Elite Stingray Filter - Media Question

[ravkular]

Hi,

I am confused by the term filter media... is the term a loose term that covers sponges, ceremics and other bits and pieces?

Also i have a Elite Stingray Filter and i removed the zeolite and replaced this with more sponge. Was this a sensible thing to do?

Please let me know.

Thanks!

 

[Curiosity101]

Yes and Yes.

Filter media is anything being used to filter (either mechanically or biologically). Normally you wont find people refering to chemical sponges etc as filter media mainly cause they're only used every now n then to get rid of meds etc.
But yes...filter media is what you've described.

Personally I hate the stingray filters with a passion. I found them noisy and big and generally annoying (particularly due to the limited space for media). So replacing the zeolite with sponge is a very good plan.

 

[Twinklecaz]

I had one when I first set my tank up but it broke within about 10 days so I got a Fluval. Is Zeolite useless then?


Btw Rav, don't panic you necessarily have a crap filter. I think mine was just a bad one. I believe that if you change the media (as you have done) they can work OK.

 

[nessar]

Hey I have that filter, the 15 version, how did you fix the sponges in place ?

You need the carbon for removing impurities, tannins and medication from the water, so unless you want to do that then theres no point in having them.

 

[Ashley1991]

Hey i had one of these on my very first tank i removed the zeolite and carbon and added more sponge as well

Hey I have that filter, the 15 version, how did you fix the sponges in place ?

i just put them where the carbon and zeolite was and they stayed there

ash

 

[Big_eyes]

You need the carbon for removing impurities, tannins and medication from the water, so unless you want to do that then theres no point in having them.

You don't, that's what water changes are for. Carbons useless after a few weeks anyhow.

 

[Curiosity101]

You don't, that's what water changes are for. Carbons useless after a few weeks anyhow.

Just wanted to agree with this. I only ever use carbon temporarily at the end of a med treatment. I use it in a little filter media bag (the type you put washing tablets in would work fine so long as it's new), I then suspend it in the tank for a few days near the filter outlet and remove once the time is up.

Oh and Zeolite basically soaks up ammonia, but it only works for a certain length of time before it gets full. So it stops your tank cycling and then poisons the fish..not good.

 

[Twinklecaz]

So you basically get a fake cycle really?

 

[Curiosity101]

Sort of. You don't get any ammonia, nitrite or nitrates. The big give away you have zeolite is the fact that although you didn't cycle you have no ammonia AND no nitrates.

 

[Twinklecaz]

Oh god so your fish are fine at first until it runs out and then they poison themselves.......of course by then you'd blame yourself and not any of the equipment.

 

[nessar]

ahhh i think I might have zeolite if that is what is in the stingray filters

tank has been running for nearly 3 months, fishless cycle, fish only been in a month, is it possible my tank didnt cycle properly? I thought it did

I never see ammonia or nitrites anymore but my nitrates are usually 50-100.... the tank was doing about 8ppm ammonia in 12 hours before i added the fish?

 

[waterdrop]

ahhh i think I might have zeolite if that is what is in the stingray filters

tank has been running for nearly 3 months, fishless cycle, fish only been in a month, is it possible my tank didnt cycle properly? I thought it did

I never see ammonia or nitrites anymore but my nitrates are usually 50-100.... the tank was doing about 8ppm ammonia in 12 hours before i added the fish?

Its unlikely that the zeolite in your stingray was doing the full ammonia removal, you probably also had bacteria doing it too. The zeolite resin has probably worn out (its a chemical media as is carbon but they do different things) over the kind of time period you are talking about so its likely that you have a genuine biofilter with good working bacteria. It just goes to show though why its good to keep up a certain level of testing and a readiness to change water if necessary all throughout that first year of a new tank!

WD

 

[Curiosity101]

If you have nitrate levels of 50-100ppm then I definitely agree with water drop. You must be cycled by now. Also the zeolite is only temporary, I don't know exactly how much absorbs x amount of ammonia. But after 3 months it's gotta have been used up.

 

[waterdrop]

Oh god so your fish are fine at first until it runs out and then they poison themselves.......of course by then you'd blame yourself and not any of the equipment.

Looking back at this thread I have to say I really liked this straight-up learning experience!

Whenever the zeolite topic is discussed its really good for us to reiterate that one of the most important take home messages for beginners is that this stuff is not good for them to use. It can do exactly what's been described earlier in this thread - chemically take away all the ammonia and starve the bacteria of any food for growth, thus killing their colony and effectively blocking the cycle.

~~waterdrop~~