# Advice needed on safest way to clean bio-balls media.



## chopsteeks (Jul 23, 2013)

I bought a used tank several months ago which included a wet dry filter with bio-balls.

How will you clean the wet dry acrylic and the bio ball media ? I am no fan of bleach or any chemicals, so is it possible to clean these without using chemicals ? If so how will you do it ?

Thanks.


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## Deeda (Oct 12, 2012)

You can use tap water to clean off any gross dirt and debris off both items and then white vinegar could also be used. If you have stuck on gunk on the bio-balls, a soak in hot water should soften it. Regular hydrogen peroxide will help fizz off any deposits on the bio-balls.


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## BillD (May 17, 2005)

You may not be a fan of bleach, but it is the easiest most inexpensive product to use. It will burn off most of the organic material and soften the rest. Bleach is easy to get rid of; I use it on any hard item that goes into the tank, including the tank and substrate. While hydrogen peroxide works the same way as bleach, it is a weak solution that comes from the pharmacy. Vinegar would remove mineral build up.


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## chopsteeks (Jul 23, 2013)

Thanks Deeda and BIID...

Bleach --- How do you use bleach ? Also, what is your procedures in 'rinsing' bleach.

Can I use a combination of bleach and vinegar ?

Sorry as I am quite naive with using these 2 items. I use vinegar a lot around the house, but not bleach.

Thanks again.


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## Deeda (Oct 12, 2012)

I use only regular strength (not concentrated) unscented bleach, approximately 1/4 Cup per 5 gallons of water for general cleaning of used aquarium items including tanks, filters, rocks, hard filter media, etc. I usually soak the items for about an hour and use hot water though with tanks be careful it isn't too hot. I use a thorough rinse of cleaned items in tap water to remove any bleach residue and either let them air dry thoroughly until the smell of bleach is completely gone or in the case of filter media, do an additional soak with tap water and appropriate amount of a chlorine removing water conditioner such as Prime or similar.

Do not mix bleach and vinegar! Use one or the other.

Since you already have the vinegar, just use it full strength or mix it with hot water.

How dirty are the items you need to clean?


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## chopsteeks (Jul 23, 2013)

Thanks Deeda...

How dirty ? --- not terribly bad anymore. As I have placed these bio-balls in a bucket since i acquired it several months back, the 'gunk' has dried out and turned really powdery. When I first got it, it was really 'grossed', but most of the ugly stuff has fallen off.

As for the acrylic sump, I purchased the Novus acrylic cleaner to buff out the scratches and stains on the acrylic. Need to build a new top as the old one has cracked.

I will use the white vinegar and will ensure that I thoroughly rinsed it out. I will probably use the home power washer we have to rinse it.

Again appreciate your help !!


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## Fishpapa (Dec 2, 2014)

Throw out the bioballs. They are a very poor medium on which to grow your nitrifying bacteria. I suggest Biohome or Matrix or any media that has a rough surface. Bacteria stick to these surfaces, but have a hard time with the smooth surfaces of ceramic or plastic media. They are usually included with filter packages. That's because they're inexpensive to produce. Don't go cheap on the biomedia. This is the best investment you can make in your filtration.


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## BDASTRK (Dec 12, 2014)

Fishpapa said:


> Throw out the bioballs. They are a very poor medium on which to grow your nitrifying bacteria. I suggest Biohome or Matrix or any media that has a rough surface. Bacteria stick to these surfaces, but have a hard time with the smooth surfaces of ceramic or plastic media. They are usually included with filter packages. That's because they're inexpensive to produce. Don't go cheap on the biomedia. This is the best investment you can make in your filtration.


Well if you actually look at a Bio Ball under a microscope you will see that they do have a rough surface, and are still used very effectively on many high end systems. I have a wet dry with 5 gallons of bio balls in it on my 150, I can run up to 100 3 1/2 to 6" African cichlids feeding them 1 time a day and have ZERO Ammonia or Nitrate issues...................I wouldnt call that ineffective by any stretch.


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## nodima (Oct 3, 2002)

Fishpapa said:


> Throw out the bioballs. They are a very poor medium on which to grow your nitrifying bacteria. I suggest Biohome or Matrix or any media that has a rough surface. Bacteria stick to these surfaces, but have a hard time with the smooth surfaces of ceramic or plastic media. They are usually included with filter packages. That's because they're inexpensive to produce. Don't go cheap on the biomedia. This is the best investment you can make in your filtration.


