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Cleaning pre owned filter media.

ForestDave

Member
Joined
12 Nov 2020
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292
Location
Forest of Dean
Hi.
I've bought a used Fluval FX6 and am cleaning it up. It's only 5 months old so in excellent condition. I've given the filter media a damn good wash in hot water straight out of the tap but wondered if I should use a spot of Ecover washing up liquid or something just to make sure no nasties have jumped ship? I expect it's all fine but if there is a good precaution to take now's the time.
I would buy new but looking at the prices that would negate my whole reason for buying second hand!
Any advice would be much appreciated!
Thanks.
 
I’m not a fan of reusing other people’s media unless I know what their tank was like before they gave it to me. It can add unwanted things like algae, just because it drys up doesn’t mean it’s dead unfortunately. DIY media is cheap enough, I use lava rock, filter floss, and poret foam (most expensive media I have because it’s exclusively made in Germany)
 
I’m not a fan of reusing other people’s media unless I know what their tank was like before they gave it to me. It can add unwanted things like algae, just because it drys up doesn’t mean it’s dead unfortunately. DIY media is cheap enough, I use lava rock, filter floss, and poret foam (most expensive media I have because it’s exclusively made in Germany)
Thanks. I’ll look it up. 👍
 
Hi all,
Sponges, some big lumps of alphagrog and some terracotta Wotsit shaped things.
That is useful. We have <"a thread that might be of interest">.
it can add unwanted things like algae, just because it drys up doesn’t mean it’s dead unfortunately
I'd still definitely <"keep them">. You can boil them, and not much is going to survive that.

I'm not sure how the wotsits ("Biohome") get on in a pressure cooker, but we used to <"autoclave the sintered glass filter media"> when we did the waste water work.

cheers Darrel
 
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I’m not a fan of reusing other people’s media unless I know what their tank was like before they gave it to me. It can add unwanted things like algae, just because it drys up doesn’t mean it’s dead unfortunately. DIY media is cheap enough, I use lava rock, filter floss, and poret foam (most expensive media I have because it’s exclusively made in Germany)
If I dd go the lava rock route what size would you say is best 8-16mm?
 
Hi all,
I could try sticking a few of them in the oven maybe?
I've never tried it, but they should be OK. Are they dry? They are made at very high temperature, but I could imagine if they were residually internally damp that they might tend to flake as they heated up.

I might try simmering them first?

cheers Darrel
 
I’m reusing my old media from my old discus tank which had quite a few pest snail in the tank. So Incase any were laying dormant in the media I soaked it in potassium permanganate then boiled it and dried it out in the oven. Lol don’t think anything is surviving that
 
I’m reusing my old media from my old discus tank which had quite a few pest snail in the tank. So Incase any were laying dormant in the media I soaked it in potassium permanganate then boiled it and dried it out in the oven. Lol don’t think anything is surviving that
:D
 
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