Filter set up

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Jlombard80

Aquarium Advice Apprentice
Joined
Oct 18, 2020
Messages
44
Location
Boston, MA
Hello all,

I have a pen plax cascade 1000 running on my 75 gallon cichlid tank. It’s about a month old and I am going to be replacing the filter media this week. It has three trays and water flows from the bottom up, so the bottom tray has my mechanical media in it including a coarse sponge and a finer sponge, the middle tray will be getting a Seachem Purigen bag and also has a filter pad, and the top tray has a pad and will be getting seachem matrix added to it. My question is about the middle and top trays, when adding the purigen bag and the matrix where exactly in the tray do I put them? Under the pads? On top of the pads, do I take the pads out completely and just add the new media? Any suggestions or thoughts on my set up would be greatly appreciated.

John
 
I always put my bio media and chemical media on top of pads. The more detritus that's pulled out of the water mechanically, the better imo. Keeps your matrix/ ceramics/ purigen etc cleaner and they do a better job i think
 
And I always put my matrix or ceramics before my purigen or carbon. Chemical should be last. They recommend in order of water flow ---->mech, bio, chem. I guess you could argue purigen if all the above, but it will last longer before recharge if placed in the top tray
 
Yes I thought that they went in that order until I saw this diagram on the seachem website, which I’ve attached. Weird right? This is where my confusion started haha. I think I’m just going to do what you suggested as that was my original plan. Right now I have the activated carbon that came with the filter in the middle tray and some bio balls up top.
 

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Oh wow, I've never seen it suggested like that. ?? Well, you never know, but I think your purigen will last longer between recharge in the top, imo
 
Interesting. This is what the text of seachems site says.

"2. *Chemical Filter Medias

This includes Purigen[emoji2400], MatrixCarbon[emoji769], Zeolite[emoji769], PhosGuard[emoji769], and any filter media intended to directly target a certain type of chemical for removal from the water. *These medias work best if they get the "first shot" at materials like phosphate or organic waste before the beneficial bacteria in your bio-media has a chance to break these chemicals down into a form that the chemical media cannot absorb. *For example, Purigen[emoji2400] can absorb organic molecules before they are turned into nitrate, but cannot absorb nitrate itself."

Not sure that is generally good advice. Maybe if you are specifically using a seachem product though.
Yes I thought that they went in that order until I saw this diagram on the seachem website, which I’ve attached. Weird right? This is where my confusion started haha. I think I’m just going to do what you suggested as that was my original plan. Right now I have the activated carbon that came with the filter in the middle tray and some bio balls up top.
 
Interesting. This is what the text of seachems site says.

"2. *Chemical Filter Medias

This includes Purigen[emoji2400], MatrixCarbon[emoji769], Zeolite[emoji769], PhosGuard[emoji769], and any filter media intended to directly target a certain type of chemical for removal from the water. *These medias work best if they get the "first shot" at materials like phosphate or organic waste before the beneficial bacteria in your bio-media has a chance to break these chemicals down into a form that the chemical media cannot absorb. *For example, Purigen[emoji2400] can absorb organic molecules before they are turned into nitrate, but cannot absorb nitrate itself."

Not sure that is generally good advice. Maybe if you are specifically using a seachem product though.
Well, that makes sense
 
Just be careful. For instance, if you are using purigen for a specific purpose, eg. removing tannins, and you plan on stopping its usage once it is no longer needed, then your bioload will increase once it is removed. The purigen will no longer be dealing with some of the organic waste and your beneficial bacteria will have to take on more of the work, which it wont have grown sufficiently to do so.

By using these products in this manner, you are going to be tied to its continued use, or risk spikes. That is possibly what seachem want.

Also, putting chemical media in the top basket means its easier to change. Chemical media is used up far more quickly than a typical canister filter maintenance schedule. You are more likely to change it when required if its an easier process.
 
Just be careful. For instance, if you are using purigen for a specific purpose, eg. removing tannins, and you plan on stopping its usage once it is no longer needed, then your bioload will increase once it is removed. The purigen will no longer be dealing with some of the organic waste and your beneficial bacteria will have to take on more of the work, which it wont have grown sufficiently to do so.

By using these products in this manner, you are going to be tied to its continued use, or risk spikes. That is possibly what seachem want.

Also, putting chemical media in the top basket means its easier to change. Chemical media is used up far more quickly than a typical canister filter maintenance schedule. You are more likely to change it when required if its an easier process.
Haha! Oh, I'm sure they would like it if ev1 used matrix and purigen all the time
 
Haha! Oh, I'm sure they would like it if ev1 used matrix and purigen all the time



Lol I’m sure they would, I had a bad case of new tank syndrome, my own fault I didn’t cycle properly when I first got the tank. So All of my levels, nitrate, nitrite, ph and alkalinity are all super high. I’m pretty impressed with seachem products so far, and both the matrix and Purigen can be regenerated multiple times. We will see I guess lol the matrix and Purigen will go in tomorrow.
 
Might want to read here on what media is best and how to load it up. Best to use 10/20 ppi foam of just plain plastic pot scrubbies loaded all up in a canister.


[FONT=&quot]http://aquariumscience.org/index.php/7-filter-media/ [/FONT]



Good read, my canister has sponges and or floss pads in all three trays, tomorrow I will be adding a Purigen bag and matrix to the top two trays. My water is very clear, But I wouldn’t say crystal clear. So along with helping to bring my levels down the combo of Purigen matrix and all the levels of sponges should do the trick, lol at least I’m hoping so.
 
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