Filter Media...Whats this for?

[GreenTerrorNYC]

Hey all,

My new 45g is almost set up just waiting for a piece of driftwood to settle.

I have a Marineland Emperor 400 filer and it has 2 media cartridges as well as 2 filter bags.

My question is related to the media cartridges and what they are for. I know you can put carbon in there for extra filtration, but what other stuff can you put in there, and how important is this.

Anyone have some good reading, or info on this.

Definitely something i am interested in figuring out.

Thanks in advance

[digital3]

Filter media is very important. The obvious is the mechanical; ie. foam or fiber which will keep your debris from your tank.

You can also add Biological (if your filter supports it); ie. ceramic rings or plastic balls/stars which is used as a surface for beneficial bacteria to colonize on.

Finally there is chemical filtration, such as carbon or ammonia chips. However, those are usually up for debate around here. Carbon will clarify your water and remove odors. Carbon needs to be replaced once a month. Ammonia chips are supposed to remove the ammonia for your water, but then that would starve your bacteria, so I wouldn't use it, unless you have some ammonia emergency. They also have others that remove phosphates, soften water, etc.

I think I got all of those right, sometimes I get them mixed up.

[GreenTerrorNYC]

Thanks Digital,

I noticed a product of a mixture of carbon and ammonia chips, which will aid in the reducing of ammonia if there is an emergency. I will definitly keep that in mind for the future.

Thanks for your input.

FYI the product is

Marineland Diamond Blend Media
[Only Registered Users Can See Links.]

Reccomended for new aquariums, so i may keep it in mind if i have issues cycling to protect my fish.

Thanks again

[The Wedge]

digital3...are the ceramic rings the same thing as bio max?

[digital3]

digital3...are the ceramic rings the same thing as bio max?

Yup! Same stuff. That's just a fancy name that Hagen gives it for their AquaClear filters. I use it on my AC70. They're just ceramic pieces. Great for Bac Colonization though.

[Mvjnz]

If you can drink your tap water you don't need carbon in your filter. I take the carbon out and replace it with wool, or an extra sponge.

[xoolooxunny]

I keep fine sponges 20ppi & 30ppi (higher number has finer pores) in the first bay, ceramic rings in the second bay, and 2 polishing pads in the third. I look at chemical media as a waste of money, unless, like mentioned earlier, in the case of an emergency.