New Filter

[Garbolino]

I put a post up earlier about swaping over media from a fluval 306 to a 406 but I'm now considering starting from scratch, so as the filter came with no media my question is what would be the recommend media setup for a freshwater tropical setup?

 

[MojoDex]

I've always found eheim media to be very good(far better than fluvals IMO), But you can go with anything with a good surface area. Bio balls are likely your cheapest option.

 

[richpowell1989]

+1 on the eheim media

 

[Garbolino]

It has 4 baskets so in which baskets would I place what media?

 

[MojoDex]

No hard and fast rules but I would use 4 different medias. Maybe have one basket for sponges only?

 

[ech0o]

Are you not going to use any established media from the old filter then?  If you have established media, it seems a fools errand to start another cycle from scratch, I would use at least something from the old filter that has bacteria in it.  For the baskets I would go loose media until the last basket, where I would put sponge and filter floss for clarity.   So ceramic, bio-balls, you could occasionally drop your carbon into a basket.  Then reserve the one basket for sponge with filter floss right before it, so you can easily rinse and change the floss.

 

[baker360360]

Water flows from bottom to top so I have the bottom basket with fine/medium/corse sponges this will remove particles first before any thing else. Then the next 3 with biological media of your choice example ceramic rings/bio ball/eheims media. I've used combos of the 3 and even crushed coral in nylon tights . I don't recommend any spong or wool after the biomachanical media as any waste it catches will remain in that basket with the bio media and will make it harder to do its job.

 

[KirkyArcher]

+1 for Bakers suggestion of filtration set up. All Mechanical sponges and even wool at the bottom and only biological above that, Bio home Ultra is my preferred bio media available from Tyne valley aquatics but also have the supplied with the filter Fluval BioMax media along with some Ehiem Substrat Pro in there too (Fluval 306) filling up the gaps. but would strongly recommend you in some way seed any new media using your old stuff.
 
http/www.tynevalleyaquatics.co.uk/
 
http/www.youtube.com/watch?v=JFXJaRDfR1w for more info on the product, 
 
http/www.youtube.com/watch?v=szrUlHTW5Zo for concept behind filter setup

 

[Garbolino]

cheers lads, kirky are you local to tynevalley? reason I ask im based in the northeast & use Chilton aquatics

 

[KirkyArcher]

I actually live about 3 miles away from Chilton Aquatics and use them frequently,

 

[Garbolino]

Lol small world, I'll have to look out for you I'm in darlo