emperor 280

[second class mail]

i just got an emperor 280. so im gonna use it in my 30 gallon, and get ride of the top fin 30 thats in there. im useing the rite-size e cartridge that it calls for, what should i use in the refillable media container if anything ? the tank has a few live plants and drift wood that still seems to be giveing off a little tannins. the fish are a convict pair 3 and 4 in. and a 5 in. jack dempsey. thanx sean

 

[Bderick67]

the rite size cartridges will work fine, I rinse my off every two weeks and change every two months. Are you going to run both filters together for a while until the 280 gets cycled.

 

[second class mail]

ya both are runnin right now im gonna do that for about a week or so. should i just use 2 rite size cartridges in the 280 or one?

 

[MilitantPotato]

It takes longer then a week for a filter to be seeded, plan for at least a month.
Do aqua tech filters have a bio-wheel? If yes, you can let that float around in the tank for a month.

I put bio media in my re-fillable cartridges, never can have too much.
If the tannins are a problem you can buy a very fine meshed media bag and get 250-500mL of purigen to remove it, but it might stunt the plants because it removes some of their food.

 

[CichlidAddict]

I use SeaChem Matrix on my 280s. It seems to do the job quite well.