Filter Fiber/floss

[fatheadminnow]

Do beneficial bacteria colonize on this stuff?

Urgent!

Thanks!
-FHM

 

[Truck]

a little, but your changing it every few days so it wouldnt be of any beneficial value...

whats the emergency?

 

[fatheadminnow]

Well I had some in there for a while, so I took it out and it was really dirty.

And I did not know if I should just rinse it out and put it back in, or just put some new stuff in.

And I did not want any bacteria to die off when I took it out, that is if there was any on there, and I am leaving the house soon and wanted to get an answer before I went.

Thanks for your reply truck; life saver...lol !

I will just replace it then.

-FHM

 

[Inchworm]

Do beneficial bacteria colonize on this stuff?

Hi fatheadminnow

If it's in your filter, and water is flowing through it, it will have as many beneficial bacteria living on it as on the other filter media you use. If you discard it instead of rinsing it out, you will lose some in proportion to the amount of other surfaces in there.

I use box filters, filled with filter floss, as my entire filtration system. It's a simple, old fashioned way of doing things, but they work well due to the large amount of surface area the floss provides.

 

[fatheadminnow]

Thanks for your reply!

So I would probably be better of just rinsing the filter floss out and then put it back into my filter?

Thanks again for your reply!
-FHM

 

[Inchworm]

Hi fatheadminnow

Yes, just rinse it out in tank water the same way you would rinse other media. Over time it will get discolored and ugly, but as long as the water can flow through it, it will serve you well.

 

[fatheadminnow]

Hi fatheadminnow

Yes, just rinse it out in tank water the same way you would rinse other media. Over time it will get discolored and ugly, but as long as the water can flow through it, it will serve you well.

Okay, thanks again for your help Inchworm!

Thanks!
-FHM

 

[petertr]

You can't rinse this stuff out the same way as a sponge. Don't plan your biofiltration around it.

 

[fatheadminnow]

You can't rinse this stuff out the same way as a sponge. Don't plan your biofiltration around it.

No, I am not planning for it to be the main home for the beneficial bacteria.

I just wanted to know if any would colonize on it, and if so, should/can I reuse it by rinsing it out.

The filter floss in my filter probably makes up about 1/10th of all the filter media in my filter, and it could be even less than that.

-FHM

 

[doresy]

I am agreeing with the 'keep it after rinsing' camp.

A filter should contain some sort of stage one mechanical filtration and that media will contain some of the total amount of bacteria. Chuck it and there goes something good....straight in the bin

If you gently rub the soiled area between finger and thumb in old tank water it will slowly release all the muck. A final squeeze and pop it back in the filter will save bacteria and money win-win

 

[Craster]

Floss isn't usually the stage one mechanical filtration though - that's foam. Floss is usually put in as the final stage as a 'polisher' - it shouldn't get much in the way of large debris buildup because it's after all the foams and the biomedia.

 

[petertr]

I was always told that floss was a final "polish" stage of filtration, and that it cannot really be "rinsed" out as it will remain clogged up.

 

[Inchworm]

I was always told that floss was a final "polish" stage of filtration, and that it cannot really be "rinsed" out as it will remain clogged up.

Nonsense! I've heard that too, and suspect it started with the manufacturers of the newer, fancier, and quite expensive filters. Whatever "stage" they call it, filter floss is an excellent media for growing bacteria, and it can be rinsed out and used over and over again.

The filter floss in my filter probably makes up about 1/10th of all the filter media in my filter, .

If you were to need to set up a quarantine tank, this floss could be removed and used to "clone" it. It would be able to immediately support a fish equal to 1/10 the body mass of the fish you now have in your tank. If you were to do this, the loss of bacteria in your main filter would not be a problem. Within a few days, the remaining bacteria would reproduce enough to replace the amount removed.

 

[fatheadminnow]

I was always told that floss was a final "polish" stage of filtration, and that it cannot really be "rinsed" out as it will remain clogged up.

Nonsense! I've heard that too, and suspect it started with the manufacturers of the newer, fancier, and quite expensive filters. Whatever "stage" they call it, filter floss is an excellent media for growing bacteria, and it can be rinsed out and used over and over again.

The filter floss in my filter probably makes up about 1/10th of all the filter media in my filter, .

If you were to need to set up a quarantine tank, this floss could be removed and used to "clone" it. It would be able to immediately support a fish equal to 1/10 the body mass of the fish you now have in your tank. If you were to do this, the loss of bacteria in your main filter would not be a problem. Within a few days, the remaining bacteria would reproduce enough to replace the amount removed.

As part as a final polisher for my tank, that is exactly what I was thinking when I first bought the filter floss. That I was going to use the floss as mature filter media for my 10 gallon quarantine tank when the time is ready.

-FHM

 

[petertr]

I was always told that floss was a final "polish" stage of filtration, and that it cannot really be "rinsed" out as it will remain clogged up.

Nonsense! I've heard that too, and suspect it started with the manufacturers of the newer, fancier, and quite expensive filters. Whatever "stage" they call it, filter floss is an excellent media for growing bacteria, and it can be rinsed out and used over and over again.

I was told that by people on here. I was also told that the small pores in floss are poor homes for bacteria compared to sponges.