[mechtec]

I have my wet/dry up and running for a bit now,This is my first wet/dry system, so my question is ....should the bio balls have bacteria on them? I have these in the dark , do they need light for bacteria to grow?

thanks much

gary

 

[Kathyy]

The bioballs will get discolored and feel a little slimy, that is the bacteria. No, they don't need light to grow.

 

[mechtec]

The bioballs will get discolored and feel a little slimy, that is the bacteria. No, they don't need light to grow.

thanks for the reply, I guess i should feel them, i just looked at them, they are still the blue like when i first brought them.

thanks much

gary

 

[mechtec]

OH! i just felt them...they are not discolored, and they are not slimy. They have been are operation for about two months now. I do have a blanket media cover on top of them. They are in a blue plastic 30/40 gal drum, water is sprayed over the top and repumped back into the sump at the bottom of the drum.

hope this helps.

thanks much

gary

 

[lochaber]

OH! i just felt them...they are not discolored, and they are not slimy. They have been are operation for about two months now. I do have a blanket media cover on top of them. They are in a blue plastic 30/40 gal drum, water is sprayed over the top and repumped back into the sump at the bottom of the drum.

If your tank has been running for two months (and things seem okay) you are probably fine. Bacteria will grow on pretty much anything that offers surface area and access to nutrients. odds are you have just as many on your blanket media as on your biomedia - the bacteria won't be too concerned if what we put in there is intended for chemical, mechanical, or biological filtration.
It may take a while before a noticeable biofilm (slimyness) builds up. I think ammonia/nitrite/nitrate measurements are a better/more reliable indicator of beneficial bacteria then feeling up your filter media

 

[dprais1]

It depends on your bioload too, if you have a lightly stocked 20 gallon tank with a 30 gallon drum of bioballs plus mechanical filtration, well, you will never have a really concentrated bacteria film that would feel slimy or cause discoloration. Bacteria will grow to match available nutrients and that's it.
--and yes the only real test is to test ammonia/nitrite and nitrate

 

[mechtec]

Thanks for all the great info, Guess i was alittle worried. Yes all tests are at 0
all seems to be good, plants are growing strong, fish are happy. Just have some algae problem, need to find that balance.


thanks much

gary