After seeing lots of people talking about using straws as cheap alternatives to K1, and other people saying that straws don't work as well, I have decided to compare them mathematically.
Efficiency
1 liter of K1 has ~1800 pieces in it. Each piece has a surface area of ~7.5cm², making a liter have a surface area of ~13550cm².
1 liter of chopped straws has ~5550 pieces in it. Each piece has a surface area of ~1.9cm², making a liter have a surface area of ~10500cm². This assumes you are using 6mm straws chopped in ~5mm pieces.
This makes K1 roughly 30% more efficient than chopped straws.
Cost
If you are in the USA, you can get 1 liter of K1 for about $5.
At my nearest grocery store, I can get a box of 100, ~20cm straws for $3. 4 boxes of 100 straws yields about 3 liters of chopped straw media, making chopped straws cost about $4 per liter.
This makes K1 roughly 25% more expensive than straws.
Conclusion
The numbers speak for themselves; K1 is the superior media. It costs 25% more, but is 30% more efficient. Not to mention the fact that K1 is cheaper than $5/L if bought in bulk, and you have to chop up straws into tiny little pieces. I would only recommend chopped straws over K1 for tanks smaller than 30 gallons, and you were REALLY tight on cash.
Efficiency
1 liter of K1 has ~1800 pieces in it. Each piece has a surface area of ~7.5cm², making a liter have a surface area of ~13550cm².
1 liter of chopped straws has ~5550 pieces in it. Each piece has a surface area of ~1.9cm², making a liter have a surface area of ~10500cm². This assumes you are using 6mm straws chopped in ~5mm pieces.
This makes K1 roughly 30% more efficient than chopped straws.
Cost
If you are in the USA, you can get 1 liter of K1 for about $5.
At my nearest grocery store, I can get a box of 100, ~20cm straws for $3. 4 boxes of 100 straws yields about 3 liters of chopped straw media, making chopped straws cost about $4 per liter.
This makes K1 roughly 25% more expensive than straws.
Conclusion
The numbers speak for themselves; K1 is the superior media. It costs 25% more, but is 30% more efficient. Not to mention the fact that K1 is cheaper than $5/L if bought in bulk, and you have to chop up straws into tiny little pieces. I would only recommend chopped straws over K1 for tanks smaller than 30 gallons, and you were REALLY tight on cash.
But the main point of my post was to compare the surface areas of the two, the price comparison I just threw in as an afterthought.
