Bio Balls Help!! Should i replace? NEED HELP!

[ger10]

OK, so i have a 72 gallon bowfront that is 2 months old. my live rock is very cured when cycling and have a wet dry filter. iam wondering SHOULD I REPLACE MY BIO BALLS OR LEAVE IT AS IS? for a little bit longer?

p.s. what fish would you suggest i add next? and any tips to have my oscis host?

72 gallon bowfront
2 175 mh 2 90 actinics
85 pounds of live rock
2 clowns
1 blue hippo
1 BTA
1 frogspan
2 caps
1 red acan
3 different zoos
banded coral
cleaning crew
temp 78.5-80 , i like the natural change in temp l
ph 8.2
amonia 0
nitrate 0
nitrite 10
salinity .24

anything will be helpful thank you

[Mike]

Uh, you sure you didn't mix up these?
nitrate 0
nitrite 10

Nitrites turn into nitrates... usually once you are cycled, you should no longer have nitrites, just nitrates. Anything die lately and could be decomposing?

On the bio balls, some people like them and some hate them. We pulled ours out years ago and used live rock rubble instead.

Oh and welcome to MAAST. Good group of people on here, with a lot of knowledge.

[ger10]

oops yea sorry, nitrites are 0 not ates, all the levels are perfect, i take it to lfs to check all the time

[ger10]

thanks....and thats what i was thinking but i didnt know to wait another month or go ahead and start now

[justahobby]

It's an opinionated subject, but I personally like a fuge and dsb. Bioballs and LR can be nutrient traps and need periodic, thorough ringing to prevent elevated nitrates. The Corals you have now should do well with them, but If you start noticing a climb in nutrients and you haven't increased the bioload then its probably time to give them a good rinse in saltwater.

[alton]

As long as you run a filter pad on top of them you will be fine. I have run bio bail/balls since 91. Worked for me then and they work for me now. My tanks stay between 2 and 5 ppm nitrates. In saying that I have a section of my sump for a DSB fuge where I run a power head along with a section with chaeto, and a section for my skimmer. I like the best of both worlds. If your sump is not large enough. buy a hang on fuge and plumb it into your sump. One thing you have to remember it will take a full year or so for your tank to mature. In mean time you will have algae blooms, and Nitrates between 10 and 20ppm, and some other issues that will fix it self in time. One thing I did notice is your temp? 80 in the winter time will mean 82 in summer, you might want to add a fan to control your heat. Also adding a reef keeper light controller which will shut your MH lights off if your tank heats up is good insurance. Welcome to MAAST and remember there is a million ways to achieve a great looking tank.

[ger10]

awsome alton i love hearing good news. alot of people in threads state there opinions bluntly and it really discouragies newbies like myself. i do have a filter pad and a pre filterin the overflow box. but i do not however have a fuge. i hwas thinking of eliminating the bio balls and making afuge there, but maybe a hango on one wouldnt be a bad idea. il look into that, what is your set up like? also my house is kept very air conditioned in the summer so it shouldnt be a problem if it is ai will definetly do something aout it

[tony]

welcome to maast!

the only absolute in this hobby is there are no absolutes. good advice has been given so far and i agree with both. yes, you can have them. however, they require more maintenance.