Whisper Bio-Foam filter needed?

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Gundy

Aquarium Advice Activist
Joined
Jun 13, 2007
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Kansas
Well this is probably a simple question. I aquired a 20 gallon tall from my work, and it came with everything except a whisper bio-foam filter.

http://www.drsfostersmith.com/Product/Prod_Display.cfm?pcatid=12736&N=2004+113804

It has the filter cartridge ( white filter ) but not the foam. Is this required? My LFS's don't have any instock either and online looks like my only source at the moment if this item is required.

What benefits does it give if its not needed? My other 20 gallons have them, because they came with the kit filters. It just looks like it gives the bacteria something to colonize on..?
 
I don't think it is required, but I prefer that style of cartridge personally. The black foam cartridges allow the foam to hold biological filtration (bacteria). This allows you to throw away the physical/chemical filtration pack behind it without causing an ammonia spike. Never throw away or rinse the black foam with tap water. Rinse it with tank water at least once a month.

Here is the whole kit. (The foam here is blue, but its the same thing)

The other option is the white chemical filled bag style which I've found does not work as well. It does not have a biological sponge so you have to be carefull about ever replacing the media.

Finally, you can also get a media bag and just build your own filter media how you like it for a lot cheaper. Be sure to have a mechanical filter pad and a biological element like ceramic rings. Chemical filtration is optional, I prefer carbon but others don't like it, its your choice. However, avoid chemical ammonia/nitrite removers as they will starve the biological filtration you are trying to build.

If you build with a rough foam pad for mechanical filtration like you linked, rinse that with tap water to clean it. Don't throw it away. Chemical filtration and Filter floss should be replaced at cleaning time. NEVER throw away biological media or rinse it with tap water. Alway rinse it with tank water.

This is the process that most canister filters use, your just fitting it into a smaller filter.

Rough Mechanical Filtration - Course Foam Pad, The water should hit this first
Biological Filtration - Usually Ceramic, The water should hit this second - put this in the media bag
Chemical Filtration - Activated Carbon, optional, should be third, you can also stack the media two media bags if your hurting for space - put this in a seperate media bag (you can rinse this bag at cleaning time with tap water)
Light Mechanical Filtration (water polisher) - Filter Floss, optional, this should be last.
 
Wow, the kit you linked looks like what I need. I have separate cartridges - as in a regular filter cartridge and then the bio-foam piece that goes in front of it. I have never rinsed nor cleaned the black bio foam, I figured it held what was keeping my aquarium stable. I guess I need to find somewhere to get a foam cartridge for this new tank then.

If I use a bio-foam from one of my established tanks, will it stay cycled correctly - so I can use that media for the new tank? And what about picking up some foam from the LFS, and just use it as the bio-foam filter.. Kind of like making my own, except without the fancy plastic holding piece.. Just a small piece of foam..

I guess I will have to find a store that carries that item, shipping is 10$! Just for a small pack of 4.
 
Yeah, you can buy almost any brand of that foam. Even if its the wrong size, you can cut it. Rena makes them for their XP series, its kinda thick though, may be hard to thin it out. I would bet you can find it thinner though.

You don't want to take all your bio media from your established tank, but taking some of it will make it cycle in days so you can add fish sooner.
 
I hate to sound newbish, but what type of foam should I look for. Any brand that mentions just bio-foam? Biological/mechanical?
 
Nah, actually the foam can be used as bio or mechanical depending on how you clean it really. If your using it as bio-filter than it needs to be behind some mechanical filter system (like in that kit), and you never want to clean it with anything more than tank water. If you using it as mechanical filtration, put it up front to catch large debris and clean it with pressurized tap water.

I really would reccomend using it as a mechanical filter and use a media bag with ceramic right behind it. Ceramic will hold more bacteria than the foam will.
 
Thats them, there are several brands, they all work. Doesn't have to be a big bag, they aren't as big as you think. I crammed 5 of them into a whisper in-tank air powered filter for a 2 gallon tank. The whole filter is no more than 1" x 2" x 4". 15 to 20 rings would handle a 20 gallon tank easy. If your using the filter I think you are, then you should be able to stuff em in behind the mechanical pad, right before the water hits the overflow.\

EDIT: Look at the pic at the top of this page. Is that the kind of filter you have? They are using ceramic cubes (I think they are ceramic, but it doesn't really matter they are designed to hold bacteria) there, but that will work too.
 
Yes that is my filter, except its not a clear housing - its just flat black. Has the same flow nozzle thing to on the intake tube. They indeed do look smaller then what I expected, perfect!

I will pick some up this weekend and throw them in.

I swear I have seen some of these sitting in peoples tanks on the gravel. I thought it was on this forum even.. Anyways, I appreciate the fast responses, and great information! You are a big help.
 
Well the filter gets more water flow so you get better filtration in the filter, but bacteria grows everywhere in the tank, so if you want em on the substrate, you can do that too. The advantage to the rings/stars/cubes is that their porous nature gives 1 of them more surface area than your entire tank and everything in it. More surface area means more bacteria.

And don't forget, you still need a mechanical filter as well.
 
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