Matrix vs. Pond Matrix

Spiritofthesoul

Jack Dempsey
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Dec 3, 2010
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watercrawl

Feeder Fish
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Sep 10, 2010
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I'm guilty of this too, but you guys need to remember the recommended usage quantity for Matrix and Pond Matrix too:

Matrix = 1 liter of Matrix per 100 gallons of filtered water

Pond Matrix = 1 to 2 liter of Pond Matrix per 100 gallons, so let's use the 2 liters just because.

I have enough Matrix in my wet/dry to for 600 gallons of filtered water and I have a 75 gallon tank.

I used so much just because only putting in enough for even 200 gallons made it look wrong with a thin layer of the white pebbles. However, one could certainly (at least per manufacturers recommendations) use as little as 4 liters of Pond Matrix in a wet/dry for upto 200 gallons of filtered water making the cost for bio-media very reasonable at around $30 shipped. Try buying enough pot scrubbies for that much filtered water and I'll bet you'll be really close or over that amount and they don't last as long.
 

Laticauda

Feeder Fish
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Nov 16, 2010
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RedDwarf;4833372; said:
I use pond matrix base on it's price and flow characteristics. Bio media can get quite expensive as you get into larger filters. This is the best price I could find for the 20L size.
http://www.aquatic-store.com/contents/en-us/p8018.html
Where were you yesterday when I bought the other stuff. 5 gallons will probably end up being what I'll have to get. I'm not real sure how much 4 liters will fill, but I have Fluval 405, Fluval FX5, 2xAC70's, AC110, and countless penguin filters that's I've rigged to use biomedia instead of those stupid insert cartridges.

Maybe I can convince a friend to go in halvsies with me for the big boy.
 

rhodes_96

Feeder Fish
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Sep 26, 2009
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watercrawl;4833948; said:
I'm guilty of this too, but you guys need to remember the recommended usage quantity for Matrix and Pond Matrix too:

Matrix = 1 liter of Matrix per 100 gallons of filtered water

Pond Matrix = 1 to 2 liter of Pond Matrix per 100 gallons, so let's use the 2 liters just because.

I have enough Matrix in my wet/dry to for 600 gallons of filtered water and I have a 75 gallon tank.

I used so much just because only putting in enough for even 200 gallons made it look wrong with a thin layer of the white pebbles. However, one could certainly (at least per manufacturers recommendations) use as little as 4 liters of Pond Matrix in a wet/dry for upto 200 gallons of filtered water making the cost for bio-media very reasonable at around $30 shipped. Try buying enough pot scrubbies for that much filtered water and I'll bet you'll be really close or over that amount and they don't last as long.
Pot scrubbies will never have the ability to house anerobic bacteria thus nitrate reduction.

Matrix will.
 

sincebeen

Feeder Fish
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Jan 19, 2013
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What about half and half? Who has a liter and a half of unused Matrix and another liter and a half of unused pond matrix to sell me =)
 

sincebeen

Feeder Fish
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Jan 19, 2013
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I ordered 2L of Pond Matrix and 2L of Matrix from Amazon about an hour after the above post, and they arrived today. Thanks Knifegill for your post about anaerobic bacteria on the first page of this thread; after looking more into that, it made the subject decision easier. I actually expected the Matrix pebbles to be smaller, so I snapped a picture for comparison:

MATRIXvsPOND_MATRIX.png

According to Seachem's figures, this 4L is the equivalent of 179.6 Gallons (or 680L) of BioBalls!

I also ordered the Darice Plastic Canvas mentioned in the 2nd page of this thread, thanks Watercrawl!

I have enough room in the dry bio section of my sump for 5L of this stuff, but I'm thinking about submerging 1L and adding the other 3L to my not-submerged pot scrubby pile.

MATRIXvsPOND_MATRIX.png
 

CrypticLifeStyle

Feeder Fish
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Dec 22, 2009
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I wonder how that generic matrix would hold up, and compare against seachems version? Anyways, 4 pages in, and no one brought up her ammonia readings?
Laticauda can i ask how big your tank is, how many fish, your water change %, and how often, and how long the tank has been setup for? If your tank has been running awhile simply upgrading biological media isnt the absolute solution here. Personally i'd use the pond matrix for the fx5, and the regular matrix in the HOB's. You need the bigger media in the fx5, especially with its high flow rate, but i see the regular smaller size like i use in your HOB's to be more beneficial as the flow rate, and smaller size will give the water a little more dwell time going in, and around the smaller version, and personally over all more surface area coverage then pond size.
 

sincebeen

Feeder Fish
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Jan 19, 2013
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I wonder how that generic matrix would hold up, and compare against seachems version?
The labels are deceiving, they're both made by Seachem. Same stuff, different size.

...and personally over all more surface area coverage then pond size.
This is why I decided to mix the two. The larger Pond Matrix creates, individually, a deep environment for anaerobic bacteria (which grows in low-oxygen situations deep inside the large pieces), and the regular Matrix fills in the dead space between for more surface area.
 

sincebeen

Feeder Fish
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Jan 19, 2013
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So the Darice Plastic Canvas came today, I figured I'd post something about the dimensions because I was impressed. I wasn't sure how large or small the holes would be, I was a little worried, judging by the pictures, that they would be so small that clogging could eventually occur. I was happy to find that they're actually about 1/16" inch, perfect.

darice.png

Also, the stuff bends almost like rubber, which along with some zip ties was perfect for constructing this box:

daricebox.png

And this will house, at least for now, the 1L of Pond Matrix to be submerged:

daricebox2.png

The one last thing I wanted to mention, that I got in the same Amazon order, was this huge 35"x70" sheet of 25 Micron media for $17.50 + $3.49 shipping:

25 Micron.png

Cheers,

darice.png

daricebox.png

daricebox2.png

25 Micron.png
 
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