Eheim Classics?

[lucasluke]

Don't these filters clog easily? The bio media is at the bottom and especially with those tiny little balls you get with it doesn't this mean all the dirt and muck gets trapped in the bio media rather than the sponges at the top?

 

[DevotedToDiscus]

I run them and they are great. I have never had any issues with clogging, and you don't have to run the media it is supplied with if you prefer something else. I have ceramic noodles at the base of mine followed by the foam discs, and they work a treat

 

[DrRob]

Are you talking about the white ceramic tubes? They're apparently mechanical filtration according to eheim. The ball shaped media or sponges are their biological stuff.

 

[DevotedToDiscus]

I am talking about the white ceramic indeed, and they are both mechanical and biological, as are the sponges, as are balls........all of these harbor colonies of bacteria which acts as biological filtration to convert toxic ammonia into nitrite and then in turn into nitrate......and all of them capture suspended particles acting as mechanical filtration. Obviously you want to catch the largest particles first(at the bottom of the canister, in the case of the Eheim Classic) and the finer particles last(at the top), as this will minimise the chance of any clogging. Hope that is a bit clearer now......as will be your water

 

[raptorrex]

I am talking about the white ceramic indeed, and they are both mechanical and biological, as are the sponges, as are balls........all of these harbor colonies of bacteria which acts as biological filtration to convert toxic ammonia into nitrite and then in turn into nitrate......and all of them capture suspended particles acting as mechanical filtration. Obviously you want to catch the largest particles first(at the bottom of the canister, in the case of the Eheim Classic) and the finer particles last(at the top), as this will minimise the chance of any clogging. Hope that is a bit clearer now......as will be your water

not from Eheim they aren't! they are purely mechanical. (they are none porous. so useless for bio media) my guess is, Eheim know what they are talking about.
the "balls (Efhi substrate pro) are the only, purely, biological media Eheim use.
the blue sponge catches the smaller, broken down, partials. holding them till they release their ammonia.
the white pads are for polishing the water for finer partials.

the correct setup, for a classic is, starting bottom up:
Efhi mech ( white rings)
blue course sponge
Efhi substrate pro
white polishing pad.

the reason the OP's filter is blocking up is. the media is in upside down.

as a, rough, rule of thumb.
if the pump head is at the top of your external. your mechanical media goes at the bottom. with the bio media above.
if the pump is at the bottom. reverse the build.

 

[Juggler75]

Surely efi mech would act as bio. Bio balls are non porous after all. All the bacteria needs is a surface to live on. Sure porous media offers more surface area for them to colonise but the tubes still offer a fair bit.

 

[DevotedToDiscus]

The colonies actually live just about every where in your tank and filter......bio balls provide a good place due to the amount of oxygenated water that is generated in the voids, and bacteria requires oxygen. Anyway, best not to get drawn into a bacteria discussion, as that was not the question of the thread

..... and I think that Lucasluke now has the answer WRT filter clogging

 

[raptorrex]

Surely efi mech would act as bio. Bio balls are non porous after all. All the bacteria needs is a surface to live on. Sure porous media offers more surface area for them to colonise but the tubes still offer a fair bit.

The colonies actually live just about every where in your tank and filter......bio balls provide a good place due to the amount of oxygenated water that is generated in the voids, and bacteria requires oxygen. Anyway, best not to get drawn into a bacteria discussion, as that was not the question of the thread

..... and I think that Lucasluke now has the answer WRT filter clogging

Bio film will indeed harbour bacteria. that is all that will grow on none porous surfaces.
that's very different from harbouring a colony.
if timestamps theary were good, we would just use plates of plastic sheet to grow our colony's.

 

[Tolak]

The ehfimech is designed to diffuse the water flow evenly through the canister, prevents channeling, something often seen with UGF. It also catches the larger particles of debris.

 

[raptorrex]

The ehfimech is designed to diffuse the water flow evenly through the canister, prevents channeling, something often seen with UGF. It also catches the larger particles of debris.

Eheim do make a mechanical media with a bio action. one reason we know for sure, Efhi mech is purely mechanical.

but the bio action is designed to aid the growth of bio film. allowing the break down of none chemical waste, into chemical waste. or so they say.