malonbl
Aquarium Advice Activist
Had no idea that bio-media existed until I started reading about filtration. I currently have a 29 gallon tank in an early cycle. Have an aqueon quiet flow HOB filter with the "standard issue" carbon filled sponge currently in the tank.
After doing a bit of reading and asking questions here, I know that I need to improve this set up.
Please tell me if this is a good plan
I plan to get a pre-filter sponge to place over the intake to capture large particulate matter. I plan to stuff the left inside compartment of the filter with pillow batting to capture additional, smaller particulate matter (thanks to Threnjen for these 2 recommendations). The right side of my filter currently houses the manufacturer's carbon filled filter. I plan to replace this with some sort of biomedia. I have read that porous, rough ceramic rings are better than the plastic balls that are sold. Can these be used in an HOB filter or are they too heavy? Would I just place them in a mesh bag down into the right side of the filter?
If all of this sounds reasonable, would it be wise to keep the current filter pad in the tank for a while to "seed" the bio-media (even though I am barely even registering ammonia at this time)?
After doing a bit of reading and asking questions here, I know that I need to improve this set up.
Please tell me if this is a good plan
I plan to get a pre-filter sponge to place over the intake to capture large particulate matter. I plan to stuff the left inside compartment of the filter with pillow batting to capture additional, smaller particulate matter (thanks to Threnjen for these 2 recommendations). The right side of my filter currently houses the manufacturer's carbon filled filter. I plan to replace this with some sort of biomedia. I have read that porous, rough ceramic rings are better than the plastic balls that are sold. Can these be used in an HOB filter or are they too heavy? Would I just place them in a mesh bag down into the right side of the filter?
If all of this sounds reasonable, would it be wise to keep the current filter pad in the tank for a while to "seed" the bio-media (even though I am barely even registering ammonia at this time)?