Setting Up An External Filter

FishForums.net Pet of the Month
🐶 POTM Poll is Open! 🦎 Click here to Vote! 🐰

Blobfish

Fish Crazy
Joined
Aug 27, 2013
Messages
200
Reaction score
3
Location
GB
I recently watched a video about setting up an external filter which seemed to make a lot of sense.  It said that the bottom basket should contain the foam with the finest grade right on the bottom and then the other media baskets should be devoted to ceramic media.  They thought that a small amount of media in the very bottom of the cannister would help the larger particles of waste to be left behind in that chamber.  This makes sense to me but I feel that surely the filter manufacturers - certainly the big ones like Fluval - would know the best way to set up their filters?  I also watched a video about unoxing a new FX6 and that came with the mechanical filtration at the top too.  
 
So what do you all think about this?  Do you think it makes much difference?  What about the amount of ceramic media that comes with the filters, it never seems very much to me.  Is it possible to get a significant improvement out of a filter by making these sorts of changes?
 
 
Fluval FX5/6 run with the water running from top to bottom, most other filters draw the water from the bottom to the top
smile.png
  I think I know the video in question, I also follow the belief that this media arrangement is the best having a super clean water passing over the beneficial bacterial media so they can do their stuff more efficiently. Take for example the fluval recommended media arrangement (206/306),  medium sponge in bottom tray, bio media in the middle tray, and chemical (Carbon) and floss in the top tray. I feel it's much more effective to have a medium sponge covered with a layer of floss in the bottom tray and the remaining two trays to be filled to capacity with nothing but bio media, making more ammonia and nitrite safer, faster. an ideal set up for dirty fish and/or slightly overstocked tanks
smile.png
 
ive followed said video (cheers kirk for the link) in my fluval 406 its been running a few month now & ive noticed a a drop in nitrate, I was getting around 40ppm im now seeing  less than 10ppm
 
Great, thanks for the answers!  Knowing that the FX6 moves the water in the opposite way helps a lot :)  I will rearrange my filters.
 

Most reactions

trending

Members online

Back
Top