Jebo 825 Canister
Coarse pad on top
Other than that I have filter wool pads and ceramic noodles
There is an interesting thread on this very topic here
www.fishforum.com.au |Aquariums|Discus|ADA|Fish|:: View topic - New Filter Media
I have cut the most interesting bit
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The placing of filter material is specific to positioning within the filter based on the design of what each type of media is there for..
The Bottom Basket should contain:
Ceramic Noodles followed by 1 of the course sponges.
The purpose of this is based on Mechanical Filtration. The larger ceramic noodles actually break up the water flow, to allow the water to flow through the media more evenly.. The Course Sponge prevents the larger waste particals from passing throught to the Bio-Logical Media.
Second/Middle Basket:
Second Sponge Filter Pad followed by Bio-Logical Substrate - ie: Seachem Matrix, JBL Micro Mec, Ehfi-substrate
This is where most of the Bio-Logical activity lives to convert Ammonia to Nitrite to Nitrate. The cleaner the water passing through this area, the longer this substarte lasts. Should replace 50% every 12mhts to ensure the surface area where the bacteria live is unblocked for more efficentcy.
Top Basket:
Bio-Balls followed by Filter wool. Either more Bio-logical substrate as mentioned above, or the original Bio Balls supplied with the AquaOne Filter. No need to use more then a single layer of filter wool, as this will allow the filter to block more easily, and possible slow down the flow rate.
This is where the water is "Polished" to be as clean and free from debri as possible.
When it comes to deciding on Bil-Logical Substrate, the difference between one brand and another s Surface Area. Eheim and SeaChem claim to have 450m2 of surface area per 1ltr of Substrate, whilst JBL promotes they have 1500m2 of surface area, meaning the JBL is 3 times more efficent then the other 2.
The main reason why Eheim filters are the price they are, is because they come jam packed with media and Bio-Logical Substrate, where most other filter brands skimp on this detail allowing them to be cheaper. If you were to buy enough media to fill the average filter like an Eheim, the cost is almost the same.
Volcanic Scoria is a very cheap alternative, and has very little surface area compared to sphinted glass, which is what most Bio-Logical media's is made of. The flaw with volcanic scoria is, it clogs easily and can become anerobic as it pours block, removing the surface area and ability for the nitrifying Bacteria to process waste within the aquarium. Terrible lesson to learn when things go wrong.
Professional aquarium keepers ensure their filtration is at its best at all time, which in turn rewards you and you fish with better health and water conditions. This can be proven by conducting regular ammonia (NH3/4) and nitrite (No2) tests. Your filter is the Heart of your Aquarium!! Look after the heart, and the heart will look after your water.
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Some wise words here. I'm sure others might have some opinions on these statements.
