HOB Filter media?

[Ieatyourfish]

i have a couple aqueon little guys and a big penguin and lets say the filter cartridges are straining on a college students budget. What are some other media to throw in there? how often should it be rinsed or cleaned? is there any mods to do the the filter itself? PICTURES help! i'm just trying to make the as cost effective as i can for a 20 and 55.

 

[Redearsunfish]

sponges and ceramic media. use, rinse and repeat, just not all at the same time

 

[bbortko]

pillow batting, $5 will last most if not all of the school year

 

[Ieatyourfish]

whats pillow batting? i was thinking about buying a bunch of those ceramic rings... will they work in the little filters or should i do sponges in those?

 

[bbortko]

its the same as filter floss/poly-fil, any craft store will have it

 

[Owain4]

Pot scrubbies work good too.

 

[Bellawitz]

pillow batting, $5 will last most if not all of the school year

I've used this, works great. Just make sure it's the poly stuff and not cotton.

 

[rhite]

I have used the "Pledge Grab It" Unscented Wipes. They have no harmful chemicals in them and they are pillowed for better flow. They come 32 in a pack for like $9. you can get them at any grocery store and even at Office Depot.

 

[brich999]

Just wash the filter cartridges

 

[boldtogether]

All the flow does is mechanically filter the water. remove and fill the space with bio/whatever, rings, balls.etc. Put a sponge,(cylidrical) over the intake and rinse that when it cloggs. You can buy those sponge filters at any LFS(not petsmart, not petco, not kahoots) Now you have tripled your bio-cap for those filters.