What Acutally Is The Filter Media?

[bigdave2009]

What part of the filter is the "media?"

 

[CFC]

The media is materials inside the filter which clean the water and provide a surface for the bacteria to grow on.

Filter media can be broken down further into 3 main groups

Mechanical Media: This is usually a fine grade media for trapping particals suspended in the water column, white floss is the most common type used. This media should be thoroughly washed or replaced on a weekly basis.

Biological Media: Usually a highly pourous material like foam but there are high tech materials which are not pourous but have huge surface area to size ratios. This is where the bacteria which convert ammonia and nitrite colonies live so the media is designed to provide a large surface area for the colonies to form on and a good flow rate through the media to provide the bacteria with oxygen and waste to convert. This media should be lightly rinsed in tank water once every 2 or 3 months.

Chemical Media: This type of media removes toxins from the aquarium by adsorb them into themselves and locking them in, most aquarists only use this type of media after a course of medication to remove residual chemicals from the water. The most common type is activated carbon which is available as black foam blocks or as granuals but there are many other types as well. This type of media has a short usage time and usually needs to be replaced weekly.

 

[2day]

Media is just the stuff you put in a filter, which collects the waste and stuff... CFC couldn't have summed it up better!

 

[TarkMalbot]

SO what are the "Ceramic Noodles" all about then? It says in the manual for my tank that they are maintanence free and dont need replacing??

 

[CFC]

Ceramic noodles are biological media, their rough pitted surface provides an ideal place for bacteria to colonise and their hollow design allowes the free flow of water through the media, their shape also allows them to interlock providing first stage mechanical filtration which prevents larger particals from getting clogged in the finer stages of the filter.

 

[TarkMalbot]

I see. But mine are more like Hoola hoops than noodles and ar the bottom of the filter so would be the last thing the water runs through before going back into the tank.

 

[SJ2K]

Can we clear up, is there a difference between ceramic rings (what I always believed to be mechanical filtration?) and ceramic "noodles"?

 

[Rooster]

Can we clear up, is there a difference between ceramic rings (what I always believed to be mechanical filtration?) and ceramic "noodles"?

Same thing ! and they are BIOLOGICAL .... mechanical "traps" particles out of the water.... bio uses bacteria, or some other lifeform to convert the bad stuff in the water to something better !

 

[shroob]

Just thought I'd chip in, media can be anything you add to the filter, that has surface area for bacteria to grow on. From scouring pads to expensive branded media.

 

[SJ2K]

Im still unsure:

Ehfimech is a coarse mechanical filter material which is to be used as bottom layer filtration. It's hollow ceramic design crates eddies which disperse the water into many paths trapping large debris, whilst creating an even flow of water for subsequent layers of media.

 

[TarkMalbot]

I am confused too.. I have the following in my trickle system and dont know what is what and it says to wash the top one in tap water, the middle in tank water and not do anyhting with the bottom.

The top is a plastic panel with noodle things inside and a very thin layer (like cotton wool) on the top
The middle is fine black sponge
The bottom is ceramic rings

Can anyone explain the system to me?
Thanks,
Mark

 

[SJ2K]

The ceramic rings will be your mechanical filter, the black sponge is a carbon one (no need for that), the 'noodles' will be the biological (bacteria holding) and the white cotton wool is filter wool, that polishes the water

Going by that I think we can say that ceramic rings are mechnical and 'noodles' are a more pourus form of these which make them bio

 

[TarkMalbot]

Thanks for that. Although why does my instructions say to clean the top one containing noodles with tap water? This would be a bad idea of this was housing the baceria. I thought the Black sponge was the main living area for baceria as according to the instructions this is the one that should be washed with the tank water?
If the rings are a mechanical filter why are they at the bottom? I thought the floss on the top was the mechanical filter as explained in the second post and the carbon sponge the bio filer. And in this case I still dont know what the ceramic rings do.. LOL

 

[SJ2K]

Lol, its all so confusing Ok switch my thoughts around, top with floss is mechanical and bottom rings are bio

 

[vinylman]

Thanks for that. Although why does my instructions say to clean the top one containing noodles with tap water? This would be a bad idea of this was housing the baceria. I thought the Black sponge was the main living area for baceria as according to the instructions this is the one that should be washed with the tank water?
If the rings are a mechanical filter why are they at the bottom? I thought the floss on the top was the mechanical filter as explained in the second post and the carbon sponge the bio filer. And in this case I still dont know what the ceramic rings do.. LOL

To make your life easier, just rinse everything in old tank water. My external (Tetratec EX700) has 1 basket of ceramic rings on the bottom; next one up is black plastic bio balls, then the top two baskets have sponges, with the fine white pad on the very top of the top basket.