Ceramic vs. Plastic Biomedia: Which Is BEST for Your Reef Tank?

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Ceramic vs. Plastic Biomedia: Which Is BEST for Your Reef Tank?

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BRStv - Saltwater Aquariums & Reef Tanks

Жыл бұрын

Which aquarium bio media do you prefer in your reef tank or saltwater aquarium? Let us know in the comments!
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Пікірлер: 159

@Drewhardin96 Жыл бұрын

I’m a freshwater guy but I always go ceramic

@AdamUS123-j7q Жыл бұрын

Same

@stoneysscapes7544 Жыл бұрын

It is obviously just a case of this idiots lack of respect for freshwater hobbyists and the only thing better than having someone mildly insinuating that " we love these ....... ." & "Cannister filter peoples" is this loser won't be Smiling after Aquashella

@migueleespinosa2632 Жыл бұрын

Same. Never used plastic media in 55yrs with fresh water tanks. Foolishness.

@wubbied4575 6 ай бұрын

Plastic better

@peteluna4968 3 ай бұрын

Yeah the statement made isn’t true.

@drakecilek9361 Жыл бұрын

None of us freshwater guys swear by plastic. I only ever see/use ceramic

@EuroGupper Жыл бұрын

I do fresh water, and i use both *mic drop* + filter sponge I have never heard anyone swear by plastic filter media. Fresh water people swear by course filter sponges though

@frandimunoz8313 8 ай бұрын

U wasting space just take out the plastic and put ceramic

@k9feces 8 ай бұрын

@@frandimunoz8313lmao wrong.

@frandimunoz8313 8 ай бұрын

@@k9feceswho him or you? The plastic never going have more surface to bacteria

@chrispychip Жыл бұрын

15yr salt keeper. I have never used ceramics. Live sand and live rock is all you need for biological. Bacteria will attach to the rock and sand.

@TrevorHiller Жыл бұрын

I pulled all my bio media out and trashed it. Literally nothing happened and after 6 months it was making a mess and accumulating detritus. IMO, save your money and buy live rock. You’ll probably add a lot more beneficial bacteria to your tank that way and have a cleaner sunp. Someday I want to do an experiment with just an empty glass box and see if I can get it processing ammonia. Just the walls for surface area. I suspect that bacteria doesn’t need as much help as we think it does.

@dimitrijekrstic7567 Жыл бұрын

@@TrevorHiller wtf are you even doing...an empty glass box as a filter? Seriously? Wtf

@2869may Жыл бұрын

@@TrevorHiller I read an article about just that... They did it at a collage and the tanks with a thin layer of gravel was far more effective.

@TrevorHiller Жыл бұрын

@@2869may if you can find it I’d love to read it

@2869may Жыл бұрын

@@TrevorHiller I wish I could find it for you man... its been many years, but it was about the benefits of bacteria colonization in gravel vs bare bottom.

@stevef3401 Жыл бұрын

I’m freshwater, and I didn’t even know they still sold the plastic bio balls… my dad had them in his saltwater sump in the 90’s… oh… wait… April Fools!! You fooled us 😂

@SushikiIIer Жыл бұрын

sintered glass is all the benefits of ceramic minus the pore size issue and as a bonus it is 100% chemichally inert as opposed too the 99% or whatever ceramics are

@progressivepondkeeping Жыл бұрын

The only problem with sintered glass is it becomes brittle after time and will crumble

@SushikiIIer Жыл бұрын

@@progressivepondkeeping good too know

@2869may Жыл бұрын

30PPI sponge and plastic pot scrubbers are FAR better than ANY expensive "you got hustled" media...! Look up, Aquarium Science 7.2.11. Ceramics.... And read that...!

@SushikiIIer Жыл бұрын

@@2869may interesting paragraph and a half read but honestly even if glass media may be breaking down over time so does my rock and sand... use whatever you want and I'll do the same xD

@2869may Жыл бұрын

@@SushikiIIer Is that all you read of it... LOL Just trying to share some useful information that is beneficial to any fish keeper... I didn't realize you were too "cool" for any of that. "Sintered Glass bro...!"

@umpatas5468 Жыл бұрын

I'm a bio wheel fan. Power outage? No problem. Have 4" of sand or fine gravel for your substrate and your anaerobic bacteria will process the nitrites and nitrates. Water changes minimize the peptides and polypeptides. If you're salty enough protein skimmers help a lot too.

