Filter media

[jessipanda]

Long story short, my filter has had carbon media in it and I've been reading that this is not so great, especially for a planted tank? I've been looking into peat moss as an alternative, but what else is there?

Thanks

 

[ScotJudd]

Hi there.
You don't really need carbon in a filter unless you're cleaning up the water after using medication, that's the reason you have to remove Carbon when treating a tank, it absorbs the medication.
A good surface area for bacteria to grow on is all that's needed but the filter will also trap debris, so it serves two functions. I run my filters so that the water first goes through a course filter, bio-balls or ceramic tubes, then course foam, then fine foam and finally a layer of filter floss. Obviously you don't need exactly what I have but hopefully you get the idea.
If you are using the carbon to polish up the water and remove tannins from the water, normally leached out of bogwood, then I would recommend Purigen as the final stage of filtration. It really makes the water sparkle.
Hope that's of some help.


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[jessipanda]

Lol I'm not using the carbon foe anything specific. I'm a n00b that learned to use carbon from people who don't know anything about fish keeping.

What are bio-balls and ceramic tubes? Is peat moss not good for filter media?

I have a 55g planted community tank that's healthy and cycled. Just looking for info on replacing the carbon media, where/what to buy, and how to go about transferring without losing my bb.

 

[libertybelle]

Lol I'm not using the carbon foe anything specific. I'm a n00b that learned to use carbon from people who don't know anything about fish keeping.

What are bio-balls and ceramic tubes? Is peat moss not good for filter media?

I have a 55g planted community tank that's healthy and cycled. Just looking for info on replacing the carbon media, where/what to buy, and how to go about transferring without losing my bb.

peat moss is used to lower the pH/soften your water

Perhaps this will help?

bio-balls /ceramic tubes are a type of biological media with a high surface area to give bacteria a place to colonize.

Some people just take out the carbon and run the tank with mechanical/biological filtration. I personally use purigen as an alternative to carbon. It absorbs more organics, doesn't absorb any fertilizers and can be recharged.

 

[Laeris]

+1 on Purigen. I have a handful of ceramic bio rings under a bag of Purigen under polishing floss (tell a lie, it's quilt batting-economical and does the same thing).

 

[jessipanda]

Just looked up purigen and that sounds great. When you say it can be recharged, what does that mean? Also, how would I set up my filter if I used it?

The part in red is just a loose piece of quilt batting that I've been using to collect the big stuff where the water enters the filter. I rinse that in old tank water about twice a month/every other water change.
The green square are my 4 filters currently filled with old carbon that probably isn't doing anything. The sleeves for these are made with the same quilt batting.
The blue is a porous sponge that came with the filter. Not sure why it would be placed in the area where the water goes last before re-entering the tank... :?

I'd like to set this up in the best way possible with losing as little bb as possible (of course).

That's why I've come to you all for help! Thank you for all the info and advice thus far. It's definitely an educational experience and my daughter is eager to learn what I've learned.

 

[ScotJudd]

Just looked up purigen and that sounds great. When you say it can be recharged, what does that mean? Also, how would I set up my filter if I used it?

The part in red is just a loose piece of quilt batting that I've been using to collect the big stuff where the water enters the filter. I rinse that in old tank water about twice a month/every other water change.
The green square are my 4 filters currently filled with old carbon that probably isn't doing anything. The sleeves for these are made with the same quilt batting.
The blue is a porous sponge that came with the filter. Not sure why it would be placed in the area where the water goes last before re-entering the tank... :?

I'd like to set this up in the best way possible with losing as little bb as possible (of course).

That's why I've come to you all for help! Thank you for all the info and advice thus far. It's definitely an educational experience and my daughter is eager to learn what I've learned.

Hi again.
Looking at your filter it looks like you have 4 bags of carbon, certainly 4 different filters. There is a fine filter, floss, on the input and a final sponge filter, shaped by the manufacturer to fit the filter. This will make changing over to another media quite easy.
I would change one of the carbon bags for a piece of sponge cut to fit that compartment. Do this to another compartment about 2 weeks later and then the third after another couple of weeks. The final compartment could be fitted with sponge or a pouch of Purigen. It might be that the Purigen is too small to fit in on its own so you could fit the final compartment with a sponge that has a cut out the size of the Purigen pouch. The sponge would then hold it in place.
I would leave the final manufacturers sponge as it fits so neatly.
I would have thought that having floss on the inlet would clog quite often but if you are willing to clean it or replace it regularly then that's fine. You might at some point replace it with a course sponge.
The whole idea is to provide a lot of surface area and a good flow of water.
Changing the filter pads over to sponges one at a time, with two week gaps, should not prove to be a problem and I would very much doubt that you would have a mini-cycle. Just feed cautiously for the couple of days after adding a new sponge.
Your filter doesn't look like it's suitable for bio-balls or ceramic tubes, that's normally more appropriate in a larger external canister filter. It's difficult to see as I don't know the dimensions of the compartments. However, sponges are a very good media.
Just a word on recharging Purigen. It can be done by soaking in bleach for some time, rinsing, dechorinating, rinsing again etc. This is not my idea of fun. I don't recharge Purigen, many do. Once I have the pouch, when exhausted (it turns from cream to very dark brown), I ship off one end, refill it from a large tub and reseal it with a long food snap shut tie. The larger tubs work out much cheaper than keep buying pouches, but not as cheap as recharging. It's personal choice.


