View Full Version : Bio Media????????
joeytoe
10-15-2005, 12:27 PM
What is the most efficient Bio media? Bio balls, Bio Sponge balls, Ceramic Tubes, or Eheim Ehfisubstrat
piranha45
10-15-2005, 12:40 PM
whichever one has the most surface area.. and i dunno which has the most surface area.. look at their stats on the box or something.
it really doesnt matter tho, cuz unless your tank is grossly overstocked only a small fraction of the total available surface area will be utilized.
HarleyK
10-15-2005, 1:31 PM
What is the most efficient Bio media? Bio balls, Bio Sponge balls, Ceramic Tubes, or Eheim Ehfisubstrat
Howdy,
Sera Siporax ! It's a highly porous material with the highest surface area that I am aware of: 270 square meters per liter. (I have 7 L in my Eheim for a 220 gal Tank)
HarleyK
Taz2478
10-17-2005, 2:30 AM
were do you get sera siporax from and do you have any pics?
DeLgAdO
10-17-2005, 2:33 AM
be careful with siporax and bio glass they have a lot of surface are and can becoem anarobic so have the water well filtered mechanically or you will have those rings producing toxic gases.
just my 2 pennys ;)
loach43
10-17-2005, 3:07 AM
Love Eheim ehfisustat. Cleans up almost instantly when rinsed. Love eheim canister filters too. Currently using two of them, both silent and still running perfect after 10 years of non-stop operation. Good stuff in my opinion. ;)
sohfatfish
10-17-2005, 3:29 AM
Eheim substrat pro has 450 square metres per litre if im not wrong. You can also try biohome red.. supposed to contain minerals that leech into the water with time to improve water quality. Dont know the surface area tho. Actually i feel that those porous ceramic rings are the best... cheap and good value for money in terms of surface area.
Ehfistrate is on sale at Drsfostersmith.com. I picked up 10lbs of Ehfistrate and ehfimech for my 240. I think it was 30 for the strate and 20 for the mech.
Seachems 'Matrix' is a new bio-media that was recently released.. I am unsure of the exact surface area, however it has specifics on the back which also states it has 10x the surface area of bio-balls. I purchased 4 containers of it, and I am quite happy with it.
shoefreak03
10-17-2005, 2:04 PM
i've used Aquaclear BioMax with no problem. dont know the exact surface area though.
HarleyK
10-17-2005, 2:08 PM
be careful with siporax and bio glass they have a lot of surface are and can becoem anarobic so have the water well filtered mechanically or you will have those rings producing toxic gases.
Howdy,
You are right that they will become anaerobic in parts. That, however, is positive, since it will contribute to the degradation of nitrate to gaseous nitrogen. But you are absolutely right that a good filter requires mechanical PLUS biological filtration.
I have to admit that I was not aware of Eheim Substrat Pro. Whereas Siporax is fine as 1 L media per 200 L tank volume, that ratio should be even better for the Eheim stuff. Question is, though, if the Eheim material has open porse like Siporax. If not, I would share DeLgAdO's concerns.
BTW: I brought my Siporax with me from Germany, I have no clue if it is available in the US. A quick Google search should answer that question.
HarleyK
Ornatapinnis
10-17-2005, 2:19 PM
I think many of these have positives and negitives. Greater surface area often times means that it will also clog easier.
We used to use DLS years ago (dual layer spiral) great amount of surface area but not so good at degassing and trapped dirt very effeciently. Caused nitrate problems as it aged. The "ceramic" or "glass" type medias and the Sponge or "grass" types also trap dirt eficiently and inhibit nitrification.
I don't think bio balls have the greatest amount of surface area but that it what I use. THey are not real good at trapping dirt, they do degass very well in a wet / dry filter and are pretty cheap. I have found them to be the most maintenance free media in the long run that performs well assuming that the water is pre-filtered prior to getting to them.
Joel
toxicfish
10-17-2005, 2:20 PM
Seachems 'Matrix' is a new bio-media that was recently released.. I am unsure of the exact surface area, however it has specifics on the back which also states it has 10x the surface area of bio-balls. I purchased 4 containers of it, and I am quite happy with it. I use the same stuff in my Magnum 350 mixed with fluval biomax:clap it works great bro
joeytoe
10-17-2005, 2:24 PM
BTW: I brought my Siporax with me from Germany, I have no clue if it is available in the US. A quick Google search should answer that question.
HarleyK
Ive looked for it on a few different sites an couldnt find it, so Im not sure it its availible here in the US.
HarleyK
10-17-2005, 5:22 PM
Ive looked for it on a few different sites an couldnt find it, so Im not sure it its availible here in the US.
Howdy,
I have never shopped here, but this is what I found when I just searched for Sera Siporax:
http://craigaquatics.com/sera.htm
They're located in Wilbraham, MA. But certainly, the stuff doesn't seem to be easily available in the US..
HarleyK