confused on bio balls

Cool, thanks Luna......Should I keep my filter sock?

 

I would, as long as you have at least two of them. Why two? While one of them is in the sump, the other is being washed/cleaned. I dont use filter socks, I use felt pads, which is the same thing. These things are great(IMO), they really clean out the water from floating debris. This eliminates the need to clean out the sumps floor, at least not as often. Luna

 

OK, that brings up another question. How do you clean a filter sock. I run mine under regular tap water while it's inside out. Get out all the 'big stuff'. Then I have two buckets of treated water (because I do not want a chlorine soaked sock going back into the system). I vigerously dip and swish it around in the first bucket. Then let it soak in the second bucket for about half hour. Then dip and swish vigerously. After that it goes back into the sump. I do have two other socks in storage. Do you have a better method? I am just doing this by the seat of my pants. Thanks. John.

 

Assuming that cleaning a FS is the same as a felt pad, I get the garden hose and clean it as much as I can. Then I put it in the washing machine with bleach( the long cycle ). When thats finished, I run it again but without the bleach, just water and then hang to dry. When you buy the FS, it should tell you how to clean it, my felt pad did. Luna

 

Yeah......it was an eBay purchase. I will email the dude and see what's up. Thanks Luna. John.

 

The ETSS skimmers use the Bio Balls more for breaking the jet of water up and premixing them with air to make for better air to water exchange , Bio balls go not create NO3's The only reason Bio Balls are associated with no3 is they are very efficient and keep the oxygen levels up for the entire system and the nitrates that finish the breaking down of the ammonias to nitrites then to nitrates just shows how efficient they really are. Now you can limit the dissolved oxygen of the entire system and keep less animals and deal with that or keep the bio balls and have higher 02 levels and healthier systems and deal with the nitrates as one would PO4's .. NO# are the very end process of the de nitrification process and thats good.


The DSB was revisited again 10 yrs ago or so the control NO3 naturally did not work as advertised , As for BIO balls ever causing NO3 I have never had it to happen and I keep plenty of fish . I feed properly and I've never had them I do run a nitrate coil as well as a PO4 reactor But as for the skimmers Media its not a problem as the water blasting through will keep the bio Balls clean and clear.. Remove those and the ETSS may as well be shut off and put away.

As for a filter sock ? I never found a need for them My corals eat the food the socks remove I like to keep some micro particles in the water currents all the time and have my sumps set up with large power heads a Mag 12 and a Rio 3100 to come on and flush the sump every night about 4 times from 12 to 5 AM. Why filter the corals food ? besides its just one more thing to deal with and clean.. They are not a Bad thing But to me I find them totally self defeating I want the food in the system.