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Biological Filtration Media |
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Sunday, 28 August 2005 |
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Page 4 of 5
Bio balls
Bio balls are those typically-black plastic balls that are often found
in a sump. Its porosity is far lesser than both ceramic rings and
sintered glass(meaning less surface area), but what it has is high void
space. Void space is an air space where air exchange takes place. This
makes bio balls extremely good for wet/dry filters, as the high void
space allows for excellent oxygenation - a great environment for
beneficial bacteria to colonize!
"Bio balls do not clog as easily as ceramic rings and sintered
glass."
Being made of plastic, bio balls will not break down like ceramic rings
and sintered glass, where you will notice them becoming smaller over
time. For large filters with large amount of filtration media, this
can be a very good reason to use bio balls over the rest. As replacing
the broken-down media will mean inevitable bacteria loss and
disruption to the biological filtration system. Not to mention the
hassle of having to perform the replacement over several weeks,
replacing a little at a time to prevent any major bacteria loss.
Lastly, bio balls do not clog as easily as ceramic rings and sintered
glass. Both of these depend on their microscopic crevices and tunnels
to achieve their high surface areas, which are easily clogged by even
the finer particles. By having sufficient mechanical filtration before
your bio ball layer, you can be sure that your bio balls can maintain
its performance for quite some time, before requiring maintenance.
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