio-balls in my tank.

Did they take them out of a filter running on a stocked tank in the LFS?
Or sell them dry out of a bag?

If they take them out of a filter - that's surprisingly good for an LFS.
If they take them out of the bag, and sell them as a way to "introduce the essential [filter] bacteria", then people are probably being ripped off.

Bioballs aren't bad, and are pretty decent for biological filtration, not as good as ceramics but can be cheaper if your buying large quantities. LFS's sometimes buy big bags and sell them separately too, so they can be much cheaper than ceramics.

 

[ThePiggy]

The ones that I purchased were taken right out of the filter in front of me. They put them in a plastic bag full of water as if I was buying a fish. They also told me not to let them dry out as the bacteria would die.

 

[Duck and Dive]

As remz said the are usually used for large marine saltwater set ups with sumps that are used in conjunction with live rock and sponges.

D&D

 

[three-fingers]

The ones that I purchased were taken right out of the filter in front of me. They put them in a plastic bag full of water as if I was buying a fish. They also told me not to let them dry out as the bacteria would die.

That's very good then, I applaud your excellent lfs.