Aqua One BioNood

Everything you always wanted to know about Aqua One Bio Noodles in 500 words……….

We aren’t going to tell you that Aqua One Bionoodles are made from Moon Rock or that they are better than anything else on the market. But, as far as aquarium bio filter media go they are an interesting, well thought through product and we just thought you might, possibly be interested in more detail…. Or are we just filtration geeks? (don’t answer that: the winters are long here in the north!)

Every successful aquarium relies on bacterial activity to process the highly toxic Ammonia your fish produce as a primary waste product. It’s a simple, reliable process called Nitrification that suits the bacteria (they gain an energy source), suits you (less work with your setup) and most importantly suits your fish (great water conditions).

So far, so good. However, we need a lot of bacteria to do the work. Billions of them , no Trillions, no Gazillions….well you get the idea and they are really very tiny but we still need somewhere for them to live and that’s where Aqua One Bio Noodles come in.

Aqua One Bio Noodles are manufactured from a clay material that is heated until all the gases in it vaporise and force their way out leaving the resulting ceramic material durable and aquarium safe but also very, very porous. In fact a handful of Bio Noodles have the same overall surface area as a tennis court… The ceramic is formed into hollow tubes to, again maximise its surface area and also to allow water to flow over and around it very easily.

When Bio Noodles are placed in a suitable aquarium filter with a decent water flow and some fish waste content the aerobic bacteria colonise the Bio Noodles and take up residence in all the nooks and crannies. In this way your fishes’ toxic Ammonia waste is processed by a huge number of helpful bacteria without you having to do anything except maintain a reasonable water flow through the filter.

Are there any drawbacks you ask? Well, not many, Nitrification works well and we all rely on it. You must NOT EVER wash bacteria rich Bio Noodles under the tap – the Chlorine content kills the bacteria. A gentle rinse in a little aquarium water is sufficient to get rid of any clingy solids. Please remember: The Bio Noodles aren’t supposed to be clean, the opposite actually.

However, over time, the pores of the Bio Noodles become blocked up with debris and they should be replaced with fresh ones. We have learned that the best way to do this is to throw out 25% of the old Bio Noodles and replace them with fresh ones. How can you tell which are which? The older noodles get darker and more stained looking so just root out the mucky looking quarter of the total and replace them every three months or so. In this way the bio media is replaced on a yearly cycle which is ideal.