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[jessipanda]

Hi again.
Looking at your filter it looks like you have 4 bags of carbon, certainly 4 different filters. There is a fine filter, floss, on the input and a final sponge filter, shaped by the manufacturer to fit the filter. This will make changing over to another media quite easy.
I would change one of the carbon bags for a piece of sponge cut to fit that compartment. Do this to another compartment about 2 weeks later and then the third after another couple of weeks. The final compartment could be fitted with sponge or a pouch of Purigen. It might be that the Purigen is too small to fit in on its own so you could fit the final compartment with a sponge that has a cut out the size of the Purigen pouch. The sponge would then hold it in place.
I would leave the final manufacturers sponge as it fits so neatly.
I would have thought that having floss on the inlet would clog quite often but if you are willing to clean it or replace it regularly then that's fine. You might at some point replace it with a course sponge.
The whole idea is to provide a lot of surface area and a good flow of water.
Changing the filter pads over to sponges one at a time, with two week gaps, should not prove to be a problem and I would very much doubt that you would have a mini-cycle. Just feed cautiously for the couple of days after adding a new sponge.
Your filter doesn't look like it's suitable for bio-balls or ceramic tubes, that's normally more appropriate in a larger external canister filter. It's difficult to see as I don't know the dimensions of the compartments. However, sponges are a very good media.
Just a word on recharging Purigen. It can be done by soaking in bleach for some time, rinsing, dechorinating, rinsing again etc. This is not my idea of fun. I don't recharge Purigen, many do. Once I have the pouch, when exhausted (it turns from cream to very dark brown), I ship off one end, refill it from a large tub and reseal it with a long food snap shut tie. The larger tubs work out much cheaper than keep buying pouches, but not as cheap as recharging. It's personal choice.


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They are 4 different filters, but the compartment they're in can be one big open area, including the spot where the loose batting is (where the water comes into the filter). Also, the loose batting is so loose, it lets most things right through. It just catches the big stuff. The carbon filters are made from fine quilt batting, which is currently the home to most of the bb.

I like the idea of sponges in there though. The compartment is quite deep, so I could do layering of some sort too. With sponges, what type should I buy? Would the cheap dollar store dish sponges work, or does it need to be special sponge like the one what came with the filter?

Also, thanks for the info on recharging the purigen. I'd probably just replace it to play it safe.

 

[libertybelle]

dish sponges are often treated with anti microbial products which is the exact opposite of what you want not to mention not being the right density. For those I would just go to any fish store and find large sponges then you can cut them into whatever size you want. Something like this.

I can't really tell from your picture how much space/ depth is in those filter compartments but you could easy cut sponge to fill them all or pick up a bag of biomax or some other biological filtration to put in one compartment.

It's up to you about whether you think recharging purigen is worth the effort. I do it because I find it incredibly easy not to mention cost efficient. I've been running (by alternating) the same 2 purigen pouches I bought when I started the tank years ago and they work good as new.

I use a mason jar (any kind of jar/tupperware will do) for the process which makes it super easy. When the pouch gets dark I put it in the mason jar with 50% bleach overnight. Shake it every once in a while so all the beads get exposed. If the pouch was particularly nasty sometimes i replace the bleach in the morning shake again and let it soak during the day too until its sparkly white again.

Rinse well in tap water to get out most of the bleach then add water/prime to the jar. I don't even use as much prime as they recommend. I use about 5x dosage then leave it till the next day. Sometimes I leave it a couple days because i get lazy or forget...

Purigen isn't supposed to dry out entirely so I then drain it and toss it into a ziplock bag for a few weeks until the purigen in the filter is ready to be recharged. At this point it's been sitting damp for a couple weeks so even if there WAS any residual beach it would have broken down, but just for my peace of mind I always do a water change the day i add fresh purigen. So there is prime in the tank too. Completely unnecessary, but it makes me feel better to have that extra safety net.

lol, super easy, and you have sparkly new purigen for the price of bleach and a few drops of prime.

 

[jessipanda]

dish sponges are often treated with anti microbial products which is the exact opposite of what you want not to mention not being the right density. For those I would just go to any fish store and find large sponges then you can cut them into whatever size you want. Something like this.

Glad I asked!

I can't really tell from your picture how much space/ depth is in those filter compartments but you could easy cut sponge to fill them all or pick up a bag of biomax or some other biological filtration to put in one compartment.

It's a HOB tetratec pf300, which has a 300gph flow rate and a HUGE compartment--14"L x 8"W x 9"D. I have plenty of room to do pretty much anything in there lol. The area with the carbon bags I made is about 10"L x 5.5"W x 9"D, and the area with the included sponge is only about 2-3"D.

