Bio balls in a FX5

[Mr Pleco]

Having the blue filter pad in the bottom basket will do nothing as far as keeping your bio media clean. Your choice of media is good, just the placement is upside down.

All I was stating that if you use the blue pad or any pad in the top tray , your filter will plug prematurely, slowing down flow and o2 to the media. Fluval doesn't even recommend matting until the middle or lower basket .. I'm more interested in clean water going to the aquarium than keeping my bio media clean.. besides eheim pro media is spherical and resists clogging better than SC matrix.

 

[reptileguy2727]

It will clog just as fast, the only difference is now some of your biomedia is clogged up with the fine paticulates you didn't trap before the biomedia and is now less effective. I don't think Eheim is any less prone to clogging, but it does have less bioavailable surface area.

 

[Bderick67]

All I was stating that if you use the blue pad or any pad in the top tray , your filter will plug prematurely, slowing down flow and o2 to the media. Fluval doesn't even recommend matting until the middle or lower basket .. I'm more interested in clean water going to the aquarium than keeping my bio media clean.. besides eheim pro media is spherical and resists clogging better than SC matrix.

Pre mature clogging? So your saying you don't want you filter to trap debris and remove it from the aquarium water. No fluval recommends you buy their carbon and bio-zorb products to place in the top tray. Once you bio media get gunked up because of lack of mechanical media placed to help keep it clean it becomes very ineffective, no matter the shape or how much it costs.

 

[Jc1119]

All I was stating that if you use the blue pad or any pad in the top tray , your filter will plug prematurely, slowing down flow and o2 to the media. Fluval doesn't even recommend matting until the middle or lower basket .. I'm more interested in clean water going to the aquarium than keeping my bio media clean.. besides eheim pro media is spherical and resists clogging better than SC matrix.

But keeping your bio s surface clean will, in effect, provide the cleanest water possible going back to your aquarium. The cleaner your media stays the better it works.

Substrat pro (eheim) clogs up just as much as matrix. I run both and dirt clings to both about the same. Eheim subpro is good, just overpriced IMO. Bb doesn't care what it adheres to as long as it has lots of surface area.

 

[plecostic]

It does not matter what you use for bio-media, anything will work. To say one is better than the other is rubbish. Bio balls can be submerged, who says they weren't designed to be and what do they base that on ? I got balls in my canister that are doing just fine. A shoe lace would work for bio media too. Sponges work great too. I was thinking how simple it would be to simply have just one tiny sponge filter in each aquarium, that would take care of all your beneficial bacteria needs. How simple it is would be instead of buying expensive snake oils. The fish keeping industry want you to believe what your have is never enough. I'm getting off that train and keeping it simple.

 

[anarekist]

i put all foam in my canister, every nook and cranny has surface area for bacteria.

 

[gmann4231]

It does not matter what you use for bio-media, anything will work. To say one is better than the other is rubbish. Bio balls can be submerged, who says they weren't designed to be and what do they base that on ? I got balls in my canister that are doing just fine. A shoe lace would work for bio media too. Sponges work great too. I was thinking how simple it would be to simply have just one tiny sponge filter in each aquarium, that would take care of all your beneficial bacteria needs. How simple it is would be instead of buying expensive snake oils. The fish keeping industry want you to believe what your have is never enough. I'm getting off that train and keeping it simple.

+1

 

[Saltydrip]

I'm kinda surprised with all the complaints about the "expense" of bio media. I ordered my FX5 on Friday from amazon.com for $211. Today I got 2 500G boxes of biomax at petco and one at pet supplies plus. Both are kinda expensive stores for a total of $48. I just had a 3" fish that I paid $80 for die because my previous filtering was sub-par. $50 in bio confidence is well worth it.

I'm only running a 55gal tank so 1500g of Fluval Biomax is plenty. To be honest though... If cost is an issue then just put the proper amour in the bottom 2 trays and some pot scrubbers in the top. The pot scrubbers work better than bioballs submerged. Once you have another $15-$30 get more proper media.

 

[chelo]

It does not matter what you use for bio-media, anything will work. To say one is better than the other is rubbish. Bio balls can be submerged, who says they weren't designed to be and what do they base that on ? I got balls in my canister that are doing just fine. A shoe lace would work for bio media too. Sponges work great too. I was thinking how simple it would be to simply have just one tiny sponge filter in each aquarium, that would take care of all your beneficial bacteria needs. How simple it is would be instead of buying expensive snake oils. The fish keeping industry want you to believe what your have is never enough. I'm getting off that train and keeping it simple.

X2

 

[Bderick67]

Yeah lots of things will work, most would choose media that is more efficient. Bio balls will work, even with all the bypass they allow.

High flow + high bypass =