Eheim filter substrat

[daitenshi]

I'm about to buy some eheim substrat for my canister filters at home. Was just wanting to know if anyone can tell me how long this stuff lasts between washing (obviously this also depends on the canister it's being used in) and also how long it lasts in general.

 

[aropal]

It really depends on the bioload of your aquarium. Overtime a coating of bacteria will build up blocking the fine structure and also impeding the flow. For this reason you are supposed to change some of the biological filtration once a year as per Eheims recommendation. I only give my substrate pro a little stir when changing the filter wool and washing the sponges every couple of months.
Once a year the efimech and substrate pro will be removed and rinsed in tank water before replacing some of the media as directed.
This will impact on biological capacity and for this reason I prefer to run two smaller canisters than one large one so I can alternate the cleaning schedule.

 

[Wolf3101]

I don't really rely on my cannisters for bio-filtration but I do use Eheim Sp in a couple of the pond filters Ive set up. Shaking the media and even using some of it to seed new filters and replacing it with new can keep it going for years. As long as you have good solid mechanical filtration BEFORE the bio componant then you shouldn't have a huge build up of mulm unless of course your WAY overstocked and the available bio media area is too small.

 

[WyldFya]

I have ehfisubstrat pro that is nearly 1.5 decades old. It doesn't go bad, but should be washed at least once a year... preferably more often, but not 100% necessary.

 

[aropal]

It doesn't go bad, but should be washed at least once a year...

Eheim themselves disagree.

The problem they claim with extremely long lived substate pro is that all the fine surface detail which makes it such an efficient medium is lost. The media becomes coated in layers of dead bacteria. You can give it a rough agitation to remove some of this but you will still loose the fine detail and eventually there will be little difference between the substrate pro and smooth gravel.

Of course they would say that.

 

[WyldFya]

From my experience, that doesn't hold true, and I account that to the fact that they still want to make money. I have noticed that it does lose a little size over a few years, and I do add more as I have room.

 

[aropal]

A vigerous stirring does produces quite a bit of substrate pro dust so I guess it does wear out over the years.
The inhibatory effects of a build up of bacterial slime on porous media is well known but I guess if you have enough media even smooth gravel provides enough biological surface.

 

[loach43]

I have ehfisubstrat pro that is nearly 1.5 decades old. It doesn't go bad, but should be washed at least once a year... preferably more often, but not 100% necessary.

That's roughly what I do with both ehfisubstrat and the noodles to open up those pores again. Probably doesn't make much difference in regaining surface area though. Mostly concerned about getting out pieces of pleco waste that have turned into gross balls of floc.

 

[Nic]

never washed my eheim substat or my ceramic rings in any of my filters....