Is expensive bio media worth it?

[dw1305]

Hi all,

I thought Bamboo was a grass?

They are.

The worst are these magical and costly substances that you add to your substrate, like bamboo charcoal ..., please it's just burned wood!

I think it qualifies as wood, it is lignified (and silicified).

The wood from Monocotyledons (like Palms), and Magnoliids, is slightly different from the wood from Eudicotyledons

cheers Darrel

 

[CJM70]

Amongst other things I used Dupla Bio Balls in the 1980’s. They weren’t that cheap at the time either!

I used to own a Rena filstar ext. filter and it used these for bio filtration. I could never understand why they were so expensive to buy for what was essentially a piece of plastic, albeit one with “an internal network of 50 to 70 µm pores”. Seemed to work though, so I guess it supports the theory that biological filtration will take place on any surface to which the bacteria can attach.

 

[dw1305]

Hi all,

I could never understand why they were so expensive to buy for what was essentially a piece of plastic.........

I've got some of those as well.

That is it really the heart of it. A star shaped piece of plastic that will have <"cost pennies to manufacture">, but carefully dressed up with clever marketing, <"shape and name"> to imply that you are getting something unique and special at a premium price.

one with “an internal network of 50 to 70 µm pores”

It is <"classic diversionary tactics">, make all the conversation about something that is <"totally irrelevant">.

Seemed to work though, so I guess it supports the theory that biological filtration will take place on any surface to which the bacteria can attach.

Pretty much, a biofilm will develop and that <"will contain the micro-organisms that perform nitrification"> As soon as you know that a lot of biological filtration systems, in <"waste water treatment"> and <"aquaculture">, don't have any static media, just "bioflocs", it tells you that static media isn't that important.

Some non-essential conjecture.
First the bit <"we know">, that the nature of that <"microbial assemblage"> is <"fine-tuned over time"> to reflect the levels of ammonia (NH3) and dissolved oxygen in the water.

This would be conjecture, but I visualise the microbial assemblage in a filter in the same way that I think about the <"benthic invertebrate assemblage in a stream">. In clean water (water with a lot of dissolved oxygen and a low Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD)) you have a diverse assemblage of invertebrates, including <"Mayflies (Ephemeroptera), Stoneflies (Plecoptera), Caseless Caddis (Trichoptera) etc."> with Tubificid worms (Naididae) and "Bloodworms" (Chronomidae) etc present, but as a minor component of the assemblage.

As pollution (BOD) increases dissolved oxygen levels fall and you lose the more sensitive species from the assemblage. At the same time the number of Blood worm and "Tubifex" increases. As pollution continues to increase eventually only the haemoglobin containing Blood worms and Tubifex are left, and these often <"build up to huge numbers">.

The "Tubifex and Blood-worm" scenario is the traditional view of "cycling", with Nitrobacter winogradskyi etc representing Tubifex etc. If you only ever look at sewage treatment works? You never find the Mayflies.

cheers Darrel

 

[Phil Onion]

As my introduction suggests, I'm new (very new) to all this and the whole bio media in filtration confuses me most. I get the concepts involved, but the passionate debates over media types and their pros and cons are challanging for a newbie to get their head around. My new (and first) tank is due in January and I've already bought (after hours of review reading) a Biomaster 350 (I'm prepared for the 'you idiot' comments). After reading the differing views about changing the filter media immediately, I think I may run it stock, get the hardscape and plants added and bedded in for a few months, check levels and only then consider if swapping media is needed before adding livestock gradually (although planned stocking levels will be low).

Phil the Onion

 

[Muso1981]

So is anyone here actually using plastic pot scrubbers in their filter? I'm contemplating getting some instead of biohome ultimate, it would be good to hear from other users out there.

Also how long does it take for beneficial bacteria to build up?

 

[arcturus]

So is anyone here actually using plastic pot scrubbers in their filter? I'm contemplating getting some instead of biohome ultimate, it would be good to hear from other users out there.

Why don't you just use the media that comes with the filter? Or why don't you use plastic media in low quantities to maximize the flow? You can get such media for pond filters at a relatively low price. The pot scrubbers are in theory fine but you need to make sure they have no detergents. And depending on the type of plastics, the scrubbers can start disintegrating and then you will end up with micro-plastics everywhere.

Also how long does it take for beneficial bacteria to build up?

