Sponge Filter, Ceramic Rings, and Carbon?

[Tony]

I was reading on the DIY area and noticed a lot of people remove this stuff from the back of the tank.
What is the main benfit to removing these items from the rear of the tank and why? I've heard many people say that you should leave the Bio balls because they carry good bacteria and then some say that they should be removed because they hold nitrates. Also, why add live rock to the rear of the tank?
is this a bad change to make if the tank has been runing for a while?
Sorry for all the q's.
Tony

 

[Trogdor]

Bioballs is a good idea gone bad. The idea behind them is to add a 'pseudo' natural filtration, similar to the way your live rock works, with surface area. The theory is that the more surface area you have, the more bacteria that can grow and add to your filtration. But what happens is these bioballs end up trapping detrius and other debris and it starts to decompose instead of being naturally filtered. Thus the nitrate factory.

Replacing the bioballs with live rock is like putting the correct medium in the chambers that will perform as intended. IMO, I would change them slowly.

 

[reefman23]

Actually, the bioballs are too effective, actually breaking down the ammonia into nitrates too quickly. Instead of relying on the "bioballs", rely on the LR for your biological filtration.

Ceramic rings work wonderfully for freshwater tank, but will just lead to problems in a reef tank.

Jesse

 

[Tony]

What is your opinion of the other items like ceramic rings and carbon filtration? I know the carbon filtration is good for removing any chemicals and contaminants. Some people say that the ceramic rings are more or less useless. :???:
I have begun to remove the bio balls one by one over a week or so and every few days. Does that sound ok? Next question. if the Bioballs come out, do i put the ceramic rings on top of the live rock or the other way around? Where does the carbon go as well?
Soorry again for all the q's.
Tony

 

[Tony]

What cause the ceramic rings to lead to problems?
I was typing when you were and we posted at the same time.
TOny

 

[reefman23]

A good quality carbon like Marineland's Black Diamond should be used 24/7 and changed in small amounts every week as opposed to all at once every month IMO. Go with a granular carbon rather than a pelleted... better surface area and more appropriate pore size.

The ceramic rings are bad for the same reasons as the bioballs. If you have LR in your tank, you can simply remove all of the bioballs at once. Niether the bioballs nor the ceramic rings should be used in a reef tank.

Carbon can be ran in a rear chamber of a nanocube using a media sock(if that is the tank you are running) or better yet in a no-bypass filter such as an inexpensive phosban reactor or canister filter.

HTH,

Jesse

 

[Tony]

That does help. It is much appreciated. :thanks
Tony