Alternative to bio balls (other than pot scrubbies)?

[jcardona1]

So i know pot scrubbies for sumps have much better surface area than bio balls, but has anybody used some other plastic product as an alternative? any cheap and readily available household product that can be used in a sump? i just hate how dirty pot scrubbies get, even if you prefilter them.

 

[bgcoop8784]

cut up straws, easter grass, plastic bottles ran through a paper shredder.

 

[bgcoop8784]

oh yeah, plastic shot gun wadding, cheaper than bio-balls, or if you have the time, cut up pvc or cpvc

 

[sostoudt]

they sell a product called bio bale, basically shredded pvc. i heard the straws arent good since they float

 

[bgcoop8784]

well,scrubbies work about the best as far as household products, everything is gonna get that dirty, rather the scrubbies be dirty than the water, and i've used the straws before and liked them, but a lot of work and still less surface area than scrubbies. and my lil 10gallon us using a whole bunch of fishing line wadded up in a ball and stuck in the HOB, works great and already had the line.

 

[FSM]

Scrubbies cost about $45 per cubic foot (based on zenzzo's price/volume measurements)

Bio bale:
http://www.lagunakoi.com/Bio-Bale-Pond-Filter-Media-sc-125.html

aqua UV (much more surface area, according to the manufacturer)
http://aquauvsale.com/filtermedia.htm

 

[jcardona1]

hmm ive seen the biobale stuff before, just didnt know what the price was. shotgun wadding sounds like a good idea too.

any more?

 

[I_<3_RAYS_646]

i've seen pillow stuffing that was stretched

 

[kallmond]

I saved all my plastic soda bottle caps.

 

[jimolds8862]

will bottle caps work?