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Best Filter Media

Tom72

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25 Mar 2021
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Location
Leeds
Hi Folks, after watching a green aqua post on filtration it has made me realise that my external filter is not performing as well as it could. I have been using lava and a mix of bits and bats. I think this is the problem and want to replace with a very Porous ceramic media. Looking on line it’s hard to see how rough/smooth the media is. Please can anyone recommend the best products. Ideally ones that redo not have to be replaced regularly (matrix)
 
I hear that pot scrubbers are very good as biological media. Lots of people use 20ppi or 30ppi foam. Expensive ceramic or sintered glass isn’t necessary. Perhaps look at this thread.
 
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Hi all,
What @hypnogogia says.

As you'll see from the <"linked thread"> opinions differ, but I have a <"real problem with the "Pondguru">, <"the purveyor of Biohome">.
....... Marketing departments are extremely effective at writing very convincing science fiction, shooting down the cheap alternative and promoting the very expensive alternative. They are also very good at making charlatan YouTube videos.

This paper was sent to the “Pondguru”, a British distributor of Biohome who has a YouTube channel which seems to be the “bible” for some folks. Note this YouTube channel got a 1% accuracy rating from the author and that was generous. The “Pondguru” YouTube videos on Biohome are two ten minute rambles about how Biohome “duplicates Nature” in the aquarium. No testing. No real science. Nothing! Pure snake oil salesmanship!

The best the replies from the Pondguru and the “manufacturer” could do defending their product was to say they has many anecdotal stories from users of their products where the product worked as advertised. They did not provide ANY studies from anyone which showed their product worked........The Pondguru than makes the incredulous statement that anecdotal evidence is more reliable than scientific experimentation. ......
He also says, on <"his website">,
Please note: Tanks with heavy stock and feeding (e.g. cichlid, goldfish, predator or fry tanks) and marine tanks may require 1.5kg - 2kg per 100 litres to achieve the full cycle filtration which will result in the reduction of nitrates. Do not worry about plant growth being affected in a tank which reads zero nitrates - the nitrate is processed into soluble nitrogen which is easily used by plants, boosting their growth.
So not only economical with the truth, but also, apparently unaware, of how the nitrogen cycle actually works.
Ideally ones that redo not have to be replaced regularly (matrix)
That is another <"fib by Seachem">, Matrix is <"pumice"> and good <"for all of eternity">.

cheers Darrel
 
Totally agree with the above posts

You need to decide how much you want to be sold an idea
Simple gravel works as a medium after all there wasn’t much else around 50 years ago and fish were happy and bred

I personally like foam as it’s cheap comes in various grades very easy to cut to fit any filter and so easy to clean so it gets my vote


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
 
My favourite (it came with my filter) is Sera Siporax. It’s sintered glass and seems to have a large surface area. Not cheap but I’d probably buy some more if I needed it. The Ceramic tubes are said to be a poor alternative.
 
I understand the turn towards pot scrubbers, etc, but aren't they encouraging pollution? Just to be speculative, has anyone suggested using a natural sponge? Maybe they have issues in terms of depleting natural resources. I have a fluvial with the usual sponges and some media, but not filled to the brim. My partner has taught me not to use pot scrubbers for the dishes, because they contribute to micro-plastics, I believe, so it made me think about their use in filters? Just asking, I'm not a passionate advocate of any approach, I just use a mix.
 
Hi Folks, after watching a green aqua post on filtration it has made me realise that my external filter is not performing as well as it could. I have been using lava and a mix of bits and bats. I think this is the problem and want to replace with a very Porous ceramic media. Looking on line it’s hard to see how rough/smooth the media is. Please can anyone recommend the best products. Ideally ones that redo not have to be replaced regularly (matrix)

Just use whatever came with your filter
 
after watching a green aqua post on filtration it has made me realise that my external filter is not performing as well as it could
It's a capital question: What do you expect your filtration should do?
You should solve this, and not a very different thing: What vendors / people say the filtration should do.
Manufacturers of filters & filter media swear that you cannot establish proper microbial life (biofiltration) without their help. Then there are manufacturers of microbial inoculants who also swear that without them microbes either can't find a way to your tank or die off quickly.
If you asked me, my microbes seem stupid, because they never learnt that they should move into my canister filter and leave the tank; instead, they stubbornly live everywhere and don't follow vendors' 'scientific' instructions. Damn!
 
Amazingly, there is genuine scientific research available on the usefulness of pot scourers as filter media. It's here:


It concludes that pot scourers are an efficient means of filtration. This concurs with the findings of the "aquarium science" website, here:


A caveat can be noted, though. The scientific research focused on the use of pot scourers in a trickle filter.
 
Hi all,
I understand the turn towards pot scrubbers, etc, but aren't they encouraging pollution?
I think it is a valid concern. If you use <"pumice">, or sintered glass, it will last. I've got some "Eheim Substrate Pro" (coco-pops) that <"I've used for ~ ten years"> and it is still fully intact.

<"Alfagrog"> or <"Hydroleca"> might have the smallest environmental footprint?

Cheers Darrel
 
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I used Eheim substrate pro for years, i used to use lytag, i have used siprorax, never had a problem with any of them
Properly maintained, they have all given me ammonia and nitrite (at level of detection employed) free aquaria
I have found that since changing to a mixture of pot scrubbers in lower sections and 30ppi foam in top section, time between cleaning (as determined by flow reduction) is much extended
Still zero detectable ammonia and nitrate 👍
 
I switched over to one tray of Siporax and another tray of Ziss ZM-ll micro on one tank and Ziss ZM-ll completely on a smaller tank a while back.
Both seem to be working well. The Ziss media hasn’t clogged at all so far and filter flow has been quite good.
 
Hi Folks, after watching a green aqua post on filtration it has made me realise that my external filter is not performing as well as it could. I have been using lava and a mix of bits and bats. I think this is the problem and want to replace with a very Porous ceramic media. Looking on line it’s hard to see how rough/smooth the media is. Please can anyone recommend the best products. Ideally ones that redo not have to be replaced regularly (matrix)
The green aqua video is very interesting and from what they've said they believe in seachem matrix so much they include it with a filter purchase. About 5 or so years ago when I was still into reefing seachem matrix was a very popular and well respected means of adding additional biofiltration to your reef. Now many people seem to be using bioblocks which appear to be bricks with many micro perforations in them for a similar purpose. It seems fairly straight forward that the more surface area there is the more bacteria that can grow and the a larger bacterial population increases their ability to reduce ammonia or nitrites. I guess the question would be is how much surface area do you need to reduce ammonia in your tank? This relationship is not exactly clear to me in a planted tank since plants perform a similar job.
I do have some seachem matrix in my filter in addition to the eheim media that came with my 2217 since I had a bunch left over from my defunct reef. I don't know if I would purchase more of it though.
 
The green aqua video is very interesting and from what they've said they believe in seachem matrix so much they include it with a filter purchase.
They ought to beleive in what Matrix actually is: pumice. They would probably pay MUCH less and do a service to everyone instead of promoting an overly expensive natural product. Seems it's all about money and the more we go the worse it gets. In Asia, I know many people who use pumice in their tanks and filters and all is perfectly fine.

You will note below, Seachem does not deny it's pumice but then go about justifying it all with a well crafted sales pitch.
Screen Shot 2023-01-12 at 13.59.23.jpg
 
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