Attn Emperor filter Owners. Question on Media

[JamesMJ2]

I have an Emperor 280, and I don't use the Rite-Size E cartridges anymore. I have a planted tank. I have been stuffing the media container full of polyester pillow stuffing. Which works pretty good. Only problem is I don't have anything to catch large particulate. I don't have any coarse media. If something like fish poop gets taken into the filter it get stuck behind the media container since the openings are pretty tiny. So can anyone please suggest something I can use for coarse media, something that will fit behind the media container(which is closest to the outfall) and something I can rinse and reuse a few times. I need it to catch large gunk.
Thanks in advance,
James.

 

[Allivymar]

I grabbed some Aquaclear foam inserts for my Emperor400 instead of using those expensive proprietory premade filter inserts. I bought the largest ones, and cut them to size (I had to double the foam so it would fit widthwise, but it seems to be working). Keep you eye out for a foam insert that will fit into the space with a little trimming and that should do you fine

 

[JamesMJ2]

I was thinking of using the TetraTec coarse pad. Or going super ghetto style and just fill the box with stuffing and trying that. Which size AquaClear?

 

[loganj]

Here's what I have done in the past with these filters...only because I'm too cheap to pay for new cartridges . Get a couple of old Rite Size carts and tear the blue floss off of them, dump the carbon, and rinse the black frame off. Then, go to Wal Mart and buy a roll of quilt batting...make sure it doesn't have any anti fungal agents added to it...some of it does. Cut a piece that will overlap the frame by about 1" all the way around and secure it to the frame with rubber bands. Works just as well as the factory carts and you can put any kind of chemical media you want to inside.

 

[peterp]

I bought a kit from Tetra products called Bio Cartridge at BigAl's last year.
It contained 2 plastic frames, 12 media bags and 12 packets of carbon.

You put a media bag over a frame, empty a packet into it and put on the closing tabs. Works very well(and it seems the media bags can be cleaned a few times, and refilled from a bulk box of carbon )

The kit I bought was for the penguin 160,300 and autoflow 1 & 2.

 

[JamesMJ2]

I think I like your idea the best Logan. The stuffing in the media container is fairly compact so it will catch smaller stuff. I don't actually use any chemical media in my tank. I the plants seem to take care of that filtration. Thanks to everyone BTW for answearing back.

 

[Scottw68TN]

You can also get the poly fiber sheets from http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_Display.cfm?siteid=6&pCatId=4231 pretty cheap 312 sq inches for 3.69. or 8 4x12 pads for 4.29 They make you do the math on those it comes to 384 sq. inches.

 

[TankGirl]

I would go with the Aquaclear foam sponges, as they are coarse and will catch the big stuff, as it sounds like you have the polyfiber stuff to catch the small matter. I use them as a prefilter over my intake for catching sand, and you can get them in a variety of sizes.