What is everyone preferred type of bio balls?

[FishNCash]

I came across a bucket of bio balls with different type of balls design. This got me curious to ask if fish keepers have a preference of one ball design over another? Also, please specify why?

I am also aware there are better media such as bio homes and bio block but I am mainly interested in getting answers to my bio ball questions. I posted a picture for reference. I see bio ball design 1 and 2 has more surface area than 3. Is my assumption correct?

 

[tlindsey]

I came across a bucket of bio balls with different type of balls design. This got me curious to ask if fish keepers have a preference of one ball design over another? Also, please specify why?

I am also aware there are better media such as bio homes and bio block but I am mainly interested in getting answers to my bio ball questions. I posted a picture for reference. I see bio ball design 1 and 2 has more surface area than 3. Is my assumption correct?

Tbh I am using #3 in my trickle tower along with plastic pot scrubbers have been using the same bio balls over 20 yrs.
If I started from scratch I would choose the #1 or. #2 due to more surface area.

 

[Fish Tank Travis]

I like the 1” bio balls with sponges in the middle.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B01N...dpPl=1&dpID=51Q8BmQ3F2L&ref=plSrch&th=1&psc=1

Here is a link to the ones I bought on Amazon. I got 1000 of them and keep them in my sump as extra bio media. My main bio media is about 10 lbs of ceramic media bagged up in mesh bags. That brings me to a point about media like bio balls...make sure you keep them in mesh bags. It makes them much easier to take out and rinse every now and then.

 

[smitty03281964]

I really like the ceramic noddles. It is just my preference. They're not any better that the bio-balls, which I also have.

 

[duanes]

The size and shape of your balls, has less to do with their effectiveness, than the amount of ammonia produced by your fish.
If your fish produce a certain amount, the bacterial population on your balls will reflect ( rise or fall on) that production amount, not the amount or shape of your balls.
If one piece of dead coral or piece of lava rock holds enough bacteria to use the amount of ammonia your fish put out, thats enough. You can have 50,000 balls in a sump, but if the fish don't produce enough ammonia to coat those 50,000 well, there won't be more.
Now if you over feed, or over cram a tank, that one piece of coral may not cut it, and maybe you need 50,000 balls, rings, bones or clams or whatever you want to call them .
But the size or shape of balls is not something magical, ask my X wife.