# Canister filter?



## Reidy (19 Jun 2013)

Hi guys I have a fluval 405 canister filter completely empty right now was wondering what you all run in each compartment, there aare 4 compartments cheers


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## Iain Sutherland (19 Jun 2013)

i just run very small amount of alphagrog, purigen and a course sponge.  Depends on your bio load how full it needs to be.  It doesnt really matter what you use but would suggest that ceramics balls/noodles are better than plastic ones.  Price is pretty irrelevant also with media so dont be tempted to splash the cash on branded stuff as its really no different to buying loose on ebay.


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## Mike Edwardes (19 Jun 2013)

Iain Sutherland said:


> ...suggest that ceramics balls/noodles are better than plastic ones


 
I'm interested - why are ceramic medias better?


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## Iain Sutherland (19 Jun 2013)

I said suggest as no doubt some will disagree media is all about how porous it is, the more porous the media the more surface area for friendly bacteria.  Ceramics are generally quite porous where as plastic balls are not although there design creates a good amount of surface area.  No doubt there are lots of people using the plastic without issue but if your a looking to buy new media id choose ceramic.
Like i said i use alphagrog which as far as i can tell is left over concrete from a building site yet its very porous.  You can even just use cut up washing up sponges although they will need regular cleaning.
Add to that the amount of bacteria in the water, on plants, covering hardscape and substrate it largely becomes a matter of choice based around the inhabitants, big dirty fish need big filters with lots of media where as an iwagumi with 15 tetras and some shrimp need very little.


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## Alastair (20 Jun 2013)

Reidy said:


> Hi guys I have a fluval 405 canister filter completely empty right now was wondering what you all run in each compartment, there aare 4 compartments cheers



Iains given you pretty much all the info you'll need on what to get but if its completely empty you'll need the 4 pre filter sponges for it that capture all the large particles before hitting the bio. 

Sent from my GT-I9505 using Tapatalk 2


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## foxfish (20 Jun 2013)

Ian is right, ceramic media has a huge bio-loading capacity compared to plastic media however it will clog up over time & loose that benefit .(although it will still have a good surface area, the internal workings will become clogged with organic matter)
You need to take particular care of ceramic to get the best from the product, pre filtering the water is essential, so make sure you have a couple of graded sponges before the ceramic media.
You can rejuvenate ceramic by boiling it in water for ten mins but obviously this will destroy the beneficial bacteria!
You can boil a small percentage every month to keep it free flowing & clean although it would be far easier to just replace 10% every three months if you are really bothered!
I don't think hardly anybody in the planted tank aspect really cares or needs to care to that much about the ultimate filter medium because we tend to use large filters &  rely on large water changes on top of regular maintenance.
I am a fan of plastic media because it is easy to clean!


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## dw1305 (20 Jun 2013)

Hi all,


foxfish said:


> Ian is right, ceramic media has a huge bio-loading capacity compared to plastic media however it will clog up over time & loose that benefit .(although it will still have a good surface area, the internal workings will become clogged with organic matter) You need to take particular care of ceramic to get the best from the product, pre filtering the water is essential, so make sure you have a couple of graded sponges before the ceramic media.


I agree with 100% "Foxfish", we did a lot of work with waste water, and the advantages of various porous filter media is more theoretical than actual. I like a sponge pre-filter on the intake (for easy cleaning) and then Eheim coco-pops, ceramic/glass rings, alfagrog or floating cell media in the filter body, mainly because they don't clog.

Have a look at this thread:<Filter maintenance. How regular do you do it? | UK Aquatic Plant Society>

If you can retain high flow speed through the media, the water will remain oxygenated, and that is the key to biological filtration. I wrote an article for plec keepers which covers this, it has had a few homes, but presently is at Plecoplanet :"Aeration and dissolved oxygen in the aquarium". Despite its title it really deals much more with biological filtration.

cheers Darrel


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## Reidy (20 Jun 2013)

Ye well my filter wil have new sponge pads and I have ceramic noodles that I used in marine tank may just boil them and use again think that should be fine?


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## dw1305 (20 Jun 2013)

Hi all,


Reidy said:


> have ceramic noodles that I used in marine tank may just boil them and use again think that should be fine?


Yes they will.

cheers Darrel


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## Reidy (20 Jun 2013)

ok so today i bought some ceramic media because i left the old stuff out of the filter in a box in the garden and couldn't be bothered gathering it all up lol.
I have another 3 spare draws for media so im thinking of having a compartment with maybe bio balls, do you guys think this will help or is it better to maybe have some filter wool or just leave empty. obv i have polishing pads in there too (x4)


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## ceg4048 (21 Jun 2013)

No. As Darrel quite clearly pointed out, you are wasting your time fretting over filter media. In a CO2 injected planted tank FLOW and distribution are 100X more important than filter media.

If your water is discolored then throw a few handfuls of activated carbon or Purigen in there and just get on with it. If there is no discoloration then just throw in some alfagrog, generic foam, or chopped up pot scrubbers, which are brilliant.

Filter media is not something we should worry about, and the less of it we can get away with, the better.

Cheers,


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## dfektor (21 Jun 2013)

> Like i said i use alphagrog which as far as i can tell is *left over concrete from a building site* yet its very porous.


 
I sincerely hope not!?!


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## dw1305 (22 Jun 2013)

Hi all,


> do you guys think this will help or is it better to maybe have some filter wool or just leave empty. obv i have polishing pads in there too (x4)


 I agree with Clive,  I don't really like polishing pads or filter wool, the problem is that they are very efficient at picking up the fines, but this leads to clogging and reduced flow through the filter. That is why I like a sponge pre-filter on the intake, it is really quick and easy to clean.I just half fill the filter body with rings etc.


> Like i said i use alphagrog which as far as i can tell is *left over concrete from a building site* yet its very porous.​I sincerely hope not!?!





> Alfagrog is a porous foamed ceramic material, which is lightweight, strong and inert.


<Home - Alfagrog.com>

cheers Darrel


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