Bioscape 160L/h Hanging Filter Replacement Bio Balls (1 Pack)

Foam traps debris. Carbon adsorbs dissolved compounds. Bio balls do neither. They exist purely as real estate for bacteria, in the one part of a hang-on filter with reliable oxygenated flow across it.

That has a practical consequence worth being blunt about: on a small tank, this media is the filter. A 20 to 30 litre aquarium has very little water to buffer a mistake, so a bacterial colony that gets wiped out shows up as an ammonia spike within a day or two, not a week.

Unlike foam and carbon, bio balls are not on a replacement schedule. Buy a pack when:

• You are setting up a second tank and want to seed it – splitting mature bio balls between filters is the fastest way to cycle a new nano tank
• The original media has been lost, tipped out or accidentally cleaned in tap water
• You want to add biological capacity because the tank is stocked at the top of its range
• The plastic has physically degraded or gone brittle after years of service

Bioscape's Tropic Easy Clean hang-on range covers three sizes, and the media is sized to each. Ordering by flow rate is the reliable way to get the right pack.

The flow rate is printed on the filter body. These bio balls do not fit the Bioscape PRO canister range, the Tropic canisters or the Velocity internal filters.

• Rinse gently in aquarium water. This is Bioscape's own instruction for its bio-ball and ceramic media – rinse gently in aquarium water to preserve the beneficial bacteria. Never use tap water; chlorine kills the colony.
• Never replace all your biological media at once. If you are adding a fresh pack, run it alongside the existing media for several weeks so the new balls colonise before anything old comes out.
• Do not scrub them. The brown film on the surface is the bacterial colony. Scrubbing it off defeats the purpose.
• Keep them wet during a service. Bacteria on media left dry on a bench start dying within minutes. Work with a bucket of tank water beside you.
• Keep the foam clean. Bio balls only work with oxygenated water flowing over them. A blocked foam stage starves them.

Suitable for

• Bioscape Tropic Easy Clean 60 hang-on filters, 160 L/h, freshwater or marine
• Nano, betta and shrimp tanks running this filter at 16 to 38 litres
• Seeding a newly set up nano tank from an established filter

Not suitable for

• The 320 L/h or 450 L/h hang-on filters – use BIS531C or BIS532C
• Bioscape PRO canisters, Tropic canisters or Velocity internal filters
• Clearing cloudy water – that is the mechanical stage's job
• Removing tannins, odours or medication – that is the carbon cartridge
• Instantly cycling a new tank on their own. Fresh bio balls are sterile plastic until bacteria colonise them, which takes weeks unless they are seeded from a mature filter.

• Bioscape 160L/h Hanging Filter Foam 6 Pack (BIS530A) – the mechanical stage that keeps debris off the bio balls.
• Bioscape 160L/h Hanging Filter Carbon Cartridge 2 Pack (BIS530B) – the chemical stage in the same filter.
• Bioscape Premium Bio-Cylinder Filter Medium 500gm – ceramic biological media for adding capacity where the filter has spare room.
• Bioscape Tropic Easy Clean Hang-On Filter – the filter range these balls belong to.

Filter media is a consumable and is not covered by a manufacturer's warranty term. Your rights under the Australian Consumer Law apply to this product and are not limited by any manufacturer's warranty. Ships as a standard parcel.

How often should bio balls be replaced?

They should not be replaced on a schedule at all. Bio balls are inert plastic that houses your bacterial colony, and replacing them throws that colony away. Rinse them gently in aquarium water when they clog, and only buy a fresh pack if the originals are lost, damaged or you are adding biological capacity.

Can I clean bio balls under the tap?

No. Chlorinated tap water kills the nitrifying bacteria living on the surface, which is the entire reason the media is in the filter. Bioscape's instruction is to rinse bio balls gently in aquarium water. On a 20 to 30 litre tank, losing that colony can produce an ammonia spike within a couple of days.

Will BIS530C fit my 320 or 450 L/h Bioscape hang-on filter?

No. The 320 L/h Tropic Easy Clean 80 takes BIS531C and the 450 L/h Tropic Easy Clean 100 takes BIS532C. The flow rate is printed on the filter body – check it before ordering.

Will fresh bio balls cycle a new tank?

Not on their own. A new pack is sterile plastic with no bacteria on it, and colonising it from scratch takes several weeks. To cycle a nano tank quickly, take mature bio balls or foam from an established filter and run them alongside the new media.

What size tank does the 160 L/h filter suit?

The Bioscape Tropic Easy Clean 60 is rated for aquariums of approximately 16 to 38 litres and draws 3 watts. That covers most betta tanks, shrimp tanks and small nano setups.

Do I need bio balls if I already run foam and carbon?

Yes, in practice. Foam handles debris and carbon handles dissolved compounds, but neither is designed to sustain the bacterial colony that processes ammonia. On a small tank with little water to buffer it, that biological stage is what keeps ammonia and nitrite at zero.