Filter Swap Question

[erk628]

As some of you know I'm upgrading my filters on my 150 gallon do to being underfiltered because I broke the one it came with. Well my 1 of two fluval fx5s will arrive tonight. Right now I have a 55 gallon hob can't remember the brand and a pengiun 350 hob. A couple days ago my 350 started making a loud noise took the propeller out and the bottom spacer on the magnet has worn a big hole so it doesn't hold the shaft as tight as it should. I went up to my LFS last night and they don't have the part in stock so I will have to order it.

Now I was going to just run the fx5 with the two hob tell it was cycled but do to the noise the 350 is making I'm thinking a different route. I was thinking about taking the filter media out of the 350 and putting it in the baskets of the fx5 would this be the place to put it? Also would it be best to get cermaic rings now to put in it or could I wait. The reason I ask because the fluval brand for the filter are quit expensive and I'm trying to find a place to my them in bulk like a big bag or something instead of a little box for like 15 bucks that I would need several of.

Thanks

 

[erk628]

If I do this ill be running the fx5 and the other hob. In a week or two ill be getting the other fx5 and will be running all three tell there cycled then taking the hob off and using it else were and taking the 350 filter media back out of the one fx5 and putting it back in the 350 that will have a new propeller by then and using it else were

 

[drobbyb]

Sounds like a plan. Make sure you run all three for 4 weeks minimum (preferably 6 weeks), but you probably already know this

 

[erk628]

Thanks drobby! I think Ill go ahead and buy a couple boxes of the ceramic rings tonight so ill atleast have some kind of media in the baskets for bacteria to grow on. Do you guys think it matters what basket I put the media from the 350 in like top bottom or middle basket.

 

[drobbyb]

You need your top basket to have your sponges to catch the large debris before they clog up your biological media. Second basket should hold your carbon. If you are like me, I don't fun carbon and I would swap it out for biological media. You want to mix your mature media with your new. I'm not really sure how to do that with your 350 media since the bio-wheels hold most of the bacteria. The FX5 is a huge filter, so I'm sure you can figure it out. And the bottom basket would hold more biological media. At least that's how I would do it.

 

[erk628]

I've been doing some research while at work and I got a couple ideas. Fluval has these ceramic rings called pre filter which the only purpose the serve is to filter bigger debris. I'm thinking these may work better on the top basket then a sponge because they won't restrict water flow as much as a sponge would. What you guys think? Then biomax in the middle and bottom and maybe a blue pad on top and bottom of the bottom basket to filter and fine debris. Before it enters and leaves the biomax in the bottom tray

What you guys think

 

[Harlequins]

I'm not up on fluval only tetratec,and has far as i'm aware it filters from bottom to the top with ceramic tubes on the bottom with sponge media,next tray up plastic balls,2nd from top 2 sponge medias and top tray has sponge media,carbon then top has a fine filter pad(although carbon removed with sponge instead)

Does the fluval work through bottom first? if so i would leave off putting the fine pad on the bottom tray,has the top one will catch fine particles,or it may slow down the flow if put down on the bottom...or vice versa if it works the opposite way.

 

[erk628]

From what I've read its top to bottom some people said they use just three of those blue pads on bottom to make water crystal clear I think three come in a pack

 

[erk628]

Just got it set up and running I went with pre filter media on the top ceramic tubes in the middle and 3 blue pads on the bottom tray. So far I'm very impressed with this filter and its very quiet. I wasn't able to fit the filter pads and the biowheels from the 350 into the trays so I have to keep the 350 running in there to for now. I'm going to order a new propeller so it quiets down. When I get my second fx5 in a few weeks I think I'm going to go with sponges on top ceramic tubes in the middle and blue pads on the bottom.