Media

[Lambi]

Hi everyone,
Had the river manifold up and running for a few weeks now, everything is great and the loaches are certainly appreciating it
Just a quick question..I took my filter apart (fluval 305) for some routine cleaning. As u may or may not know this tank was not new to me so i decided to have a look what was inside. As far as I can see there are just 4 large sponges, and then 3 basket fuels of ceramic 'tubes'. Not strictly tubes I guess but I guess you know what I mean?
I was just wondering if I should have any other types of media in here for optimum water quality? Any suggestions would be most appreciated I have tried to search the forums but no luck, if you know of an old thread a link would be wicked. Thanks.
Joe

[Diana]

Optimum filtration is a combination of things, based on the individual needs of the fish.

The various sponges are mechanical filtration, and will also grow nitrifying bacteria, for biological filtration. As long as whatever assortment of sponges are collecting the debris, that is fine. Rinse them in water removed from the tank to keep the bacteria alive.

Chemical filtration is the most customized of all. If your water needs something, you can add it here. If your water needs something removed you can do it here.
Peat moss is my favorite additive for soft water fish.
Activated carbon removes a lot of mostly organic molecules from the water such as medication, tannins and many other things. I keep some carbon on hand for emergencies, but do not run it all the time. It gets full rather fast, but does not release whatever it has adsorbed back to the water. Not renewable under any reasonable conditions.
Purigen is a brand name product that removes a long list of things. It is renewable to some extent, but ultimately needs to be replaced.
Zeolite and some other materials will remove ammonia from the water. I have some on hand for emergency, but the bacteria and plants remove ammonia just fine. Having zeolite in the filter is a lot of work, and steals food (ammonia) from the beneficial bacteria. Some forms of it can be renewed for a while, but ultimately needs to be replaced.
Coral sand is my favorite additive to hard water tanks. Adds minerals to the water as it dissolves.

Biological filtration is based on having the optimum conditions for microorganisms in the filter. Good water flow without being too much, plenty of surface area for the bacteria to colonize. The ceramic noodles seem to be a good pattern of material that can be manufactured at a reasonable cost, and offer a good home for bacteria. Rinse these in water removed from the tank to keep the bacteria alive.

[Lambi]

Ahh once again iv lost everything I just wrote... So il start again...

Thank you Diane for your response. I now understand the concept and function of my filter and have been conducting routine maintenance. As you know it's second hand, you wouldn't believe the stuff that got pushed through the pipes after the first big clean! My face dropped as the water clouded and I was worried, luckily with the powerhead and intake this cleared pretTy quickly, and all of my fish were fine

Anyways I removed one basket full of biomax, leaving two. In the third, and final basket, I have added two bags of Fluval Clearmax. The water looks good and the fish seem very happy. My question now is whether or not to add another filter, I'm tempted to purchase a fluval 205 to run in conjunction with the 305. I was thinking I could put the peat moss and maybe some water polishing pads in this? I'm just not sure if it's worth the outlay. I'm willing to spend the cash but only if it will genuinely improve the fishes enjoyment of the water. As things seem ok in there, I'm not sure if messing with the water chemistry is a good idea or not?

Also is it standard practice to run your filtered water through a uv steriliser? I'm reading a lot about them but once again, if it's not worth the money I won't get it.

Finally has anyone on this forum got one of them fancy G6 filters? I'm not hearing such great things about them but I'd love to hear peoples first hand experience if anybody has one? It's another possibility I'm considering, and I must admit it's mainly because they look good and the maintenance seems easier. Just the price that's a stumbling block, £350! Is it worth it?

Hopefully il get a few replies to this because I do enjoy hearing what you all have to say

Cheers

Joe

[NancyD]

It sounds like the Clearmax is a resin type media. We used to use Chemipure many years ago when we had undergravel filters & iffy water. It helped a lot but is less than ideal vs better (or more) filtration & water changes in hindsight.

A second filter is always good, how big is your tank again? A layer of floss or batting type media may help with clarity. I've read good things about the undersized G2 but at that cost there other, better?/cheaper options. I only have experience with Rena XP3 canister filter & HOBs are used more in the US than UK.