They will start building up very fast. The question is when you will have sufficient bacteria to deal with the nutrient load in the tank. And this takes as long as it takes. If you are starting from scratch (without using media from other tank), then it can take a few months. You can try speeding up the process with bacteria preparations, but if these are successful or not will depend on many factors. The easiest way is to wait a few weeks for the substrate to start stabilizing and leach excess substances into the water, and then plant heavily including a lot of fast growing plant and floating plants along with the plants you are planning. And then wait until the plants are growing steadily. At this point you will have a system that is able to deal with the unwanted substances in the water column.

 

[Aqua sobriquet]

Lots of plastic bottles say BPA free. If not would this be an issue best avoided for aquariums with inmates or not. I suspect not but thought I’d ask anyway.

 

[jaypeecee]

They will start building up very fast. The question is when you will have sufficient bacteria to deal with the nutrient load in the tank. And this takes as long as it takes. If you are starting from scratch (without using media from other tank), then it can take a few months. You can try speeding up the process with bacteria preparations, but if these are successful or not will depend on many factors.

Hi @Muso1981

Please take a look at:

Dr Timothy Hovanec's comments about Bacterial supplements

Hi all, They are the better option but I am thinking of future tanks.I'm not going to advise anyone to have a tank without plants, and I'm not sure how you would actually test* for fish safeness without endangering some livestock, but I am interested in the results using one of Dr Hovanec's...

www.ukaps.org

JPC

 

[Muso1981]

Why don't you just use the media that comes with the filter? Or why don't you use plastic media in low quantities to maximize the flow? You can get such media for pond filters at a relatively low price. The pot scrubbers are in theory fine but you need to make sure they have no detergents. And depending on the type of plastics, the scrubbers can start disintegrating and then you will end up with micro-plastics everywhere.


They will start building up very fast. The question is when you will have sufficient bacteria to deal with the nutrient load in the tank. And this takes as long as it takes. If you are starting from scratch (without using media from other tank), then it can take a few months. You can try speeding up the process with bacteria preparations, but if these are successful or not will depend on many factors. The easiest way is to wait a few weeks for the substrate to start stabilizing and leach excess substances into the water, and then plant heavily including a lot of fast growing plant and floating plants along with the plants you are planning. And then wait until the plants are growing steadily. At this point you will have a system that is able to deal with the unwanted substances in the water column.

I have been using the media that came with the filter however there's stuff like active carbon and phosphate pads in there which I don't think I need and I would like to have the optimum setup. I've seen various people on here saying Pot scrubbers are the best. I was originally thinking of getting Biohome ultimate but that stuff has a bad reputation on here for being expensive, not doing a lot and reducing flow.

 

[Aqua sobriquet]

I’m really happy with the Siporax that came with my filter. It looks to have a large surface area and doesn’t affect the flow too much. I’d even go as far as saying I’d buy some more if I needed it, at the right price.

 

[arcturus]

I have been using the media that came with the filter however there's stuff like active carbon and phosphate pads in there which I don't think I need and I would like to have the optimum setup.

You should remove the pads. The active carbon pad is useful if you need chemical filtration in very specific situations.

A setup that you can try makes use of "bio media" (you only need a small amount; you can keep each tray less than half full), followed by mechanical filtration through sponges and possibly by a layer of fleece. Use sponges that are not too dense so that you can maximize flow and minimize clogging and therefore maintenance. The fleece will impact flow but you only need it you want to polish the water.

I've seen various people on here saying Pot scrubbers are the best. I was originally thinking of getting Biohome ultimate but that stuff has a bad reputation on here for being expensive, not doing a lot and reducing flow.

The advantage of plastic media such as Hel-X 13, Kaldnes K1, and similar products is that they are small (1-2cm) cylinders, lightweight (they float) and are hollow. See pics of K1 and Hel-X 13 below. They are actually designed for fluidized media setups and not to be used as static media in canister filters. In any case, such plastic media will not get clogged and its impact on the flow is as low as it gets, especially when compared to heavy and dense media.

Plastic media is indeed overpriced especially when bought in small quantities. A couple of small bags for "aquarium use" will cost you the same as 20 liter bag for a pond filter. But we are talking of ~40 EUR for a huge bag. And this would be a one time buy. In any case, filling a filter with "specialized bio media" can end up being more expensive. The worse part is that dense media will impact the flow, and potentially reduce the amount of oxygen in the filter. In short, it has no advantages. If you already have such media then use it, but in small amounts and never packed too densely (which is often the case).

