i must be doing something wrong...

[pcfriedrich]

pot scrubbers?

like scrub pads?

 

[James B.]

Yup if you look through the DIY section there are a couple posts in there about them with pictures of some of the different kinds you can use. I use ones that are all plastic I got from the dollar store, 6 for a buck. They are non reactive to the water (will not leech chemicals into the tank) and since they are thin pieces all balled together the water flows through no problem and they have a huge surface area for beneficial bacteria to grow on.

 

[BIGgourami]

well there's charcoal in the filter pads, and i do vac the hell out of the bottom when i do WC's. i guess i should remove it and see what happens, should i keep the powerhead? it's not like anything needs it, and i bet the SW tanks could use it alot more.