# Bio-balls in a HOB?



## sick fish man (Mar 21, 2006)

Hi, i just set up a 29 gal. aquarium and i put an Aquaclear 70 Hang of the Back filter on it and i didn't have any filter media so i just put some bio-balls from my 100 gallon sump into the back of the Aquaclear filter. I then weighed the bio-balls down with some BIOMAX stuff so that the balls wouldn't float. Will this work to filter a 29 gallon aquarium with a single Irritans piranha?


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## Buckman (Jan 10, 2007)

i dunno, HOB filters might circulate too fast compared to the canister type filters. maybe someone else will know more.


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## keasone (May 21, 2008)

I did it and they grew alot of bacteria I have had them in there for months.


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## wizardslovak (Feb 17, 2007)

in all of my HOBs i use bio media, from vut straws to scrubbies , and it works


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## sick fish man (Mar 21, 2006)

also, i don't have any other filter media in there except for the bio balls and some BIOMAX stuff.

thanks for the reply's


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## CLUSTER ONE (Aug 2, 2006)

shoudl work, but i think some bio rock type stuff (eheim substrat, matrix, ceramic rings...) would be better.


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## philbert (Mar 8, 2007)

sean-820 said:


> shoudl work, but i think some bio rock type stuff (eheim substrat, matrix, ceramic rings...) would be better.


i agree bio balls don't have as much surface area as biomax substrat or matrix you would be better off with better bio media.


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## sick fish man (Mar 21, 2006)

I read online that the wet/dry filters work well because they have a high air to water ratio. So apparantly the bacteria need air in order to process ammonia. In order to make my bio filtration better i was thinking of putting a bubbler in the bottom of the filter under the bio balls. Let me know about your thoughts on this.


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## wizardslovak (Feb 17, 2007)

sick fish man said:


> I read online that the wet/dry filters work well because they have a high air to water ratio. So apparantly the bacteria need air in order to process ammonia. In order to make my bio filtration better i was thinking of putting a bubbler in the bottom of the filter under the bio balls. Let me know about your thoughts on this.


come on people 
i am really waiting for this to answer


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## CLUSTER ONE (Aug 2, 2006)

wizardslovak said:


> I read online that the wet/dry filters work well because they have a high air to water ratio. So apparantly the bacteria need air in order to process ammonia. In order to make my bio filtration better i was thinking of putting a bubbler in the bottom of the filter under the bio balls. Let me know about your thoughts on this.


come on people 
i am really waiting for this to answer
[/quote]

It may be a differnt bacteria, but bioballs are used alot in sumps and wetdrys so the water is splashing over them and thay are not as submerged as in a hob. They have surface area, but i think its liek a gallon of bio balls is good for 60gallons (might be marine), but there isnt really even that much space in the back of an ac 70. Could work for now, but th think rock type media will be more effective in the long run.


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## Plowboy (Apr 9, 2008)

sean-820 said:


> I read online that the wet/dry filters work well because they have a high air to water ratio. So apparantly the bacteria need air in order to process ammonia. In order to make my bio filtration better i was thinking of putting a bubbler in the bottom of the filter under the bio balls. Let me know about your thoughts on this.


come on people 
i am really waiting for this to answer
[/quote]

It may be a differnt bacteria, but bioballs are used alot in sumps and wetdrys so the water is splashing over them and thay are not as submerged as in a hob. They have surface area, but i think its liek a gallon of bio balls is good for 60gallons (might be marine), but there isnt really even that much space in the back of an ac 70. *Could work for now, but th think rock type media will be more effective in the long run*.
[/quote]

I Agree with him. bio balls don't have near the surface area a bio rock type media would. Bubbling air through might help, but i doubt it would be noticeable because bioballs were meant for an environment that was closer to some water and a hell of a lot of air. Not a hell of a lot of water and a few bubbles of air.

I always heard 1 gallon of bioballs was good for 30g fresh water, but thats really just a vague rule of thumb. 1 liter of effi-substrate is rated for 90g. Multiply 90g by 3.6 (If I remember right) to convert to gallons, and you get ~320g per gallon of media. Ten times the amount you could filter with bioballs in the proper environment. Use rock for cans and HOBs, and bioballs for a wet/dry only.


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## Buckman (Jan 10, 2007)

you could get some biomax made by fluval for around 10 dollars i think.


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## sick fish man (Mar 21, 2006)

alright. I'm going to go to the pet store and pick up some bio rock type media, and if i still have some money i will get a bubbler to put underneath the bio-media, and then i might get some bio-spira


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## sick fish man (Mar 21, 2006)

Is biomax the best stuff to use then?

one more thing, if i replace the filter media i have now then the tank would cycle again right?


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## Plowboy (Apr 9, 2008)

Jsut dont replace all of it at the same time and it shouldn't completely recycle, but it might mini cycle.


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