@f_youtubecensorshipf_nazis Жыл бұрын

You just make a dead zone in your sump(I used a storage tub upside down with holes on the lowest flow sides) and fill that with plastic bio balls. Anaerobic bioballs and they are way easier to clean because I have never cleaned them.

@Colin_Robinson_EV Жыл бұрын

Agreed, plastic to ceramic, we've all matured into this😊

@danielvillalobos9414 5 ай бұрын

Thank you man! Learning the hobby.

@dadthings167 Ай бұрын

Interesting take... As a freshwater canister loving hobbyist, I have never places the plastic balls that come with any filter. I have a ton of them sitting in a box somewhere. Ceramic balls, blocks, and lava rock run in all my filters.

@Fbarts 3 ай бұрын

Use both.

@WaterspoutsOfTheDeep Жыл бұрын

And even better zeolite, even more functional surface area, and even more with the specific flow rate that allows for anaerobic bacteria. Seachems denitrite is one product. Use it for biological, it's inherent nitrite binding properties. In other words don't throw it away use it long term.

@the_DOS 6 ай бұрын

Those plastic balls need to be put in a moving fluidized canister and take about a couple of months to actually start working at 100%

@muhammadwildanrafif1173 6 ай бұрын

as a guy who uses both, i see this as an absolute win

@mikeevans6589 3 ай бұрын

I think using plastic bio balls and a Sulphur nitrate reactor is the best! 😂😂😂 such a shame Skimz doesn’t produce those larger pellet suphur pellets no more. 😢

@sovereignviper90 9 ай бұрын

Depends on the application. Bio balls preform best in a state of constant motion. The motion keep waste from settling on the media. Ceramic may have more surface area for bacteria, but the fall apart extremely fast. Cant use them both in conjuction due to increase weight and would just sink instead of bounce around.

@pickle_soup160 Жыл бұрын

Nitrate is not always your enemy. Softies love 10-25 range.

@fturla___156 3 ай бұрын

If you make the space, then you have the time and area to use both or any other media that might benefit an aquarium environment.

@KaishShaikh376 10 ай бұрын

Bro looks like Quentin Tarantino

@johnb610 22 күн бұрын

You look like a great value The Weeknd

@dominicbaragar3951 Жыл бұрын

I would use both they both have pros and cons

@jjmccloud 3 ай бұрын

I like the ceramic blocks and plates

@Everything.On.Wheels519 Жыл бұрын

I've told people this for YEARS... After 30 years in the hobby you start to figure these things out 😜

@chrislocke1042 Жыл бұрын

I'm a saltwater reef guy, and I dont use anything but the rock in the tank and a filter pad..heck I don't do a water change but once a month. You would be hard pressed to find better water parameters.

@408pac Жыл бұрын

What do you have in your tank fish wise and stuff and what do you recommend to start up if I plan on just going rock and filter pad where can you get gold live rock that isn’t gonna destroy a tank with pests

@chrislocke1042 Жыл бұрын

As far as my rock it is very hard to find in not talking about that purple crap you buy at Walmart this is true rock from the ocean.. My LFS does have a dealer but depending on where you live would it be worth it to get it... It's $16.99 lb when I bought it... Yes I know I thought the same thing at the cash register..

@hudsonhaynie1632 8 ай бұрын

I’ve literally never seen the plastic ones used for freshwater. The closest thing would be fine filter sponge.

@JustinTurner000 5 ай бұрын

I have both fresh and salt. Never once have i used plastic balls lol

@vk-wu1dt Жыл бұрын

use ultrasonic cleaner machine for ceramic balls it will clean properly

@fishnewhere387 5 ай бұрын

I thought where you use the plastic is when you tumble it.

@peterboroughkoi6084 7 ай бұрын

I use both

@thewatcher9778 3 ай бұрын

I'm pretty sure the only people who use plastic bio balls are the same people who use plastic decor in their tank

@lewischasen Жыл бұрын

Yeah, some canisters do both. And plastic balls is something I only see in Sal tanks tbh..mainly because most people I deal with are beginners, so there's that..

@DanishnSonic Жыл бұрын

I call em rock media and its better than plastic!

@GreenPleco 7 ай бұрын

I just use actual rocks from the river that clean the river naturally. Nature knows best. Water is always crystal clear and fish and plants look happy. That’s what works for me.

@Israel-bp3zq 3 ай бұрын

What if you use both?

