Bio balls or not?

Hi
I,m trying to design a 30 gal sump/fuge, and have most of it thought out.
My question is should I incorperate bio balls in the design or just go with carbon? What are the pro,s and con,s of bio balls?

 

Don't use the bioballs. Use live rock & carbon when you need it. Bioballs tend to become nitrate factories since no one ever cleans them.

 

yup... forget bout them bioballs.... lots of live rock... just get live rock rubble it's alot cheaper then the full size live rock

 

Or seed base 'dead' rock with live rock

You can pick out shapes better too ^

 

Bio-balls are a no-no IMO! detritus collectors and water parameter degraders!!!! As mentioned above...live rock/sand is best!

 

Just like my dog, the refugium will have none also

 

Bio Balls are fine as long as you filter you water before it runs over the ball. If you allow them to collect dirt then they may be a problem. But if you use a filter sock or something to collect debree before the bio balls then they will give you years of good filtration. Most people just let water run to their sump skim it and pump back to the display tank with no means of catching large particles.
My $.02

 

+2 I am using Bio Balls in my sump, IMO if you are getting a lot of debris collecting in your bio-balls you may want to make some adjustments to your feeding practices. Also if you are not using bio-balls then your debris are still collecting some-were else in your sump or tank causing the same problems. JMO

 

That is why it is important to have adequate water flow to keep detritus etc. suspended in the water column for as long a time as possible for the skimmer to rid it!

 

Yes but in a sump there are intensional low flow arias were the detritus will accumulate.