Does polyester filling = filter floss?

[Flyby Stardancer]

Okay, so I was watching a tutorial from Uarujoey today, and he basically showed something that I had been wondering about at the back of my mind. Instead of buying filter floss from an aquarium store, he uses polyester filling from the craft store! (Which comes out to be about the same price for 2-3x the polyester fluff.)

I actually have some already, seeing as I also craft. What I have is this (http://www.fairfieldworld.com/product/18-crafters-choice-polyester-fiberfill), it says 100% polyester on the bag. Doesn't mention anything about anti-bacterial or anti-mildew.

So, does anyone have any experience with this? Are polyester filling and filter floss essentially the same thing under different marketing names?

[Sandz]

I used to use pillow stuffing personally so no direct contact with your pure polyester. I would assume it would work but not 100% sure.

[Taurus]

I've used polyester quilt batting before and I think it works great. It comes in rolled sheets. You can cut the batting into the size you need. Just make sure there's no fire retardant or other chemicals in the batting.

[Flyby Stardancer]

Sandz--I can't imagine how they're different, especially since the picture on Petco's website looks just like a mass of fluff. Heh.

Taurus-- I'm thinking of looking at batting too (and what Joey had in the video clearly said 'batting' on the bag label), but I already have the filling and for smaller jobs it should work right, right?

[Taurus]

Taurus-- I'm thinking of looking at batting too (and what Joey had in the video clearly said 'batting' on the bag label), but I already have the filling and for smaller jobs it should work right, right?

It depends on the filter or the application. I recommend the batting for use in power filters and the loose fill (pillow stuffing) for use in a canister filter tray.

[Flyby Stardancer]

I was thinking of stuffing a bit between the filter sponge I used to replace a cartridge and the outflow hole in my Aqueon Minibow's built-in Quietflow filter.

I'm also thinking of using it in my diy sump filter for the tank I'm working on. I haven't finalized the idea entirely yet, but my idea is somewhere between Joey's newest video on a DIY power filter and the version of a sponge filter with ceramic bio media that he did a while back.

Sorry, tried to do a URL link to the videos since I didn't want to embed them, but apparently the board doesn't like adding a link to youtube.

[Taurus]

It works best as a mechanical filter media although it will hold a fair amount of beneficial bacteria as well.

Biomax is a better biomedia. A sponge will hold beneficial bacteria as well perform mechanical filtration.

[Flyby Stardancer]

I'm not going to replace the sponge in the Aqueon filter with the polyester fiber, just add some in to try to get rid of the small dust particulate that passes straight through the sponge I'm using.

And as for the sump filter, it would be purely mechanical there too. I'd be using actual bio media for biological filtration.

[discuspaul]

I've used polyester quilt batting before and I think it works great. It comes in rolled sheets. You can cut the batting into the size you need. Just make sure there's no fire retardant or other chemicals in the batting.

While there are many other different words used to describe the same thing, Taurus is right on - polyester quilt batting (which is what they call it at a fabric store) is the same thing as is being sold @ LFS's as filter floss.
Only difference is you get less than 1/2 as much @ a LFS for twice the price. Fabric stores usually sell a roll of one square meter in size for about $5. That much lasts me for months.
I've been using it for years. In recent years though, as Taurus says, some manufacturers of quilt batting have begun adding fire retardants, pesticides and other additives, so you need to check labels and ask the necessary questions to make sure the batting is free of any chemical additives.

[Taurus]

I'm not going to replace the sponge in the Aqueon filter with the polyester fiber, just add some in to try to get rid of the small dust particulate that passes straight through the sponge I'm using.

And as for the sump filter, it would be purely mechanical there too. I'd be using actual bio media for biological filtration.

Sure, go ahead and give it a try. I use it my Aquaclear filters between the sponge and biomax.

[Crispy]

I've used poly sheets for the mechanical filtration in my wet/dry for years. I buy it at the fabric store for dirt cheap.

[Knightia]

If you use stuffing you need to make sure it won't release strands of polyester to get stuck in the filter.

I just buy my filter floss through Amazon - I got 10 meters of it (1 meter wide x 10 meters long) in a big roll for about £10 (USA $15)