cheap media alternatives

[Naws]

i purchased a used eheim 2213 canister filter and i need to replace the media,

the replacement media is pretty expensive and will come out to over $50, i am on a budget so is there any ideas on how i can get it for cheaper?

can i just wash some of the old media to disinfect it and reuse it, or can i put some other cheap materials in there to substitute the official eheim stuff?

thanks, btw i have a 33 gallon tank

 

[roka64]

Is this for SW or FW and what type of media?
How old is the filter?

 

[Naws]

this is a FW tank, the media in the filter already is the standard media thats recommended in the manual - a mix of substrat and different filter pads
the filter is one year old

 

[jsoong]

This is for FW only:

I never change the media unless it is falling apart. All you need to do is to rinse the media out in some tank water, & reuse. <You don't want to sterilize the media .... that kills the biobug.>

For a canister, you can use generic filter floss <polyester batts> or coarse filter foam for your mechanical filtration. <Big Al's sell big sheet of generic filter foam that you cut to fit.>

For your biological filtration, you can skip the expensive ceramic stuff & use (inactivated) carbon. Carbon has a lot of pores & large surface area for the bacteria to grow on. After activated carbon is in your tank for a few weeks, it is essentially inert. As long as you don't have anything nasty in the tank during that time (say meds, chemicals, etc.) that you don't want to risk the carbon leaching back out, you can keep the carbon indefinitely as your bio-media. <You do need to change it whenever you add meds & stuff .... it is NOT as inert as the ceramics.>

You should not need to run chemical filtration unless treating something.

Some people use plastic pot scrubbers as their media. But because those are not compact, it is doable only in large canisters .... it is better used in a wet/dry. <If you want to try this, make sure you find ones without soap, mildewcide or other chemical treatment!!!>

 

[Naws]

the reason i wanted to switch the media is because the previous owners' fish died so i dont want a possible disease contaminating my tank - do you think this is a reasonable concern or should i just reuse the media

 

[CaptainAhab]

If I bought it used I'd throw out everything. What filter do you have now?

 

[Naws]

its an eheim 2213

so i can get some generic filter pads at big als, how about the carbon, where can i get that

 

[kribensis12]

No, he means, do you have ANOTHER filter? If not, throwing out all the media can and will cuase your fish stress, and may kill them.

 

[Naws]

oh, i am starting a new aquarium, but going to use a used filter that i just bought, no fish yet, thats why i dont know if i should risk using the old media

 

[CaptainAhab]

Let me be more clear. Is this filter for a new tank? Replacing a filter that you already have on an existing tank? To be used as an additional filter?

I ask because if it's replacing a another filter you can use the media from the old (being replaced) filter as media (or to supplement) the media in the new filter.

If it's adding additional filtration then you can just start with all new media as the old filter will still handle the load as this one ramps up.

If it's for a new tank then you'll need to cycle the tank anyway which would house in the new media.

Either way I would throw all the media out and clean the canister really well unless you know exactly what kind of tank and conditions it came from. Also, if you haven't kept it running then the bacteria colony is probably dead and the stench is probably building up.

 

[CaptainAhab]

Toss the media, buy new. Clean it really really well (the entire canister and tubes) and cycle your tank.

 

[Naws]

i am starting a new tank, my first one actually, i don't have any other filters or any other tanks

thanks for the help guys, still looking for more ideas for cheap media to use

 

[CaptainAhab]

Take the time to read up on how to cycle a tank too

 

[Naws]

thank,

any more ideas on how to get a cheap media setup?

 

[jsoong]

its an eheim 2213

so i can get some generic filter pads at big als, how about the carbon, where can i get that

Any lfs will have activated carbon ...

If you are using a used filter & you are starting a tank from scratch, then I would suggest throwing out all the old media.

An exception might be the ceramic rings (the Substath or whatever they call it) ... If you can autoclave it (pressure cooker) you can prob get rid of all the bugs .... but NOT if there had been chemical contamination. It is up to you if you want to save $30 & take the risk .... <or go cheap & substitute $5's worth of carbon for the rings.>

 

[Telek]

The problem with carbon, from what I understand, is the pores are too small and it gets clogged and dirty really fast. "Real" filter media has much larger pores and larger media chunks in order to avoid just that. Try taking a bag of carbon out that has been in a filter for a month and rinse it - look at how disgusting and solid green/brown the water is and how long it takes to get it rinsed out. All that is blocking the media. Now do the same with "real" filter media: there is not nearly as much.