Removed All Bio-Media.....Replaced With 30 PPI Foam = Amazing Results!
- Thread starter Kustrud
- Start date
I've run across the bypass issue quite a bit, especially with heavy bioload or high stocked tanks. I generally stick with 20ppi foam because of this. Anything else would clog too much and be frustrating. I've actually gotten the best water clarity by adding real plants! Every single tank there's a notable difference and it's almost immediate.
The minute you get bypass it goes cloudy again quick. Some of these filtration theories work with baby fish and juvies...not so much when they get big with bulk. All I know is, the bigger they get the more you have to adjust.
Been feeding "heavily" to kind of help test this. Last water change was 1 week ago. Water is crystal clear and Nitrates are @ 5 PPM. So far so good! 
Hopefully this continues to work, then we'll know the result when they're big lol!
I also pulled the 30 PPI foam in the top 3 trays and rinsed in a bucket of tank water (granted 1 set was like 2 days old) but 2 of those trays had been in there for a while. This is all the 30 PPI foam after the Fluval black sponges in the very bottom tray that replaced my bio-media in the top 3. I knew it didn't need to be cleaned but wanted to see if it had collected any crud yet trying to gauge the possible issues of saturation you guys are referring to. Almost nothing came out of those and dirtied the water in a white bucket.
Again, the flow with the sponges and minus the bio-media is noticeably stronger.
I guess the goal here is to keep this setup when the fish are adults and be able to only have to clean the canister once a month or less.
We'll see!
I used Hamburger Mattenfilter (HMF) with 30 ppi for some years but changed all of them over the years to 20 ppi or 10 ppi because 30 ppi clogs too fast.
And I love my cartridge filter with 10 ppi foam. It provides enough surface for beneficial bacteria, provides very clear water and doesn't clog because all the excess material falls off at some point and sediments below the cartridges, from where I can easily remove it with a hose.
My guess is that 30 ppi foam in a canister will clog even faster than in a HMF because of the smaller face area (cross-section facing the flow) of the canister filter.
And I love my cartridge filter with 10 ppi foam. It provides enough surface for beneficial bacteria, provides very clear water and doesn't clog because all the excess material falls off at some point and sediments below the cartridges, from where I can easily remove it with a hose.
My guess is that 30 ppi foam in a canister will clog even faster than in a HMF because of the smaller face area (cross-section facing the flow) of the canister filter.
Update! I did replace the 30 PPI foam with 20 PPI as it's not cleaning the water, just holding bacteria so I figured it'd help the flow stay strong and "clog" less easy. 4 trays from bottom up = Black sponges that come with Fluval 407, 20 PPI sponge, filter floss, 20 PPI sponge.
I purposely let the tank go 2 weeks without touching anything with current stocking and feeding heavily daily. Nitrates at the very most were 20 PPM on API Master Kit, I'll take that! Water is absolutely crystal clear.
I cleaned the "Bio" sponges first and the water in the white bucket did not change color at all - hardly anything in them! The black sponges and then of course the white/blue sponges on the left side of the filter turned the water dark brown of course. Poly-fill was a little brown.
What this tells me is that the filter setup is handling the tank stocking easily, flow is not being inhibited at all, and the sponges are working great!
Next tank will be a 125 with 2 Fluval 407's setup this same way. Same fish, just larger at that time hopefully lol!
I purposely let the tank go 2 weeks without touching anything with current stocking and feeding heavily daily. Nitrates at the very most were 20 PPM on API Master Kit, I'll take that! Water is absolutely crystal clear.
I cleaned the "Bio" sponges first and the water in the white bucket did not change color at all - hardly anything in them! The black sponges and then of course the white/blue sponges on the left side of the filter turned the water dark brown of course. Poly-fill was a little brown.
What this tells me is that the filter setup is handling the tank stocking easily, flow is not being inhibited at all, and the sponges are working great!
Next tank will be a 125 with 2 Fluval 407's setup this same way. Same fish, just larger at that time hopefully lol!
10ppi/15ppi is available too but not easy to get. Never tested it though. Kinda figured you swap out the 30ppi...I'd only use that with hobs with sponge prefilters or in a foam 'sandwich'.
Let us know the results when your oscar hits 8-9 inches. At that size mine put out his weight in poop a day. My 225 went through weeks of brown algae blooms from his piles. Gotta love black gunky filters!
10ppi/15ppi is available too but not easy to get. Never tested it though. Kinda figured you swap out the 30ppi...I'd only use that with hobs with sponge prefilters or in a foam 'sandwich'.
Let us know the results when your oscar hits 8-9 inches. At that size mine put out his weight in poop a day. My 225 went through weeks of brown algae blooms from his piles. Gotta love black gunky filters!
Yeah it’s crazy how much larger the pores are on the 20 vs the 30. Just makes more sense for the use I’m going for. The power head + the canister are keeping the water and the substrate spotless! I’m positive at the stockings current size I could get 6-8 weeks before cleaning the filter.
Oscar is probably 5” now, he’s growing quickly. Almost an inch wide!
I’ll keep this updated!
Given how even 30ppi foam clogs I'm still wondering why 40ppi is still available. Can't think of any practical use or application for it even stacked. Holes are so tiny its practically solid.
I've heard people use it in pond setups, but if you have koi and and the like it seems kinda nuts to me.
I've heard people use it in pond setups, but if you have koi and and the like it seems kinda nuts to me.
