shelf life of bioballs

[guppies_79]

I will like to check with the experienced hobbisits here if there is any expiry date for bioballs? Will there be a period where the bioball are saturated with colonization of bb that it will not perform its function anymore? The bioballs in my tank has been around for two years and lately i notice it has become less efficient in getting rid of ammonia and nitrites. My tank water turns cloudy easily too. So i bought some new CR about a month ago and mixed with my current bioballs. But the situationhas not improve. Fyi, i have five parrot fish (2 large) in a 3ft ios tank.

[bravobb]

I doubt it got anything to do with the bioball.
I bought 2nd hand tank before from someone and he gave me some bioball which i am still using them until now.... of course after washing them.
For me, the bioball only acts as bio filtration because i got something else for filtering mechanical... normally no cleaning of bioball whatsoever unless it is extremely dirty.
Just sharing my experience.

Check what you added/removed or changed recently that cause the water issue.

[guppies_79]

Bravobb, i just seen your blog. Maybe i should add on a OHF to deal with the bioload but i m not sure if this is an overkill for the tank? My 5 red parrots and 1 sucker fish bioload can be pretty messy.

[bravobb]

Thank you for your responses. In fact, i am also using the bio balls from the seller who sold me the tank. And it has been in the tank all the whlle until recently when i treat my tank with medication that i remove them. They were left dry in a pail for 2 weeks before i place them back.into the tank. Do u think this could have caused the BB to die off? I have also changed to a new wool absorber yesterday as mechanical filtration. I am puzzled with the water parameters as i just did a 40-50% water change only 3 days ago. And now the water is cloudy again. Ph has been stable between 7-7.5. Water temperature is also stable between 28-30C. And the fishes are having very good appetite until this morning when they are not eating.

If the bio balls are the only bio filter you have in the tank, then your tank is undergoing cycling... because all your BB in the bio balls all gone when you left them dry for so long...
Next time wash partial or do not wash them at all.
For all my tank, either i replaced the mechanical filter or i wash them even with tap water directly, but NEVER on the bio filtration, or at least not cleaning all the bio filtration at the same time. For those small tank that combine mechanical and bio filtration together, cleaning these will be tricky or at least care has to be taken. Hope you understand what needs to be done next time when you do cleaning.

[bravobb]

Bravobb, i just seen your blog. Maybe i should add on a OHF to deal with the bioload but i m not sure if this is an overkill for the tank? My 5 red parrots and 1 sucker fish bioload can be pretty messy.

If you have the space, by all means do over filtration on bio...
If you just want more mechanical filtration, it may or may not helps will depends on the waste produced by your fauna.

By the way, thanks for visiting my blog, and may i ask which tank you are referring to ? I got 2 big tank and one small tank that has OHF which only houses bio filtration and no mechanical filtration so i do not disturb them(as in cleaning them).

[guppies_79]

If you have the space, by all means do over filtration on bio...
If you just want more mechanical filtration, it may or may not helps will depends on the waste produced by your fauna.

By the way, thanks for visiting my blog, and may i ask which tank you are referring to ? I got 2 big tank and one small tank that has OHF which only houses bio filtration and no mechanical filtration so i do not disturb them(as in cleaning them).

I amvreferring to your cichlid tank. The water is very crystal clear. I ma thinking of replicating the same cos i am thinking the underflow ios alone may not be efficient. And i have plans to increase my fish load in future.

[bravobb]

My other bio filter is 2 bags (2kg) of CR which i added just slightly over a month. And i hAve also added new activated carbon (1kg) during my major water change 3 days ago. This is something new as i hope the activated carbon can help to remove ammonia and water discolouration. Normally i will soak the bioballs in tank water if i do need to remove them. But that was not the case when i was treating my main tank. Btw, u mention u wash your mechanical filter with tap water. Arent it suppose to cultivate BB other than mechanical filtration?

hmm.. 2kg of CR for a 3ft tank may not be enough, but it also depends on how and where you placed them. So far, i think you never mentioned what filtration system you are using... OHF ? IOS ? Sump ?? Canister ??
For activated carbon, yes it helps to remove smells and ammonia temporary... using it long term is not helpful. For me, i do not like to use activated carbon, it complicates thing.

Yes the mechanical filter does cultivate BB but it also traps waste and poo. Too much of these lower PH and slow down water flow and reduce the effectiveness of water circulation or so called water cleaning in the tank. So, i prefer to have other type of biomedia to cultivate BB which i will not touch them, meaning clean them.

[stormhawk]

Bioballs have no shelf life. They work primarily via wet/dry effect. If totally immersed in water, their function is not as good.

Since you have 5 parrot cichlids and the pleco, they are huge waste producers. Like what bravobb said, your tank is undergoing another cycling phase, due to the filter bacteria being dead after you kept the media dry for so long. Your current filtration capability is not sufficient for the bioload. Adding a OHF over your tank would be best since that filter works also via a trickle wet/dry effect. During this phase, reduce their feeding to once a day or once every two days until your tank parameters are back to normal. I'd suggest that you trade away or sell off the pleco if possible, especially if your focus is the parrots themselves.

