Sukh 15oz Ceramic Bio Balls Filter Media

Sukh 15oz Ceramic Bio Balls are loose filter media made from inert quartz. They pour into a canister basket, sump chamber or media bag and give water a porous surface to pass over. They’re sold as about 15 oz of media.

What the balls do

The porous surface catches fine debris and gives beneficial bacteria room to settle. Those bacteria convert ammonia and nitrite into less harmful nitrate, which is the core of biological filtration. Open spaces between the balls also keep water flowing evenly through the chamber.

Won’t change water chemistry

Because quartz is inert, the balls don’t shift pH or hardness. That makes them suitable for freshwater and saltwater, including soft-water tanks where buffering media would be a problem.

Where to place them

• After a sponge or floss layer, so large debris doesn’t clog them.
• In a mesh bag inside a hang-on filter.
• In a sump chamber or canister tray.

Care

Rinse new media before use. When you clean the filter, swish the balls in old tank water instead of tap water, so you don’t wash away or kill the bacteria living on them. There’s no need to replace them on a schedule.

Setting expectations

15 oz is a modest amount, enough for a small canister tray or a couple of hang-on filters. Bigger systems will need more than one bag.

If you are starting a new tank, seeding the balls with a handful of media from an established filter speeds up the time it takes for bacteria to settle in. Mixing them with existing media in an older filter works well too, since the bacteria spread over time. Keep them out of direct light in open sumps to limit algae growth on the media.

Alternatives

Sukh also makes ceramic rings, and Fluval BioMax is a popular ring media for canisters.