I have tried most of the filters out there except for a sump. While I ended up mostly using air powered filtration, I did have a lot of hang-ins for many years. And then I ran into Dr. Tanner of Swiss Tropicals. This was the result of the discover of the ammonia oxidizing Archaea. He had written about them and I actually reached out to me to discuss it all. Little did I know then that the result of this would be to change my mind about filtration.
The main result was that I began change the media in many of my filters and to reduce the number of hang-ons. But in the ones I kept as the foam degraded and needed to be replaced, I did so using the Poret foam. I moved away from the ATI songes and to the Poret cubefilters. I even set up a few tanks with Hamburg Mattenfilters, again using Poret.
What I had learned was what many of us in the hobby do not realize. A filter does not filter anything nor does the filter media does not filter much either. So how does it all work? What filters our tanks are microorganisms. These microorganisms are the key. But, they need some place to live, and that is in the media in the filter. The filter circulates water through the media but the microrganisms do the actual work. A filter also acts to circulate water, and in the process it also helps to aerate the water. But the microorganisms are not limited to living in the filter media, They can live anywhere that is out of the light and which gets adequate circulation
This can include to top portion of our substrate, the rocks, wood and other decor where they ae out of the light- like the undersides. The bacteria create a biofilm in which they live. It anchors them, it protects them and it is home to other microrganisms as well as the nitrifiers. It is a symbiotic relationship.
That said, what becomes one of the more important decisions we make in terms of filtration is out choice of media. The Poret foam is pricey relative to other media so why should one use it or similar typed of semi-rigid foam? The answer is because it not only works well, but it also needs to be cleaned much less than other media. What this meant for me is I had to be cleaning my media much less frequently as well as getting better filtration.
I have had 3 canister filters on my tanks. All re Eheim Pro II 2026. My first was loaded with the Ehiam noodles and bio-media and theircoarse and fine filter pads. I changed things up in my second and it used all AquaClear foam mean for their hang-ons. The throd and final one I put into use was filled with Poret foam. I only used the top floss pad as it goes between the top basket and the plastic plate that must sit atop everything. The floss was need for the spacing to be optimal for the plate.
I chose yo use on;y the Poret at the suggestion of Dr. Tanner. I asked him one big question about doing this, "How often should I clean the filter media?" I leaned my first two canisters twice a year in June and December. Dr. T. told me to clean it only when I noticed the flow was slowing. I have had that canister running for about 10 years and just cleaned it for the second time last month.
I rinsed my ATI sponge filters every week. I rinse my Poret cubefilters every 3 or 4 weeks and some less often. I clean matten filters every few years. Weekly maint. on the Mattens takes about 90 second. I siphon the silt behind it and then fun a siphon hose across the fron side to remove the solid waste entering the foam. This helps by lessening how much of the organic waste that goes into the foam by a bit.
The other thing I learned about mechanical filtration was that most of what is including is organic and a lot of it gets eaten by the other organisms living in the foam. In nature this would include things bigger than what lives in our filters so in nature the "cleanng" is more comprehensive than what lives in or tanks. What I do know is my clearest water is in the tanks with Mattenfilters. Those tanks have no live plants to help with filtration, it is all done by what lives in the foam.
The upshot of this is that one's choice of media matters. How effective it is and how often it needs to be cleaned depends on what that media is. My choice to move towards using more Poret was driven first and foremost by a desire to spend less time doing maintenance related to my filters.
All filter media will clog eventually. So the trick is to find set-ups and media that not only work well but can go a longer time between cleanings. When one has to put a filter in a place where it is less easy to access, this becomes and important consideration. When one can use central air and quality media, the cost, the effectiveness and the maintenance schedule become more favorable to operate and less work. Where I could, I used these methods. Where I cannot go central air and have to use HOBs or canisters, I still try to use the Poret foam. The bigger I can get with the volume of the right type of foam, the less work is it for me in the long run. I am willing to pay more for that.
I have had the Marineland bio-wheel filter, I tried a Tetra hang-on and sent it back. I settled on AquaClears for their versatility and ease of cleaning in terms of removing the media basket and especially the simplicity of the design. The other thing about them is al lot of the different models share the same parts in terms of motors and uplift tubes. It makes it easier and cheaper to keep spare parts on the shelf. The impellers are different but use the same motor to make the different size filters work.
You might want to watch this vid of Discus Hans' filtration system. The important part is it uses Poret foam. Of course, Hans has a much bigger set-up than most of us will ever have, but the principles involved are the same and the choice of media (Poret foam) and how it is set-up is quite fascinating. There is no reason something similar cannot be done on a smaller scale.
