Bio Wheel

[sprinklerman500]

Hello refers.I have a 60 gallon thats been set up for about 5 months and seems to be doing fine.I went get some new lights and ran into a couple of people who know what they are talking about but I just want to be sure.They asked me what kind of filtration I had and I told them its the hang on back style with Bio wheels,they told me to take them off cause they are a breading ground for nitrates.So this is my question,do I need to take it off?I know I can trust you all,all info is good info seeing how Im new to salt.TY Chris

 

[jennm]

Short answer: It depends.

They don't "create" nitrate, but they don't process nitrate into nitrogen.

You don't need them if you have live rock - the live rock does the work of the bio-wheels, and more.

Some people use them, some don't. Some people end up having nitrate issues, some don't. It depends on how much rock you use, how much bio-load you have, and your feeding and maintenance habits.

If you have the wheels in use, and your water quality is good, and stays good, don't sweat it - you're doing things right.

If, over time, you see nitrate levels climbing, you might want to remove them AND take a look at the rest of the bigger picture (stocking, feeding, water change habits) and make adjustments.

They really are a "YMMV" (your mileage may vary) feature.

Having a mature biowheel in an established system can be handy if you suddenly find yourself needing to set up a quarantine system - you can simply move an established wheel to the filter on a q-system, and that will help avoid an ammonia spike on the new system.

Jenn

 

[therum]

Agreed. I prefer live rock. They can be much more interesting. Or yet... they can have more interesting things in/on them.