Start Up Media Fluval 403

B5150

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Hello,

Setting up an inherited tank.

75USG and a Fluval 403 Canister.

Freshwater - cichlids.

My question are:

- how much carbon and biomax (by weight) should I fill each canister tray with and in which locations (middle and lower) is preferable?

- when using the foam in the upper tray, how many inserts should I use?

Thanks in advance for the help.
 
If its the same as my 405, you will have a long screeen with 4 foam filters, then 4 drawers.


I've filled the middle 2 trays to about 80% with ceramic chips and I'm going to fill the top one with Floss (so that it is full, but not compressed)

Not sure what to put in the bottom - may put more ceramics in.
 
The reason its popular to put both ceramic rings and ceramic pebbles in the same filter is because if the water hits the rings first, it is "randomized" into different little directional streams, prior to flowing up through the pebbles.

~~wd~~
 
I'd use almost all the space with the biomax. Cichlids are messy fish by nature, that need good bio-media. Pack the top basket with foam to protect the impeller and remove some floating particles, but otherwise the rest should be bioxax IMO.

Carbon is a good media to have "lying arround" but isn't something for long-term use, as it doesn't do much in usual circumstances and costs a small bomb if used correctly. It is saturated after 3-7days, depending upon stocking, so needs replacing that often to keep it working. For this reason, the only practicle use I have found for it is medication removal and for emergencies where poisoning is suspected... It can be used for tannin removal also, but again, only for a limited ammount of time before it bacomes saturated :good:

All the best
Rabbut
 
Thanks for the replies thus far.

I do realize that the cichlids will be somewhat dirty but don't plan to overstock the tank.

The 403 has three modules as illustrated here http://www.hagen.com/uk/aquatic/manuals/fluve06.cfm

When I received it it was being used with foam at top (it also had a an fibrous pad on top of it as well and I assume it is what is called a polisher), ceramic in the middle and carbon at bottom.

I imagine I'll start out with the 403 specific foam and sufficient ceramic (comes in 500g). What are your thoughts on something in place of the carbon, called "Pre Filter Media", which from what I gather seems to be no more than a hexagon shaped ceramic that has mechanical and bio properties?

Thanks again.
 
The prefilters are purely mechanical, they only remove waste, and don't have enough surface area to support a significant ammount of bacteria, though some will be there. The ammount of bacteria on the prefilters should be neglagable. They are great of reducing the size of the waste comming in and should slow the time required to clogg the rest of your media. Stopping channeling is also a nice feature of that media :good:

All the best
Rabbut
 
I suspect one of the confusing things about filter media choices and order is that there are probably many, many ways to do an "ok" job. Witness the fact that even an undergravel, which uses only aquarium gravel as both bio and mech will do an ok job once you finally get it cycled and going, although I certainly wouldn't call it fun to maintain.

If it helps, one media order I've observed and mentioned in another recent beginner thread goes as follows:
1) water flows in
2) bed of ceramic rings (this might be your "hex shaped ceramic" if each piece has a hole?)
3) coarse sponge
4) bed of ceramic pebbles (often looks like ceramic gravel)
5) polisher floss (optional and I just place it here thinking the fine sponge will hold it away from impeller)
6) fine sponge

Polisher floss gets placed in a lot of different places. (Sometimes people even have separate smaller polisher filters of nothing but floss to run in a tank prior to a photo shoot. (assuming your baby is "glam" enough to "walk the runway." :lol: )

~~waterdrop~~
 
Wow...so many varieties of sequences.

Assuming that the consensus is that carbon is insignificant I will eliminate that from the equation.

I think I will begin with what I have planned thus far - from bottom to top trays (order of flow) - Pre-filter (hex ceramic), Biomax, foam, floss.

It is my understanding that the pre-filter is mechanical with some biological, the Biomax is biological, the Foam is mechanical and a great biological and the floss is mechanical.

Assuming that my waste is low to moderate from the start-up I imagine I'll fair well.

I imagine I will find my sweet spot and experiment myself.

O/T: I am veteran member and administrator on a bodybuilding forum. I appreciate the time that you guys take to help a newbie :)
 

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