• You are viewing the forum as a Guest, please login (you can use your Facebook, Twitter, Google or Microsoft account to login) or register using this link: Log in or Sign Up

Improving this old filter?

Tigermoth

Member
Joined
27 Feb 2009
Messages
56
Just wondering what I can do to this external filter in the way of improving biological filtration. Not sure this filter is really big enough for the 218L tank it's used on, but it's all I've got at the moment. Think it's rated at 1000 lph, also have a koralia 2 running when co2 comes on.

In the bottom tray I've got some sort of alpha grog stuff, in the top tray there's a piece of foam that half fills the tray.

So do I need to keep the empty space at the bottom? It seems I've got very little media for the volume of the filter itself. I was thinking of putting ceramic rings under the foam in the top tray, are ceramic rings better than alpha grog, if so I might replace the grog.

TIA

aquapro3.jpg
 
Hi, you can use something like Efisubstrate Pro. The rings are more for mechanical cleaning. Anything with a high surface area will increase the bacterial populations and will improve the effectiveness of the filter. I'm sorry, I'm not really familiar with alpha grog. That sounds like it might be a really good beverage to be had with a heavy meal (Err Matey) :clap:

Cheers,
 
To add to what Clive has said, I wouldn't add media below the baskets. The main reason for this is that this area functions as a point for a lot of waste to settle out IME (I have the slightly larger 2128 and there is lots of waste there when I clean the filter out). In my 2128 I also have the top basket empty a lot of the time (I use it for chemical media or peat when and if I need it) so your filter's carrying as much media as mine is at the moment and that supports a 180l tank with lots of fish in it.

The media I have is the bottom tray with ceramic rings in (These actually perform a good job of mechanical filtration as they slow the water down and encourage the dirt to settle out) and then the coarse foam on top of those.
The middle basket is full of sintered glass media and I prefer the hoop media such as Siporax and JBL Sintomec as I find them easier to clean.
The top basket is then dedicated to any chemical or fine mechanical filtration that I may need at any point.
 
Thanks chaps.

Lol Clive, alpha grog for alpha male - "a man's drink". Here's what the alpha grog looks like.

Ed, point taken on the empty space, I'll leave as is.

As I'm unlikely to use peat or any chemical filter media, would it be a good move to put some Ehfisubstrat under the foam in the top tray?
 
I'd have the foam in the bottom tray over the ceramic rings if possible as you are then keeping more of the dirt in the bottom tray or below. Your sintered glass media should then stay much cleaner than if you have the foam above it. If you can't fit it in the bottom tray then I'd have it under the sintered glass in the top tray but it will make cleaning it much more complicated.
 
I don't have any ceramic rings at the moment, just grog in the bottom and foam in the top.

So if I buy some Ehfisubstrat and some ceramic rings, I'll fill the bottom tray with ceramic rings to the point where I can still fit the foam in on top of it, then fill the top tray with Ehfisubstrat. Does that sound right?

Thanks for the help.
 
Sounds perfect. That way you should keep all the dirt in the bottom tray and below and totally fill the top tray with the high surface area sintered glass media.
Glad to have helped.
 
Back
Top