@BlackPearl5077 7 ай бұрын

Does anyone know if this thing will increase oh? Because i need to make ph below 6.5

@Jake-li7ih Жыл бұрын

Can't use both?

@BRStv Жыл бұрын

You can definitely use both if you'd like

@NinjaSushi2 Жыл бұрын

Just use a sponge filter pad and never look back.

@FoolOfATuque Жыл бұрын

Way back I had a saltwater tank with a wet/dry filter that used the blue plastic bio balls. I’m not going back though…

@NinjaSushi2 Жыл бұрын

You can covert the wet/dry potion to hold sponge filter pads that work wonders.

@x_dragon5837 8 ай бұрын

Look gavel, rock, drift wood and plant is all you need I’m a freshwater guy, I own 4 tank and 3 of them are filter free the other one filter is been off for 6 months, they are two 5 gallon, one 7.5 gallon, and a 65 gallon

@godgift5676 9 ай бұрын

what about calcium and salt deposits which reduces area for bacteria to multiple

@johnb610 22 күн бұрын

So the summary is maybe one of them will remove a nitrate once every twn years?

@lamontr.9266 7 ай бұрын

I never hear anyone mention the fact that ceramic balls break apart. And if placed in a canister, they fragment badly and can end up in the water column

@StrugeLabs Жыл бұрын

What about the plastic bio balls with the foam in the middle?

@dankerns1558 2 ай бұрын

Lava rock is the best

@aritosoto 7 ай бұрын

I have ceramic in my freshwater, 2 types. Will go same for saltwater

@pickle_soup160 Жыл бұрын

If you want chemical filtration, try Seachem Matrix. I used it for years, and I will not run a tank without it.

@user-wr7xu4bx2z 6 ай бұрын

Never underestimate a fesh water hobbiest they know a lot better what to do i even wont use ceramic media as it can sometimes increase the tds and other parameters in the water use some porues rock like lava rock or x pores

@MattKeepsFish Жыл бұрын

Bruh nobody’s swearing by plastic lol

@jenniferxjeffrey 8 ай бұрын

Are you supposed to clean the ceramic balls once in a while? Or just leave them alone cause of the good bacteria?

@Hartwig870 Жыл бұрын

I'm freshwater and I've never used that plastic garbage.

@anwarshaik9826 Жыл бұрын

Sir which one is better wave maker for 3 feet marine tank recommend for me for which company

@Constantine_Cvl8 10 ай бұрын

Eh, surface area is surface area, bacteria can still colonize on sponges, so I just use various sponges of various porosities.

@dirkiebotes5563 Жыл бұрын

Each have their own respected place. The plastic balls are made to be used for aerobic bacteria. Other parts of filter system is for anaerobic bacteria. Ceramics mostly fall under that anaerobic category.

@NinjaSushi2 Жыл бұрын

No they're both garbage. Ceramic is better but complete garbage compared to a sponge of 30 ppi.

@kens3dandaquatics Жыл бұрын

Fresh water all the way, very heavily planted tanks and that being said what nitrate, nitrite, or ammonium?

@akifhafie8561 6 ай бұрын

Nah those plastic balls are only used in moving water bed setup. In those setups, the balls float and swim and move throughout the filter chamber. Apparently this makes the filter almost entirely maintenance free and allegedly last forever too. Personally, I don't like it. Those setups take too much space, equipment, etc etc without providing any anaerobic condition for nitrate at all. A lot of monster fishkeepers like them tho.

@shadowofthestarsdespair Жыл бұрын

Centeredglassed media is the only th9ng I use in any take

@kench1 Жыл бұрын

Plants remove nitrates so bacteria removing it is not that important

@NinjaSushi2 Жыл бұрын

Not all tanks have plants and plants can't keep up with the bioload like the bacteria can.

@kench1 Жыл бұрын

@@NinjaSushi2 we all do this hobby differently but I like to stock heavy on plants so for me it works but it’s fine if other don’t it just means you have to focus more on your bio-filtration and water changes

@claytonbixby4966 Ай бұрын

I use matrix instead

@Justin89125 4 ай бұрын

I think so to 👍

@edwardjennings6021 Жыл бұрын

LADS WE GOTTA SWITCH

@glenndhooge6787 Жыл бұрын

Dont know why filter pot companies think plastic bio balls are able to remove anyway except the space they take in your filter 😅 Using ceramic filter media (biohome+) for a couple of yours now and I love it. Pretty sure my filter pot is even partially working anaerobic since I dont get a huge nitrate buildup 😉 So "low maintenance" freshwater aquarium 😁 Ceramics definetly better then plastic bio balls

@jayg9209 Жыл бұрын

Why do they still sell them gimic balls... 😅 I used plastic bio balls and ceramic cylinders for my ponds years ago.. if I knew I was switch to all ceramic

@MylesBogner 3 күн бұрын

What fresh water guys use plastic? No one ever using them except for wet dry trickle filter.