The scrubbers are surely the best value for money, followed possible by sponges. The issue with scrubbers is that you have no idea of they are made of. They can use plasticizers and other chemicals such as BPA, and they can become brittle and start disintegrating over time. You will have no such issues with plastic media. So, my suggestion would be to skip the scrubbers and use plastic "bio" media instead. If you want to save a small amount of money then use filter sponges. Otherwise, get sintered glass or ceramic "bio" media, ideally hollow media (such as Siporax) or in pearl/sphere shape (such as Eheim substrat pro) to reduce the impact on the flow. Any media will work. Just make sure you have plenty of flow.

 

[Muso1981]

Thanks for your advice @arcturus what you say makes a lot of sense, I suspect like you say those pot scrubbers might have nasty chemicals in them and would likely dissintergrate over time.
I have a small amount of fluval biomax in there at the moment, maybe I should buy a bit more of that and add to to the final 2 trays which i don't think have anything in them. Or I might get some of that plastic media.

 

[arcturus]

Thanks for your advice @arcturus what you say makes a lot of sense, I suspect like you say those pot scrubbers might have nasty chemicals in them and would likely dissintergrate over time.
I have a small amount of fluval biomax in there at the moment, maybe I should buy a bit more of that and add to to the final 2 trays which i don't think have anything in them. Or I might get some of that plastic media.

Or just distribute the fluval biomax you currently have between the trays to maximize the flow. In a planted tank you really only need a small amount of bio media in the trays. You can read the conclusions of <this experiment> and there are informative <threads on this forum> discussing this topic. Instead of adding more bio media, I would add a low or medium density sponge either to the bottom or top tray to provide mechanical filtration. Your goal is to keep a high flow of water going through the filter while having some degree of mechanical filtration. The plants will deal with most of the biological filtration and the nitrifying bacteria will eventually find a home, with or without bio media in the filter.

 

[Aqua sobriquet]

When I had a community tank in the 1980’s I used ceramic rings without any problems. They aren’t normally very expensive and are also pretty good flow wise.

Eheim Mech 1 Litre

EHEIM MECH. Prefilter material made from hollow ceramic rings for trapping large dirt particles. Directly after entering the filtration cycle, water is swirled through the hollow ceramic rings. Larger dirt particles thus sink to the bottom. The treated prefiltered water then continues its way...

www.completeaquatics.co.uk

 

[mort]

I had eheim mech pro, simply because it came with the filter. It has now been thrown out because it significantly disintegrated over a number of years. It's described as being made from a "non recycled plastic" but always felt more rubbery than you'd expect. The old ceramic eheim mech is far better.

 

[Nont]

Hi everyone,

I think, I managed to get anaerobic bacteria in my plantless biotope tank by having 2 clogged canister filter filled with pumice. The water has low nitrate of about 5 ppm (it was 20+ before) even though there’s a lot of decomposed leaves in the tank. Is there anyway I can clean the canister filter and pumice without disturbing the anaerobic bacteria?

Cheers

 

[hypnogogia]

@Natthanon, probably not. Bacteria that produce nitrate are anaerobic a do they’ll get destroyed when you clean the filter and it runs with fresh oxygenated water again. Why would toy anyway, assuming your tank is planted and will take care of the nitrates for you?

 

[Nont]

Why would toy anyway, assuming your tank is planted and will take care of the nitrates for you?

Nope, it is a Rio Negro blackwater tank for BADC contest.

 

[aquanoobie]

I prefer to measure ORP*/Redox

Hi @jaypeecee
It would be helpful if you could share how useful ORP readings are for you.
Thank you

 

[fredi]

So is anyone here actually using plastic pot scrubbers in their filter? I'm contemplating getting some instead of biohome ultimate, it would be good to hear from other users out there.

Also how long does it take for beneficial bacteria to build up?

I am using a combination of plastic pot scrubbers and 30ppi foam in all my filters, don’t have any info on “build up”time as transferred to these media gradually over several months (at cleaning time), my experience is that when using “old” filters to seed new filters. The filters are instantly efficient, however, I would always add prime to the tank for several days “just in case”
Imho the “massive” surface area media work well when new, but get clogged quickly, these media, of course, rely on flow through the media, as contact with bacteria is required
The advantage of pot scrubbers is little flow reduction, they wont stop particles though, that’s why i use 30ppi foam (with layer of filter wool on top), roughly once a month i change filter wool, and rinse foam (if required)
My tanks are stocked with plenty of fish, so i guess for a lightly stocked tank, less filter wool changes, and foam rinsing would be required