So I was thinking of putting the sponges near the back where the water enters to pick up the big stuffs, then the purigen/biomax in front of that, and then some fine quilt batting in the separate front compartment where the sponge currently is. Does that sound right..? Just trying to make sure I understand how this all works....lol

It's up to you about whether you think recharging purigen is worth the effort. I do it because I find it incredibly easy not to mention cost efficient. I've been running (by alternating) the same 2 purigen pouches I bought when I started the tank years ago and they work good as new.

I use a mason jar (any kind of jar/tupperware will do) for the process which makes it super easy. When the pouch gets dark I put it in the mason jar with 50% bleach overnight. Shake it every once in a while so all the beads get exposed. If the pouch was particularly nasty sometimes i replace the bleach in the morning shake again and let it soak during the day too until its sparkly white again.

Rinse well in tap water to get out most of the bleach then add water/prime to the jar. I don't even use as much prime as they recommend. I use about 5x dosage then leave it till the next day. Sometimes I leave it a couple days because i get lazy or forget...

Purigen isn't supposed to dry out entirely so I then drain it and toss it into a ziplock bag for a few weeks until the purigen in the filter is ready to be recharged. At this point it's been sitting damp for a couple weeks so even if there WAS any residual beach it would have broken down, but just for my peace of mind I always do a water change the day i add fresh purigen. So there is prime in the tank too. Completely unnecessary, but it makes me feel better to have that extra safety net.

lol, super easy, and you have sparkly new purigen for the price of bleach and a few drops of prime.

You make it sound so easy! I'm just worried I'll do something wrong and kill my fishies (>﹏

 

[Laeris]

Play on the side of caution, two days of soaking in Prime and fresh water for each day.

 

[jessipanda]

Play on the side of caution, two days of soaking in Prime and fresh water for each day.

:thumbup:

 

[libertybelle]

Play on the side of caution, two days of soaking in Prime and fresh water for each day.

agreed. The only reason I don't sweat how much / how long I use prime is because I know it's going into a plastic bag for a month where any residual chlorine will dissipate over time so I have that built in protection to make it easier.

 

[libertybelle]

So I was thinking of putting the sponges near the back where the water enters to pick up the big stuffs, then the purigen/biomax in front of that, and then some fine quilt batting in the separate front compartment where the sponge currently is. Does that sound right..? Just trying to make sure I understand how this all works....lol

(>﹏

If you can tell which order the water is flowing through the compartments here's what you want it to hit

First) coarse media (sponges)
2) any fine media (batting, smaller pore sponges etc) Note - this will probably need to be switched out more frequently to prevent slowing down the flow of your filter.
3)chemical media (whichever you choose carbon, purigen, any ammonia removing pads etc)
4)biological media (biomax etc)

 

[jessipanda]

If you can tell which order the water is flowing through the compartments here's what you want it to hit

First) coarse media (sponges)
2) any fine media (batting, smaller pore sponges etc) Note - this will probably need to be switched out more frequently to prevent slowing down the flow of your filter.
3)chemical media (whichever you choose carbon, purigen, any ammonia removing pads etc)
4)biological media (biomax etc)

Awesome! Thanks!

 

[PB_Smith]

If you can tell which order the water is flowing through the compartments here's what you want it to hit

First) coarse media (sponges)
2) any fine media (batting, smaller pore sponges etc) Note - this will probably need to be switched out more frequently to prevent slowing down the flow of your filter.
3)chemical media (whichever you choose carbon, purigen, any ammonia removing pads etc)
4)biological media (biomax etc)

exactly

 

[PB_Smith]

side note about Purigen.
It works great and recharging it is relatively easy.
BUT it really isn't a complete replacement for quality carbon as they pull different things from the water. Seachem recommends using it in conjunction with carbon for the best effect. Because of it's affinity for organic/nitrogenous compounds, metals and other substances are not picked up by Purigen.
Personally I have had the best results in fresh water by using Chemi-Pure (carbon & ion exchange resins) and Purigen together as they do different things and compliment one another rather well.

 

[Fresh2o]

Quick question: The Indian almond leaves and Malaysian DW produce quite a bit of tannins in my shrimp tank. I understand Purigen will remove the tannins. Will it also remove any beneficial substances (from the IAL and DW) as well?


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[PB_Smith]

Quick question: The Indian almond leaves and Malaysian DW produce quite a bit of tannins in my shrimp tank. I understand Purigen will remove the tannins. Will it also remove any beneficial substances (from the IAL and DW) as well?


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Ideally it doesn't, it does do great job of clearing up tannins in the water, but you may want to consider carbon instead to initially clear it up so you don't have to recharge the Purigen right away.....LOL

 

[Fresh2o]

Ideally it doesn't, it does do great job of clearing up tannins in the water, but you may want to consider carbon instead to initially clear it up so you don't have to recharge the Purigen right away.....LOL

Thanks for the response. I do have some carbon lying around (came with the filters; never used it) so I will give that a try. Here's to clearer water!


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