@rajgill7576 3 ай бұрын

What about seachem matrix I heard ita even better

@NorthLVLowRoller Жыл бұрын

Also a freshwater guy and go ceramic, plastic balls are good poo collectors though lol

@2869may Жыл бұрын

30PPI sponge and plastic pot scrubbers are FAR better than ANY expensive "you got hustled" media...! Look up, Aquarium Science 7.2.11. Ceramics.... And read that...!

@thereinthetrees_5626 Жыл бұрын

How about both

@moshpitsonly2778 Жыл бұрын

Who said we liked plastic bioballs??? 😂

@dillonmccarthy4409 7 ай бұрын

This videos so silly 🤣 never heard anyone talk about plastic bio balls... 😅

@karenaapus4307 Ай бұрын

Do they need to be put together in that filter bag or can I just freely place them around the aquarium without a bag?

@TheOutlawGunner Жыл бұрын

Lava rocks from home depot... thank me later.

@stoneysscapes7544 Жыл бұрын

When you have a tip that is this revolutionary it needs to be a little video and the only thing better than that is this " thank you very little " L⛳️L

@hypanusamericanus9058 11 ай бұрын

In a marine tank? Probably not.

@danazahler1051 Жыл бұрын

Ceramic!

@AAE-cg1il 5 ай бұрын

Seachem Matrix………..way better than bio balls.

@mstrKracked 4 ай бұрын

plastic for moving bed only!!

@Kei-gm1ey Жыл бұрын

I use real coral from the beach and I’m a fresh water guys I let the coral sit for a few months or years and then I clean it and put in the tank and the coral will break down and make the water nutrient rich

@hypanusamericanus9058 11 ай бұрын

Make sure you aren’t collecting the coral illegally.

@ummmyeah369 Жыл бұрын

Fresh water and I use fake lava rock from hardware stores 😂 dirt cheap and just as efficient as ceramic

@SouthShoreAquatics Жыл бұрын

This 😂

@WaterspoutsOfTheDeep Жыл бұрын

It really isn't. It doesn't have the same pore structure. Think orders of magnitude as much as a thousand fold difference or more potentially.

@ummmyeah369 Жыл бұрын

@@WaterspoutsOfTheDeep been doing it for years and I have over 30 tanks and my canister filters only have landscaping "lava rock" foam same with my hob and I put them in every sponge filters interior. Works better than you'd imagine. Are you speaking from experience or sharing your thoughts?

@WaterspoutsOfTheDeep Жыл бұрын

@@ummmyeah369 Correct and also about 30 years. You may as well be putting any rock in there because landscaping lava rock is closed cell. Meaning the pores are caped off, they are closed, meaning they don't connect. There is no vast internal surface area. I only found out about zeolite listening to a lecture on it for heavy metal toxicity and GI poisoning. You can get grades of it that are so pure with such a high surface area that a capsule for internal use has a higher surface area than a football field and it's so effective at adsorbing poison that it can save your life from eating deadly poisonous mushrooms. And so on and so on. There is a vast difference in volcanic rocks, and even within the same type there are actually many grades. Such as with zeolite I mentioned to zeolite for cat litter. But you do you.

@hypanusamericanus9058 11 ай бұрын

It is possibly not the best source for this information, but MarinePure found that its ceramic media had over twice the surface area of "porous stone." Competitors' ceramic balls were also shown to have a slightly higher surface area.

@hopelfreyamikaelson9348 8 ай бұрын

Use both 🗿

@NinjaSushi2 Жыл бұрын

They're both garbage. Plastic bioballs don't do crap and ceramic media clogs like rocks in a beaver dam. Use sponges of 30 ppi is best. You can even go 20, 30, 40 ppi but no smaller or it'll clog too. I'm so tired of people promoting ceramic media. There's a reason sponge filters work so well. They ACTUALLY provide proper surface area and don't clog.

@2869may Жыл бұрын

Pot scrubbers too.. Just behind 30 ppi sponge.

