What's the best biological filtration media?

**Holyvision** · 10-01-2008, 03:57 AM

Any comments? I've been using ceramic rings for a while, but I always see foam sponge stars, plastic ball things, etc. Anyone know that the literal best media is for your biological filter?

**cocoa_pleco** · 10-01-2008, 03:58 AM

ceramic rings definitely. plastic balls (bioballs) are best in wet/dry filters but i use them in canisters too

**johnl** · 10-01-2008, 10:04 AM

I think they're all about the same but if I had to pick the best of the best I'd say porous ceramic rings.

**dev** · 10-01-2008, 10:19 AM

Ceramic rings in general, and Eheim Ehfisubstrat specifically. 18000 square feet surface per gallon of media is hard to beat.

**Fishguy2727** · 10-01-2008, 12:21 PM

Porous ceramic media is best in submerged uses, Biowheels are best in wet/dry uses.

**fishman2** · 10-01-2008, 03:57 PM

This very much depends on what you are using the filter for.

Fresh water, Salt water, $'s you want spend

For my purposes:

Best value for $'s, sand(fluidized bed) and sponge(HMF, Hamburg Mat Filter, even cheaper if you use air to drive it)

**Demjor19** · 10-01-2008, 05:51 PM

I use ceramic rings in all of my filtration.

**Sasquatch** · 10-01-2008, 07:03 PM

Ceramic rings are generally considered the best, but they can't be used alone, which is why you see the other media.

If you don't have a pre-filter (foam, filter floss etc....) small particulates get into the ceramic rings and block the pores. That means you have to clean them more often and it reduces their efficacity.

I use a floss prefilter, a sponge and then ceramic cylinders in my AC filters and I noticed a much better bio-filtration vs. sponge only when I switched.

**Holyvision** · 10-01-2008, 07:32 PM

Originally Posted by Sasquatch

Ceramic rings are generally considered the best, but they can't be used alone, which is why you see the other media.

If you don't have a pre-filter (foam, filter floss etc....) small particulates get into the ceramic rings and block the pores. That means you have to clean them more often and it reduces their efficacity.

I use a floss prefilter, a sponge and then ceramic cylinders in my AC filters and I noticed a much better bio-filtration vs. sponge only when I switched.

Yup, no worries, just wanted opinions before I swapped my carbon out for biological in my canister.

I only run carbon for about a month and a half on new tanks.

**BigMac** · 10-01-2008, 09:44 PM

Me too, my nitrites just went to 0. So, now I have to get into my filter and clean the sponges add some floss and ceramic media and remove the carbon.

This was the fastest I had seen a tank 0 out it's nitrites.

You title had me in here in a second because I'm about to buy more bio media.