What Do You Run In Your Aquaclears?

[Mako Man111]

For those of you who run Aquaclear power filters, I'm just curious as to what filter media you use. I personally just run the sponge and the biomax in my Aquaclear 110, no carbon, but what do you guys run?

 

[guppymonkey]

I found this bio filter media made from lava rock that is actually supposed to be for canister filters and put it in a media bag. It works awesome for biological filtration. The surface area is huge in comparison to those white bio things that look like ceramic rings. I usually just use bio and my sponge in my aquaclear 70. The carbon always seems to compress into a concrete-like block and if I have more than 2 filters in it the filter seems to overflow very easily.

Have you ever had your sponge start falling apart? It seems like mine have done that a lot lately! The actual sponge itself starts to fall apart! I don't know if its just that I reuse mine for 3 or 4 months in a row or a lack of good workmanship...

 

[Mako Man111]

I found this bio filter media made from lava rock that is actually supposed to be for canister filters and put it in a media bag. It works awesome for biological filtration. The surface area is huge in comparison to those white bio things that look like ceramic rings. I usually just use bio and my sponge in my aquaclear 70. The carbon always seems to compress into a concrete-like block and if I have more than 2 filters in it the filter seems to overflow very easily.

Have you ever had your sponge start falling apart? It seems like mine have done that a lot lately! The actual sponge itself starts to fall apart! I don't know if its just that I reuse mine for 3 or 4 months in a row or a lack of good workmanship...

Well, I've only had my filter for a little over a month, so my sponge is still in good condition. But yeah, the carbon is really not needed.

 

[leafs]

I've tried a few different cominations in my Aquaclear but now I'm using a sponge, filter floss, and Biomax. For a while I was using 2 sponges and Biomax. My water is crystal clear. I don't use carbon because of my plants. I've never heard of a sponge falling apart. I just keep cleaning mine and have been using the same one for months.

 

[guppymonkey]

Do you put the filter floss in a bag? I tried just shoving it in the filter with horrible results. It ended up all over the tank and got sucked around the impeller! I am embarassed to even talk about how horrible that worked out. Dumb idea on my part I guess.....

 

[minnow]

2 AC sponges and 1 biomax. I also put a few ceramic rings in the empty slot of the filter (near the impeller?). I wonder if anyone does that?

 

[leafs]

I don't use a bag for the floss. I use to put it at the top, but it wouldn't stay so now I put it in the middle with the Biomax on top of it to hold it in place. I'm guessing that you had the floss at the top of the basket and thats why it went everywhere?

 

[Gazoo]

From the bottom up: one and a half sponges, BioMax and filter floss.

 

[MHunt]

I just have two filter sponges, and a floss insert in the middle, works ok for me. I do use carbon in my goldfishes tank, keeps the water clearer.

 

[Tolak]

Some have a sponge & biomax, some have a sponge & floss, some have only sponges.

 

[guppymonkey]

I tried putting the floss on the bottom and that didn't work very well, it would squish out the sides and get wrapped around the filter plate. Then I tried on top and it would float out into the tank (god that was a mess). I think I just had bad luck with it if everyone else seems to have done well with the floss. I use it in my Whisper filters but they are not that great to begin with.

 

[Tolak]

I tried putting the floss on the bottom and that didn't work very well, it would squish out the sides and get wrapped around the filter plate. Then I tried on top and it would float out into the tank (god that was a mess). I think I just had bad luck with it if everyone else seems to have done well with the floss. I use it in my Whisper filters but they are not that great to begin with.

Try wrapping the floss under the sides of the sponge in a sort of inverted U. The media holder pins it to the sponge.

You could also try putting floss in media bags. Or you can be cheap like me, save the netting from bags of onions, and use that for media bags.

 

[Alps]

just two sponges in an aquaclear 20, it fills it up.

 

[VidVid]

I have an aquaclear 70 for my 40 gal....i hav in there a spnge, ammonia remover bag and a carbon bag just to make the water clearer and to get rid of some of the tannins leaking out of my newly placed drifwood....i used the biomax the first 3 months when the tank was new...after that, i just use the spnge, ammonia and carbon changing them simutaneously as to not rid of the beneficial bacteria.