I never understand this advice. Bio Balls may not be as advanced as some of the newer products, but they do work, and if the person has them in their possession, why not use them? The "must buy the latest and greatest everything" philosophy for aquarium keeping has apparently passed me by.

Oh - and please don't tell my bacteria that I'm not giving them the best possible home, they might turn against me.


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## BDASTRK (Dec 12, 2014)

nodima said:


> Fishpapa said:
> 
> 
> > Throw out the bioballs. They are a very poor medium on which to grow your nitrifying bacteria. I suggest Biohome or Matrix or any media that has a rough surface. Bacteria stick to these surfaces, but have a hard time with the smooth surfaces of ceramic or plastic media. They are usually included with filter packages. That's because they're inexpensive to produce. Don't go cheap on the biomedia. This is the best investment you can make in your filtration.
> ...


Its called drinking the latest and greatest Kool-Aid, and not really knowing the truth about media. I think media like Biohome has its place, and probably works pretty good................Do I think its the be all end all of the Bio Media world..............No I don't. And at the end of the day really what would it do for me that my Bio balls don't already do.


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## The Cichlid Guy (Oct 18, 2014)

Bio-balls only have external surface area, and not very much when compared to porous media like Matrix which has 170 times as much surface area, inside and out. This allows Matrix (and Biohome) to house aerobic bacteria AND anaerobic bacteria, which aid in denitrification.

Sure, bio-balls house some bacteria, but there are much better options, and they aren't very expensive.


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## BDASTRK (Dec 12, 2014)

The Cichlid Guy said:


> Bio-balls only have external surface area, and not very much when compared to porous media like Matrix which has 170 times as much surface area, inside and out. This allows Matrix (and Biohome) to house aerobic bacteria AND anaerobic bacteria, which aid in denitrification.
> 
> Sure, bio-balls house some bacteria, but there are much better options, and they aren't very expensive.


Well tell my set-up that houses up too 100 Africans that Bio balls don't house much in the way of bacteria......................its only 5 gallons worth. Every professional Installer I know still uses Bio Balls. Is there better...............sure is it good enough to change out....................WHY?


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## chopsteeks (Jul 23, 2013)

I am not savvy on the technical details as to which one is more effective..but will comment based on user's experience.

I have been running a wet dry filter for a good 7 years. Since I purchased this filter with the supplied bio-balls. I initially purchased a wet dry filter for my 72 gallon bowfront tank, the unit I purchased was rated for 120 gallons. As the supplier was out of this size, they shipped one rated for 150 gallons instead.

Now fast forward 4 years, I upgraded to a 125 gallon tank. I then used this same setup for this tank.

This tank had been overstocked with fish, doing a weekly 40% water change ---- never had a problem with water parameters.

Currently I have since moved 9 adult Frontosas into this tank.

Not saying that other media 'can be better', but from my perspective, will not fix something that is not broken. BTW, all my FX6 canister filters are using the bio-media supplied by Fluval mixed with Seachem Matrix, no issues with this setup either. Currently running a single FX6 on another 125 gallon, again overstock with adult Haps and Peacocks.


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## BDASTRK (Dec 12, 2014)

chopsteeks said:


> I am not savvy on the technical details as to which one is more effective..but will comment based on user's experience.
> 
> I have been running a wet dry filter for a good 7 years. Since I purchased this filter with the supplied bio-balls. I initially purchased a wet dry filter for my 72 gallon bowfront tank, the unit I purchased was rated for 120 gallons. As the supplier was out of this size, they shipped one rated for 150 gallons instead.
> 
> ...


And you wont have any problems either, until I see scientific data supporting the claims...............and every professional out there switching over to the Super media....................I will stand pat. I have yet to see any clear cut Data, and if it was soooooooo Good then Every wet Dry that uses media could be much smaller. Being space is always a issue, if these claims where really that good every Aquarium designer on the planet would switch over to a much smaller Media requirement. But they have not done so..............I wonder why that is?


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## dsiple3 (Mar 4, 2014)

Why can't you run both if you want?

Since the OP has the balls already, use them. If you find you want more in biological filtration, add matrix or similar if you want.


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## BillD (May 17, 2005)

Comparing bio balls and matrix is like comparing apples and oranges. bio balls work well in a wet/dry filter. There is a large volume of the bio balls as compared to the small volume in a canister. So, bio balls would be a poor choice for a canister but are perfectly fine in a wet/dry, and in fact probably better. There is more to it than just surface area. Plastic scubbies have more surface area per volume than bio balls.


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