bio-media help
- Thread starter cockroach
- Start date
how often do people change their bio media if at all? I have been using matrix going on nearly 3 years now and was thinking of slowly changing the old with new bit by bit. Does bio media eventually become clogged and no longer efficient?
sajica;481840; said:
Once again, by generalizing with the term 'bio-media' the answer becomes a little foggy. Some media yes, others no. Sponges and floss need to be cleaned every now and then because they will 'bio-load' or clog. Floss and Poly-fill can be reused to a point, but it is convenient to just replace with new. Other media such as Bio-Balls or Bio-Bale do not load or clog as long as the water is prefiltered with some type of mechanical filtering.
Thanks again for all the useful replies, lets keep them coming in and not wind up like other threads where you have to read 50 posts to get some useful info.
the reason i am set on using ceramic rings is 1. my sump is open and visible and i like the look of the white plain colour, it also looks neater to me. and 2. i have already bought it. I might put what you guys have called some of the best bio-media i.e. pot scrubbers, at the back and below the ceramic balls as to hide them and increase filter capacity.
about 60% of my sump will be bio-media- ceramic rings, pot scrubbers and very course (not dense) sponges. all water going to the sump will be prefiltered.
What other things could i put in my sump to help it even more and make it more benefical to the tank? would some floating plants be a good idea or would these eventually clog up the sump a bit? any live critters that can go in there?? i know they cause waste but maybe there is something out there that some using and its working well.
the reason i am set on using ceramic rings is 1. my sump is open and visible and i like the look of the white plain colour, it also looks neater to me. and 2. i have already bought it. I might put what you guys have called some of the best bio-media i.e. pot scrubbers, at the back and below the ceramic balls as to hide them and increase filter capacity.
about 60% of my sump will be bio-media- ceramic rings, pot scrubbers and very course (not dense) sponges. all water going to the sump will be prefiltered.
What other things could i put in my sump to help it even more and make it more benefical to the tank? would some floating plants be a good idea or would these eventually clog up the sump a bit? any live critters that can go in there?? i know they cause waste but maybe there is something out there that some using and its working well.
How about 'lucky' bamboo and ghost shrimp. philodendron could cascade over the side, lots of roots tho but ok in medium light.
Dr Joe;489348; said:
yeah think i will go with ghost shrimp. can't believe i didnt think of them. i use them in all my tanks, they work really well in my planted eating all the algae off the plant leaves and cleaning the floor. is there any plant a litlle smaller than philodendron? what about java ferns, breeding moss or anubias in the sump? can anubius be an emergant plant?
And the ghost shrimp freak people out when the they see them in a filter...
Just put a piece of couse foam on the pump so the shrimp don't become puree.
The moss' an fern are good. anubuis may grow to big http://www.liveaquaria.com/product/prod_Display.cfm?pCatId=810
I was going for an out of tank plant for some unknown reason. Water lettuce needs an incredible amount of light & so does water hyacinth, duck weeds not bad but doesn't filter that well for the amont of surface area that it takes up. Good fish food tho...
Good luck and keep us posted,
Dr Joe
.
Just put a piece of couse foam on the pump so the shrimp don't become puree.
The moss' an fern are good. anubuis may grow to big http://www.liveaquaria.com/product/prod_Display.cfm?pCatId=810
I was going for an out of tank plant for some unknown reason. Water lettuce needs an incredible amount of light & so does water hyacinth, duck weeds not bad but doesn't filter that well for the amont of surface area that it takes up. Good fish food tho...
Good luck and keep us posted,
Dr Joe
.
the sump is being taken to the shop on the 11 and should be back by the 16th added most of the bio media to an existing wet dry rack system i have on my 125gal to start getting bacteria so that i can add the fish in a little quicker. the tank is clean and well maintained. is this a good idea as half of the fish in my 125gal will be going into the 268gal?
Heres a list I found that might be usefull to this thread.
Bio-Material Surface Area/cu.ft. Apx. Cost/cu.ft.
Lava Rock 16 $ 5.00
Bio Barrels 26, 33, 44, 64 $ 31.00
Biological Media Balls 96 $ 59.95
Amiracal Aqua Balls 96 $ 48.75
Open Cell Foam 120 $ 22.50
Bio-Pin Balls 130 $ 30.00
1/2" River Gravel 150 $ 5.00
Coralife Bio Balls 160 $ 56.00
Bio-Bale 250 $ 32.00
Nylon Pot Scrubber 370 $ 48.00
Polyethylene Beads 400 $ 90.00
Ultra Bio-Media 750 $ 38.00
Sand 156 Sq. Meters/Gram $ 5.00
Activated Carbon 810,000 Sq. Ft./Oz. $ 1.00/oz.
Bio-Material Surface Area/cu.ft. Apx. Cost/cu.ft.
Lava Rock 16 $ 5.00
Bio Barrels 26, 33, 44, 64 $ 31.00
Biological Media Balls 96 $ 59.95
Amiracal Aqua Balls 96 $ 48.75
Open Cell Foam 120 $ 22.50
Bio-Pin Balls 130 $ 30.00
1/2" River Gravel 150 $ 5.00
Coralife Bio Balls 160 $ 56.00
Bio-Bale 250 $ 32.00
Nylon Pot Scrubber 370 $ 48.00
Polyethylene Beads 400 $ 90.00
Ultra Bio-Media 750 $ 38.00
Sand 156 Sq. Meters/Gram $ 5.00
Activated Carbon 810,000 Sq. Ft./Oz. $ 1.00/oz.
