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Unread 03/16/2012, 10:25 AM   #1
immortl
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Join Date: Jan 2012
Posts: 114
Question Can you swap bioballs out for purigen/chemi pure elite all at once?

Finally, came up with a question that I did not readily find an answer to using the search function. There is so much information here, I fear it will take me a long time to get a post count up for the sale/trade forums.

Anyways, we are currently running a completely stock biocube 29 setup with the biocube filter and bioballs. Tank has been up and running for about two and half months.

I understand that if one wanted to run a currently running/stocked tank sans bioballs, the bioballs are to be removed slowly - a few at a time over a period of a few weeks.

However, if I want to remove the bioballs and replace them with a media basket/fuge containing purigen and chemi pure elite, would I still remove the balls slowly and then once all were out put in the basket? Or being that the basket will provide chemical filtering, can I remove all the bioballs and put in the basket/filters all in one fell swoop?

My reasoning has me leaning towards it being ok to remove all the bioballs at once and immediately replace them with the basket because the biological filter will be replaced immediately with a chemical filter. I have no practical experience though, so I am asking you guys.

Thanks,
Joe


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Unread 03/16/2012, 10:35 AM   #2
MTWiley
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Join Date: Jan 2011
Location: Kansas City Metro
Posts: 273
Remove them slowly, Chemipure/Purigen aren't a magic pill to immediately cycle your tank. Chemipure is just high grade carbon, Chemipure Elite is high grade carbon and GFO. Purigen does help with Ammonia, Nitrite, & Nitrates, but wont completely eliminate them. Chaeto in a fuge basket will only really soak up nitrates and phospates, but wont do anything for ammonia or nitrites which are what the biological filter on the bioballs is processing and turning into nitrates.


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Unread 03/16/2012, 03:35 PM   #3
immortl
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Join Date: Jan 2012
Posts: 114
So the 100ml of Purigen, while helping with ammonia and nitrites, will not replace/do the same amount of helping, as the bacteria currently on the bioballs?

If I understand that correctly, removing the bioballs slowly will give the tank time to adjust and if sufficient area exists in live rock / sand, the workload will be transferred to those areas as the bioballs are slowly removed.

Do I have that right?

Thanks


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Unread 04/26/2012, 04:33 PM   #4
immortl
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Join Date: Jan 2012
Posts: 114
Just posting a followup in case anyone else with a similar question comes across this in the future.

I went through and removed about 12-15 bio balls at a time. I let about 7-10 days pass between each removal (coincided with several periods of out of town travel for work, if I had been home, I probably would have done it with slightly shorter intervals). For the last removal, I was down to the point where the remaining bio balls would have been constantly under water so I figured it was no longer a wet/dry system and I pulled all of the remaining bio balls (about 20) out. Overall I removed the bio balls in about 5 steps over the course of 5 weeks.

I did a 50% water change and vacuumed out all of the rear chambers thoroughly. I then installed the media rack with poly filter / purigen / chemipure elite and put in the refugium rack as well. I scraped the paint off the back of the tank, attached the JBJ nano glo refugium lights, moved the macro algae I had in the DT to the refugium and called it good.

Prior to the cut over my nitrate levels were elevated between 20-40ppm. Since the cutover and thorough cleaning, they have been back down to 0. Woohoo! I understand the bio balls did not directly cause elevated nitrate levels and have surmised that the thorough cleaning of the rear chambers (lots of detritus under the false floors of both chambers 1 and 2) probably had more impact on lowering the nitrate levels than removing the bio balls.

I am very pleased with the filtration setup now, having an area for macro algae and being able to reduce the amount of it in the DT (although I do still like some green in there) is nice. The 'polish' on the water from the purigen/chemipure elite is nice too, as is the cheaper floss that I can now change more frequently. I am quite happy with the results and glad that I did this.



Last edited by immortl; 04/26/2012 at 04:47 PM. Reason: clarification
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