Open Cell Foam for Canister Filter

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WhiteCloud

Aquarium Advice Freak
Joined
Sep 17, 2004
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I had heard that people are adding "Open-Cell Foam" or Fine Foam to their canister Filters.

I have been unable to find a supply of this. I would like to put this filter media between my Corse sponge and my Bio Media Ceramic rings.

Does anyone know where I can find some of this onlines as I have checked every LFS in a 60 mile radius and no one carries it.

Thanks,

Steve Charles
 
What kind of filter is it? Bigalsonline.com has great prices on all kinds of foam media, but it helps to know what kind you have, so it will fit.

I have Eheim filters and a Rena Filstar filter, and I use coarse foam, fine foam, ceramic rings and floss. The foam gets reused over and over, but the floss gets replaced often.
 
The Filter is a Penn Plax Cascade Canister 1500.

There is no open cell foam that specifically made for this filter. So I am kinda looking for a "cut-your-own" sheet to the size I need (roughly 5 x 7 as a guess).

I will check Big Als in the meantime.

Thanks!
 
I think I was the one that brought up the open cell foam thing.
A uplostery shop is where I read some get it. Sometimes you can get free scrapes. Wish I would have bookmarked that site. Saw pics of a large diy filter using foam like is used in sofa cushions. It is finer than the fine foam that comes with filters.
 
Has anyone used Poly Fill for pillows founds at most stores? I thought about trying it as a cheap replacable filter media, but I was concerned it might have chemicals in it. Anyone ever tried it?
 
I use that pillow stuffing/batting regularly. It is apparently just the same, and I can't tell a difference. It is a whole lot cheaper, and I go through a lot of it with various tanks.
 
You have to be careful with that polyester/cotton "batting" . There are different manufacturing methods used for that stuff then there is for the stuff for aquarium filter floss. It looks the same and might feel the same, but it is not made using the same methods. It's a hit and miss scenario - you might be able to find batting that has no negative impact on your fish, but you may also unintentionally kill your entire tank... if you tried the batting and it hasn't harmed your fish, I would not try any other brand. The aquarium "batting" is manufactured a specific way as to not pose a poisoning hazard to aquatic life, and as such would be the only stuff I'd suggest using.

Another problem is, if you find a brand of pillow stuffing that you've already used and has not had a negative impact on your fish, their manufacturing methods are always subject to change without notice.... so it might be ok one day and not okay the next and you'd never know. Also, the same brand of batting manufactured in colorado by a company may not be manufactured exactly the same as that name brand of batting from the same company in oregon, if that company has more than one manufacturing plant.

Sorry to be so long winded, but to summarize, if you've used the stuff with no ill effects I would consider yourself lucky, and if you haven't then I would suggest not starting.
 
Well, I reckon I do consider myself lucky, then, jake! Thanks for the warning, and when it comes to my tanks I would rather err on the side of caution - not worth replacing my tank inhabitants to save a few sheckels a year, lol!
 
Thanks for the info everyone.

Rena Filstar Filters looks like they use 2 types of foam....Foam 20 and Foam 30 (the finer foam). I am going to take a ruler to LFS and measure to see if the foam 30 size my work in the Penn Plax Cascade 1500. If not...looks like I will stick the the Penn Plax Bio Floss as my mechanical filter.

I don't dare to try the furniture scraps at this point....sounds way to hit or miss for me.

Steve
 
WhiteCldOutlaw said:
I don't dare to try the furniture scraps at this point....sounds way to hit or miss for me.

Steve

It is...most foams are impregnated ith an anti-fungal during manufacturing, and usually, the shops don't know this, or cannot tell you which foams have been. I know a couple of experienced aquarists that lost a truckload of fish by using the wrong foams.
 
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