Hello guys, Im new to planted tanks, and i've read that it is recommended not to put carbon in your filter as it would remove all fertilizers you put in the water, is it true? and if its true, which media should i use, i dont remember which filter i have but its and external one that has a black sponge and the cartridge i think its the BIO something media with the carbon. Should i remove the carbon from the media?
Filter Question.
- Thread starter kreativ
- Start date
Carbon is best just used after using a course of medication,
Leaving carbon in the filter it will soak of toxins, but when saturated with them will stat to leach them out (with bad affects)
you want some sort of large debris catching sponge along side with a fine filter pad,
some balls or something for biolife to develop on also.
Other can give much better advice than I can
Leaving carbon in the filter it will soak of toxins, but when saturated with them will stat to leach them out (with bad affects)
you want some sort of large debris catching sponge along side with a fine filter pad,
some balls or something for biolife to develop on also.
Other can give much better advice than I can
The option your wanting to go for is a canister filter rather then a hang on style. Look at Eheim or fluval as a reliable filter. Filters are your #1 thing you wanna really put money into in the beggining. You'll definately pay for what you get. Using carbon... yea.. most of us dont do it, unless to remove medication that we are treating fish for but all other times we never really use it.
In a eheim or fluval your going to use some of the following filter "media" we call it.
A large course sponge that traps alot of the big debris that your filter sucks up. Or some people use pre filter media such as this http
/www.fishsupply.com/sheg-1470.html
Then you need some biological filter media that's going to store all your beneficial bacteria that your filter houses using somthing such as bio-max (kinda like the bio balls the other guy was talking about), check it out here:
http/www.fishsupply.com/sheg-1455.html
Here are all the other things you can put into your cartridge filter to do other various things...
http/www.fishsupply.com/flfime1.html
Then you will need a very fine sponge.. that makes your water clear.
When you buy a fluval or a eheim filter most likely they will include the basic media components that you will need, then you can buy the "add-on" things at other times.
And after you set it up you dont really have to touch your filter to clean it.. and when you do clean it... do it lghtly because you dont want to harm all your beneficial bacteria you have.
This is why hang on filters suck.. because there just isnt much media to store beneficial bacteria.. and you have to clean them lots... which destroys the bacteria you created..
hope that helped.
In a eheim or fluval your going to use some of the following filter "media" we call it.
A large course sponge that traps alot of the big debris that your filter sucks up. Or some people use pre filter media such as this http
/www.fishsupply.com/sheg-1470.htmlThen you need some biological filter media that's going to store all your beneficial bacteria that your filter houses using somthing such as bio-max (kinda like the bio balls the other guy was talking about), check it out here:
http
/www.fishsupply.com/sheg-1455.htmlHere are all the other things you can put into your cartridge filter to do other various things...
http
/www.fishsupply.com/flfime1.htmlThen you will need a very fine sponge.. that makes your water clear.
When you buy a fluval or a eheim filter most likely they will include the basic media components that you will need, then you can buy the "add-on" things at other times.
And after you set it up you dont really have to touch your filter to clean it.. and when you do clean it... do it lghtly because you dont want to harm all your beneficial bacteria you have.
This is why hang on filters suck.. because there just isnt much media to store beneficial bacteria.. and you have to clean them lots... which destroys the bacteria you created..
hope that helped.
leafs
Fish Addict
I would have to disagree that hang on filters "suck". I use filter floss, a sponge and Bio max balls in my hang on filter and I've never had problems maintaining bacteria. You have to remember that bacteria is not just in the filter, but in the aquarium. You also don't have to clean them as often as you think. I clean mine once or twice a month and it only takes 5 minutes. I've never had a canister filter so I can't comment on them, but I'm sure theres a lot of people with hang on filters.
nicklfire, thank you for your post, its really good,
leafs, can you please explain your clean up process since you have a hang on filter?? i cant really expend money right now so i would try your method, the only thing i will need to add is the BIO-Max balls.
leafs, can you please explain your clean up process since you have a hang on filter?? i cant really expend money right now so i would try your method, the only thing i will need to add is the BIO-Max balls.
Sorry shouldnt of been so bold as they"suck". The amount of bacteria that your housing would not be asmuch as a canister filter would be. I clean my filter.. once every 3 months if it needs it, i got a eheim with a indicator of water flow and it tells ya when to clean it.. probably over doing it for most people but that's what i wanted.
Hang on filters can work if you set them up the way you did leafs i suppose it's just a bit of more work but does not house as much bacteria as a canister, which is a huge benefit for most people.
Each time you clean your filter i couldnt guess how much bacteria you kill or get rid of... do you ever get blooms.. or maybe you dont notice them every cleaning?
Whatever works i suppose
Hang on filters can work if you set them up the way you did leafs i suppose it's just a bit of more work but does not house as much bacteria as a canister, which is a huge benefit for most people.
Each time you clean your filter i couldnt guess how much bacteria you kill or get rid of... do you ever get blooms.. or maybe you dont notice them every cleaning?
Whatever works i suppose
Sorry shouldnt of been so bold as they"suck". The amount of bacteria that your housing would not be asmuch as a canister filter would be. I clean my filter.. once every 3 months if it needs it, i got a eheim with a indicator of water flow and it tells ya when to clean it.. probably over doing it for most people but that's what i wanted.
Hang on filters can work if you set them up the way you did leafs i suppose it's just a bit of more work but does not house as much bacteria as a canister, which is a huge benefit for most people.
Each time you clean your filter i couldnt guess how much bacteria you kill or get rid of... do you ever get blooms.. or maybe you dont notice them every cleaning?
Whatever works i suppose
nicklfire how big is your tank??
arvlyn
Fish Crazy
Same here. All I've ever used are HOB filters and I have never had a problem with enough media to maintain bacteria!!
Nice tank you got going there, are you adding CO2?
Which type of media are you using?
arvlyn
Fish Crazy
Each time you clean your filter i couldnt guess how much bacteria you kill or get rid of... do you ever get blooms.. or maybe you dont notice them every cleaning?
Whatever works i suppose
If you rinse out the media in tank water, you're not harming the bacteria at all.
My HOB Penguin BIO-Wheel filters have 6 areas that hold bacteria. If one ever needs complete replacement, which is rarely, I can replace one and still have the other 5 so it doesn't affect the bacteria levels enough to make a difference at all.
yes i'm running pressurized co2 system, i believe the setup was on my journal.
A great article i found that i read a long time i will pass on to you :
http/www.cichlid-forum.com/articles/mari...hich_filter.php
Advantages and disadvantages to both
A great article i found that i read a long time i will pass on to you :
http
/www.cichlid-forum.com/articles/mari...hich_filter.phpAdvantages and disadvantages to both
yes i'm running pressurized co2 system, i believe the setup was on my journal.
A great article i found that i read a long time i will pass on to you :
http
Advantages and disadvantages to both
really good article!!
leafs
Fish Addict
It's very simple. All I do is rinse the sponge and give the Biomax a swish in a bucket of tank water. I usually just throw the filter floss out since it gets very dirty. I've been using the same sponge and Bio max for over a year now. There's no need to spend a lot of money replacing anything other than the floss. Hope this helps. If I was to get a bigger tank than my 29 gal, I would look at getting a canister filter. I only experienced a bloom once, but I made the mistake of rearranging my plants too much.
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