[e_baer]

well, it would take a while for the bacteria to start to thrive on the bioballs, but the hassle with them, is that they tend to become nitrate factories because waste gets built up on them. then you need to rinse it out and so forth. I have LR rubble in my baffles and it is doing great, i have one snail, and one crab in there, and everything is nice and clean.