Do you have plants in this tank?

[guppies_79]

@bravobb, i am running an ios (underflow system) and i placed the CR in my filtration comparment, together with the bioballs, wool, activated carbon and coral chips. Maybe i will post a pic of the filtration compartment when i get home.
I think the activated carbon works because i tested my total ammonia yesterday night before another round of water change. It reads 0.25mg/l, which is lower than before but still not ideal. But the nitrite was very high @ 3.3-33mg/l. I immediately did partial water change. Plus i add some of the liquid bacteria directly into my filtration. Hope it helps to speed up bb cultivation because i have never done this before. I am using a trial sample from qian hu that have been left unopen for more than 1 yr.

And on mechanical filter, i realised my wool traps waste and poo well, which is a good thing. But it also means it gets clogged easily and has to be washed daily or replaced. And i normally stack 2 layers of wool so that the waste do not flow into the bio filter.

Lastly, i see u also rear parrot fishes. Do you have issues with aggression among the parrots? How do u deal with their aggression if u want to keep them in the same tank?

[guppies_79]

@ stormhawk, thank you for your contributions. 95 % of my bioballs are immersed in water all the time. Only abt 5% are exposed to the water trickle. Does that mean i willbe better off using bio media that soak in water? But as i mention above, i have dosed some liquid bb into my filtration yesterday night to help quicken the cycling.
The reason i m keeping the pleco is for it to clean up the algae n wastes from my parrots. But as u said, in the end it produces even more wastes itself.
I used to have plants, but they alway die off after a while. And their remains pollute the water so i decide not to have any. And i dont take care of the plants too.
I will be reducing the feeding frequency as you suggest.

[yongkeat]

hey guppies how much does bio balls cost you?

[bravobb]

@bravobb, i am running an ios (underflow system) and i placed the CR in my filtration comparment, together with the bioballs, wool, activated carbon and coral chips. Maybe i will post a pic of the filtration compartment when i get home.
I think the activated carbon works because i tested my total ammonia yesterday night before another round of water change. It reads 0.25mg/l, which is lower than before but still not ideal. But the nitrite was very high @ 3.3-33mg/l. I immediately did partial water change. Plus i add some of the liquid bacteria directly into my filtration. Hope it helps to speed up bb cultivation because i have never done this before. I am using a trial sample from qian hu that have been left unopen for more than 1 yr.

And on mechanical filter, i realised my wool traps waste and poo well, which is a good thing. But it also means it gets clogged easily and has to be washed daily or replaced. And i normally stack 2 layers of wool so that the waste do not flow into the bio filter.

Lastly, i see u also rear parrot fishes. Do you have issues with aggression among the parrots? How do u deal with their aggression if u want to keep them in the same tank?

Hi, it is good that you introduce the liquid bacteria for faster cycling, but i noticed you said you kept it for more than a year... take note the bottle expiry date and bacteria added may not be as effective.

I have 15 blood parrots(BP), big and small. Sometime BP fight with BP, sometime BP with datnoid... it is normal. Their mouths are always open and i think they are harmless... so far i have no BP casualty. When BP fight with another BP, they are like kissing... it is quite interesting actually...

By the way, your IOS only have underflow and no overflow ?? bioball is more ideal for HOF or wet/dry but it can be used in IOS so long there are movement and oxygen.
A picture or video will be good for better understanding.

[guppies_79]

hey guppies how much does bio balls cost you?

I actually inherit from a bro here when i bought my second hand tank from him. U may wish to check out the lfs.

[bravobb]

I actually inherit from a bro here when i bought my second hand tank from him. U may wish to check out the lfs.

I bought bioball before because i need more, and they comes with 2 different sizes... i bought wrongly that's why i know... anyway i used both sizes.
A packet with 50 or 100 bioball i think costs around $10 or slightly a little more. Big size will be 50 per pack and small ones will be 100.

[yongkeat]

i see, thanks!

[guppies_79]

Just an update after i measure the water parameters again. Total ammonia now reduces to 0mg/l, while nitrite still the same as yesterday. Dangerously high. But my water becomes crystal clear instead of cloudy. So m i on the right track? Anything i should od next?

[stormhawk]

If you want to still use the bioballs and ensure that the bacteria still perform their task even though the balls are constantly immersed in water, then just add an airstone or a bubbler in the IOS. More oxygen for the bacteria ensures that they will perform at peak condition.

You are currently on the right step. Try not to feed the fish for the time being until your nitrite hits zero. Once the cycling is complete, just feed them in lesser quantity until the filter bacteria fully matures. After which you can go back to your original feeding amounts. Your fish may suffer from ammonia burns to their fins and gills but should survive if they are in good health prior to this issue.