what kind of media to put in my filter?

[abelman]

I have had a 72 gal. freshwater tank for some time with an Eheim 2028 cannister filter. (I have a variety of fish in my tank, including parrots, silver dollars, black ghost, underwater frogs, star bay corys, and spotted puffers)

I have found over time that everyone I ask for guidance as to what I should be filling the filter baskets with, gives me a different story. I've tried a variety of filter media, and I now have macaroni type media (i think they're called Ehfimech) in the bottom basket, Ehfisubstrat (biological matter) + activated carbon in the middle basket, and ChemiPure + AmmoChips in the top basket. The filter also has a coarse filter pad in the bottom basket and a softer filter pad in the top basket.

Since I've been having some trouble with the water quality lately (high ammonia and nitrite, and poor water clarity), I've been advised to purchase an additional filter to supplement the Eheim that I already have. Right now, I'm looking at the Filstar XP3 since it seems pretty powerful, easy to use, and cheap.

I was hoping for any suggestions related to the above, expecially with regard to the type of media that I should (or should not) be using in my Eheim filter, as well as in the additional cannister filter that I plan on purchasing.

thanks for your help

 

[OrionGirl]

The first thing is to determine which type of filtration you need and want. Biological filtration, which consists of the bacteria that deal with wastes, and the media that support them, are first in importance. The noodles, as well as sponges, act as biological media. The bacteria colonize the media, and live there happily, but can be disturbed, or injured, in a number of ways. Disturbance consists of cleaning the media with chlorine/bleach. Replacing them too often (instead of rinsing with treated water and re-using) will also constitute a disturbance. Medications, including antibiotics, will kill the bacteria, and should be used with caution. Chemical filtration, such as the ammo-lock, can compete with the bacteria for food and reduce the colony size. This becomes a problem when the chemical media is expired, and the bacteria colonies are too small to handle the full load.

For chemical filtration, in most tanks, very little is required full time. The problem with most of the chemical media is that they have a limited lifespan, after which they cease to perform as chemical media and just become additional biological media--removing the depleted chemical filtration, without adequate biological filtration creates the same problem--rising ammonia/nitrite levels.

Mechanical filtration is sometimes combined with the above, and cause cause a problem. Mechanical media, like sponges and filter floss, trap solid wastes. Over industrious cleaning or replacement will impact the biological filtration, as well.

So--I think you have enough filtration, but I suspect that it is not being maintained appropriately. What all do you do as maintenance, timelines, etc?

 

[abelman]

I think that I am looking for a good balance between biological and mechanical filtration. What I would like to know is how much of each I should ideally be using (considering that i will be operating two large cannister filters), what types of media to use for each, and how often they should be rinsed or replaced.

Also can I get your input on the following additives that I generally used after water changes:
stress zyme
stress coat
ammo lock
cycle


And how about these media additives, which I have in my filter:
activated carbon
ChemiPure
Ammo Chips

thanks again

 

[abelman]

Originally posted by OrionGirl
So--I think you have enough filtration, but I suspect that it is not being maintained appropriately. What all do you do as maintenance, timelines, etc? [/B]

I've been doing partial water changes every couple of weeks, and lightly rinsing my filter pads and media about once a month

 

[OrionGirl]

How was the tank cycled? How old is it?

It sounds like the chemical media has been dealing with most of the ammonia, but is now wearing out and the bacteria colonies are trying to play catch up. I would quit using th additives to the water, other than as needed to address chlorine/cloramine issues. I would also phase out the chemical filtration, which means you'll need to test and do large water changes to prevent ammonia and nitrites from becoming toxic until the bacteria colonies get large enough.

For that: prefilters of floss or sponge, and the ceramic noodles. Rinse the floss or sponges very well with each water change, and only rinse the noodles lightly to remove any solid wastes, if needed.

 

[abelman]

the tank is about 3 years old.

What types of media would you recommend - I will need to fill two cannisters with 3 baskets in each
thanks

 

[abelman]

I was wondering if anyone could recommend what media I should use to fill my 2 cannister filters (with 3 baskets in each) for my 72 gallon freshwater tank.
thanks

 

[OrionGirl]

I would use sponges or polyfill in the first stage, and then put noodles in the last 2. This way, you have mechanical filtration that can be cleaned often, and one set biological filtration can be rinsed each week, alternating back and forth.

Can you identify what caused the ammonia spike?

 

[TKOS]

My tanks have been running for over a year and the one I set up for my parents has been running for over 3 years. Just to let you know I use only sponges and polyester filter wool. I sometimes add water conditioner to take out chlorine but generally off gas my water.

Adding cycle to a cycled tank is a wste of money. As Orion Girl mentioned a healthy tank with a healthy bacterial load will take care of any ammonia unless something drastic happens. I assume your bacterial load is actually quite a lot lower than it should be since you use ammo lock and those ammonia chips. I would definately reserve that stuff for emergencies only. Plus a good water change will be much cheaper and more effective at getting rid of excess ammonia and nitrites in the water.

 

[RobUK]

I have found in my setup.....

Course foam (mechanical)
Ceramic rings (boilogical)
Activated Carbon (Chemical, but mainly for clearer water)
Wool/Soft foam stuff (if water very looks a bit tainted.

I normally rinse the foam in tank water about once a fortnight, Havent touched the ceramic stuff or carbon in nearly 3months. The wool is just removed and binned after about a week or untill water is clear (whichever is sooner)

Remeber aswell as your filter, your substrate is where alot of bacterial colonies can grow so over intensive "gravel vacing/cleaning" can kill of bacteria

Hope that helps