Max out the FX5? "Fill" me in....

[TanninMan]

hey guys, pardon the pun....

planning on moving from a wetdry to an excessive number of fx5's....

i am concerned that the bio-capacity of the fx5 is too small given how much media i currently have in the wetdry versus what can fit into 3-4 fx5's...

so, can i do the following?

- take out the outer foam rings and just fill those spaces with bio-media? i think that would almost double the bio-filtration of each filter?

 

[toehead11183]

stay with the w/d

 

[TanninMan]

stay with the w/d

let me clarify....i WILL be moving to 100% cannisters....

and trying to figure out how to make the best use of the fx5's volume - and seeing what others have done

 

[Bizzaro]

Yes you can.... i have scrubbers in mine with a little void to keep the flow rate up. The flow rate stays higher longer

 

[Bderick67]

Yes you can.... i have scrubbers in mine with a little void to keep the flow rate up. The flow rate stays higher longer

Don't have a FX5 myself, but the void you've created, is this just not media bypass?

 

[piscavore pisces]

Why do you want to go to canisters instead of a wet/dry? Just curious because I would stick with a wet/dry if it were me. Do you need more better mechanical filtration or something? I would just keep the wet dry and add an XP3 or XP4 for mechanical filtration.

 

[brianp]

hey guys, pardon the pun....

planning on moving from a wetdry to an excessive number of fx5's....

i am concerned that the bio-capacity of the fx5 is too small given how much media i currently have in the wetdry versus what can fit into 3-4 fx5's...

so, can i do the following?

- take out the outer foam rings and just fill those spaces with bio-media? i think that would almost double the bio-filtration of each filter?

If you do this you will create two problems. First, the foam inserts prevent bypass between the three stackable trays. If you fill the trays will biomedia, the water will simply pass over the tops of the baskets. Second, without the mechanical filtration provided by the foam, the biomedia will quickly clog, defeating the objective you are trying to achieve.

If you use the cylindrical part of the media baskets for biomedia only (no chemical), one FX5 should be able to comfortably support 150 gallons of well-stocked aquaria. I would recommend Ehfisubstrat Pro.

 

[cvermeulen]

Not to mention... Foam is Bio-media too...

If you want to increase your bio capabilities, you could plumb the FX5 returns into a RUGF.

I'm curious about why you'd go away from a wet/dry as well though. Space? I currently run an FX5 and a W/D

 

[Wolf3101]

Actully an FX5 has more than enough space for bio-media as long thats all you run in the center baskets. I recomend any good free flowing type of media...scrubbies are great...ceramic rings...Biomax...ECT.

Someone mentioned an FX5 having enough bio-capacity for a well stocked 150 gallon tank...I have a 150 running on a Fluval 405 and can assure you that an FX5 has enough bio-capacity to handle a sanely stocked 300 gallon tank on it's own...and I NEVER run a single filter on any tank if I can avoid it.

Yes it looked like you had MUCH more room for BB in your sump system but don't forget that no matter HOW much room you have you'll only have as much BB as the fish load can support....in other words you can run a 240 gallon sump full of bio balls on a 40 gallon breeder if you like but you'll NEVER have any more bio-capacity or BB than the fish load can support.

What your doing is not trying to duplicate the POTENTIAL BB of the available space in the Wet/Dry but rather providing enough space for the amount of BB you NEED based on your fish load.

It's true that replacing the mechanical foam filters will result in the water bypassing much of the media in an FX5 and I don't recomend trying it. This will also clog the bio-media and thats NOT something you want to happen as it can cause a cascade die off of the BB.

What size tank is this and what's your fish load? You mentioned 4 or 5 FX5's and that's EASILLY enough mechanical AND bio-capacity for a heavilly stocked 1200 gallon tank.

BB will concentrate in the available space and dosn't require bieng spread out over a huge serface...in fact it's more efficiant when concentrated because there is LESS chance of the water bypassing the BB. This in turn requires a lower turn over rate to convert the ammonia...

 

[Miles]

I always just look at how each canister filter functions, and find the flow of water. Use a foam pre-filter, and then stack every inch of available space with bio-media. I prefer Seachem's Matrix, but I hear Eheim's premium biomedias are better..

I have a big Eheim 2280 and it just has a bio-ball with no pre-filter. It has a third outlet with a butterfly valve, so I can perform a backwash with the python. I haven't disassembled it since I got it. When I have a light load on the 375g, that's the only filter I use, with a sponge pre-filter over the intake.

If you are going to run multiple canisters, look into having each one have a different media and different maintenance schedule? Like mechanical filter floss changes weekly, bio-ring 'dunking' every 2 weeks, and a bio-ball 'dunk' once a month? Just an idea..

*dunk - in a 5g bucket of tank water.