@WaterspoutsOfTheDeep Жыл бұрын

Where do you get that they clog? Are you people not using mechanical filtration before your biological? Do you not put your biological media in fine mesh bags too? I don't get it. Also with a sponge you are forcing the flow rate through it unlike ceramic or zeolite which has the flow go over it. In other words you won't have anaerobic colonization unless you adjust the flow rate to extremely low using sponge filter which has it's own issues too and it's still much lower surface area.

@2869may Жыл бұрын

@@WaterspoutsOfTheDeep You're wrong... The bacteria its self grows over and clogs the media.... LOL Obviously you "don't get it"... here's something you can read and learn... Look up, Aquarium Science 7.2.11. Ceramics.... And read that...

@Boogerboys1990 Жыл бұрын

Deep deep substrate in my freshwater tanks. No canister of HOB needed. Father fish deep substrate for the win. No water changes. My 2 yr old water is full of life. And food web. Now im gonna apply the same anerobic mud layer capped with sand method to my saltwater tank and watch the water changes go bye bye😅😅

@ExpensiveKoala Жыл бұрын

I've never seen plastic bio balls other than in gigantic ponds. Don't know why you're hating on freshwater by insulting them

@beastly_brisket_man6249 Жыл бұрын

I’m a freshwater guy. I ain’t puttin plastic in my tank!

@progressivepondkeeping Жыл бұрын

Ceramic is a million times better in any type of fish keeping method and like you say if set after your mechanic filter they won't get blocked very often

@2869may Жыл бұрын

LOL! 30PPI sponge and plastic pot scrubbers are FAR better than ANY expensive "you got hustled" media...! Look up, Aquarium Science 7.2.11. Ceramics.... And read that...!

@progressivepondkeeping Жыл бұрын

@2869may sponge filters are one of the best but porous ceramic has so much more surface area that plastic

@2869may Жыл бұрын

@@progressivepondkeeping They measure that "surface area" with nitrogen which can reach and measure FAR beyond where bacteria can reach and grow... Cut a ceramic ball or block in half and you can see that in a very short distance from the outside, it's perfectly clean NO bacteria growing.... So bacteria isn't able to colonize 75% of the so called "surface area"... So realistically the old blue spike bio balls probably come pretty close in actual surface area.

@progressivepondkeeping Жыл бұрын

@2869may my bakki home is mature to the center I'm not sure about in an aquarium set up but in my bakki shower the media is colonised all the wat through

@2869may Жыл бұрын

@@progressivepondkeeping I had to google that, but it looks pretty good... a lot coarser than most ceramic media being sold with exaggerated surface areas...

@FinnGerhardt-di7iw 7 ай бұрын

Literally nobody in the freshwater hobby uses that plastic stuff…

@Fishaddict1970 6 ай бұрын

12 sq ft ??????? No fkn way!!!!

@joshposhgosh11 Жыл бұрын

Bold statement saying fresh water individuals prefer plastic.... Untrue statement for click bait

@EuroGupper 8 ай бұрын

The biggest lie ever told. I have never heard of an experienced freshwater hobbyist use plastic unless they got it by default in the canister

@deathbyfishtanks Жыл бұрын

Lava Rock enters the fray😂

@WaterspoutsOfTheDeep Жыл бұрын

There are a million different lava rocks. Some are closed cell and would be worthless.

@nickjp4152 6 ай бұрын

A very bias review but i do agree o never heard of those plastic balls ive only used cermaic

@Twilight55667 3 ай бұрын

Ceramic remove no3? Big scam.

@willleslie2745 9 ай бұрын

Not a single sane person on the planet thinks the olastic is better.

@allenjones9847 8 ай бұрын

Don’t speak for all us freshwater

@Aquatic_Amigo 10 ай бұрын

✌🏽

@vexlegend313 Жыл бұрын

I’m freshwater plastic suckes

@2869may Жыл бұрын

LOL, Ceramic sucks worse....! 30PPI sponge and plastic pot scrubbers are FAR better than ANY expensive "you got hustled" media...! Look up, Aquarium Science 7.2.11. Ceramics.... And read that...!

@vexlegend313 8 ай бұрын

9 months later all salt now plastic still sucks lol

@alternativeaquascaping517 Жыл бұрын

Ive only ever seen crusty old dudes who are stuck in their ways and refuse to change swear by plastic bioballs. I feel like the saltwater hobby is incredibly condescending to the freshwater side on loads of things and it really pisses me off when i see it.