biogravel media in filter

[fishyfish890]

Hi everyone,

So I've done a lot of research on filters and the media they come with especially for JUWELs. The consensus being the filter sponges are all in the wrong order and the nitrate one does nothing. So I'm going to rearrange them properly (when I get one) and use biogravel in fishnet bags. My only question is when it comes to cleaning the filter, I know I have to use the same aquarium water to clean the sponges and put them back into the filter, but how does this work for the biogravel? Do I do the same thing or do I just leave it?

This is quite new to me so any help/advice would be really appreciated - thanks.

 

[Essjay]

I've never come across anyone saying they are in the wrong order, but you need to remember that with these filters water flows from the top downwards not bottom upwards, so the water passes through white pad, then coarse sponge then fine sponge. Juwel places the white pad first in the direction of flow to catch larger particles so they don't get to, and clog, the sponges. Tip - you'll need to replace the white pad frequently as it falls into holes when washed. Don't buy expensive Juwel pads, buy a length of filter wool from a roll in a fish shop and use one of the white pads as a template to cut the filter wool.

Yes, ignore the so called nitrate removing purpose of the green sponge; just pretend it's a blue sponge. I can't remember if it's coarse or fine; if it's coarse, leave it where it is supposed to go; if it's fine, move it down so it is under the coarse sponges.
The carbon sponge can be left in the cupboard as carbon is not needed full time.

What do you mean by biogravel - do you mean cirax? This comes in a box so you don't need to use a mesh bag. Just swoosh the box in old tank water to clean it.



I used to have a Rio 125 in the days before they used cirax.

 

[seangee]

Filtration media is an incredibly over-hyped topic, with most of the hype being generated by those making a profit from the media. My 3 tanks all use plain old sponge. Lasts forever, low maintenance and inexpensive. Never see nitrites or ammonia.

 

[AbbeysDad]

I agree with @seangee. Long ago I turned away from the (somewhat genius) marketing hype of bio-medias (ceramic, plastic, rock) promising greater surface area. I now use sponge material in ALL my filters. I recently bought a polar aurora (unbranded Sunsun) HW-304 B [525gph]. It is filled with coarse, medium, and fine sponge material. Sponge offers a great platform for BB, cleans easily, and lasts forever and a day. There's a reason that many large fish rooms run fine on air driven sponge filters!
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And it deserves mention that there's many times more surface area for BB in any substrate than could be had in any filter!
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There may be medias that promote anoxic/anaerobic regions for bacteria that process nitrates into nitrogen gas...(like live rock in SW). However, I've found that culturing these specialized bacteria is easier said than done.
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I have never heard of "bio-gravel" and doubt it has more surface area than fine bio-sponge material...but each to his own. In answer to the question of cleaning, any media intended to culture beneficial bacteria should be rinsed/cleaned in non-chlorinated water. One could make the case that coarse sponge filter material used for mechanical filtration may not require the same treatment. Then again, all surface areas in a filter may be subject to BB colonization.
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Footnote: Many hobbyists have become convinced that the filter is only where beneficial biology exists. It's like the myth that "there's no such thing as too much filtration" (when in fact, filters can't 'clean' water, they simply make it look clearer). In reality, although the filter is a great place for bacteria, at least in the established tank, there is many times more surface area in the rest of the tank (especially the substrate) than in any filter or filters, no matter how large or how fast the water flows.
In established tanks, filter media could be cleaned in tap water and/or cartridges can be replaced in cartridge filters, without a spike in ammonia or nitrites...Believe it or not.

 

[seangee]

In established tanks, filter media could be cleaned in tap water and/or cartridges can be replaced in cartridge filters, without a spike in ammonia or nitrites...Believe it or not.

Well I wasn't going to mention this because it is not a recommended experiment but when I was mucking about with lights this week, in a well stocked tank, I unplugged my filter to give me a (temporary) additional power socket. I completely forgot about this and kept feeding as normal until my next water change which was 84 hours later when I realised the filter was not running. Immediately tested the water as it has very sensitive fish and ammonia and nitrites were both 0. This was not the heavily planted community tank and it does have a powerhead running 6 hours in the day to circulate the water.

So in this case the tank itself was the filter. Nevertheless don't try this at home

 

[AbbeysDad]

Ah...after doing a search I see that "biogravel" is another name for say the Pond Guru's Biohome media. Biohome, Marinepure's Cermedia, and Seachem's Matrix and De*Nitrate (pumice - a type of lava rock) all claim to have recesses or micro pores that will encourage the growth of anoxic or anaerobic bacteria that will convert nitrates into nitrogen gas that escapes harmlessly into the atmosphere. Well, maybe. But here's an interesting thought: we use nitrates as our measurable guide to water purity - low nitrates good, high nitrates bad. But it seems to me that nitrates just keep bad company in that there are other pollutants we just can't measure for. With this in mind, products that promise to convert nitrates would not necessarily deal with other pollutants. So...the routine periodic partial water change remains the best way to maintain high water quality.
Exception: more and more we're seeing 'tap' water that is high in nitrates often the result of fertilizers used in agricultural areas. In these cases, we need a way to provide nitrate low or free water for water changes.