All Of These Inserts For The Aqua Clear Filter!

[tropical_mommy]

i kinda don't know up from down right now !! so i would like to get some opinions from your guys!! ...

ok i have a Aqua clear for 5-20 gal aquarium... i am needning to buy new inserts ...but i don't know what to buy! it came with the Biomax insert.. and now the other inserts that i have to put in it don't include the biomax insert!! so now i am confused ...

oh and i have a 10 gal tank...

this means that there is a foam insert , a activated carbon insert and an ammonia remover insert and a biomax insert???

what do i buy??? and can some be used without the others?? is that reccomended?? please guve me your opinions ...tell me what you use!!!!!


thank you ! ...cuz right now i will have to buy these online! as i bought the drn thing out of state and they don't carry the brand locally!!! so i need to purchass them a few month's in advance!!



oh and what about one of those biowheel's should i add one of those???

 

[Tolak]

Ditch the carbon, save it for if you ever need to remove meds. Ammonia remover is another unneeded item; Ammo-Lock is a better thing to keep on hand in the event you ever have an ammonia problem.

Once you understand what these different medias do, you will be able to customize the filter somewhat to your individual situation. This is the nice thing about Aqua Clear filters; the ability to customize media is similar to a canister, at a hob price.


The foam block provides mainly mechanical filtration, with some biological filtration. This is the one most people place at the bottom, many people will run AC's with just 2 sponges for mechanical filtration. I set mine up like this on cory & plec tanks, as they are messy fish and need a good mechanical filter.

The carbon & ammo remover would go next, like I said, these are unneeded. You could pick up some bulk filter floss for this layer. Floss provides a fine filtration, trapping the smaller particles the sponges miss. This should be the only media you ever have to replace on this filter; I have sponges that are 7 years young and still going strong. Some people will use just floss in a multiple filter setup to polish the water, removing very fine particles but requiring frequent media changes. This works well for show tanks.

The third topmost layer should be the biomax media, this provides biological filtration. Each of those little pellets are very porous, and have a lot of surface area for nitrifying bacteria to grow. Once again this is often used in multiple filter situations, where the tank is overstocked with a heavy bio load.

So, from bottom to top, you have sponges, which provide filtration for coarse particles, floss which provides filtration for fine particles, and biomax, which provides biological filtration. If you ever need to remove medication, you can put the carbon in place of the floss. This is the best starting point for most community tanks with an average stocking rate.

Off the top of my head I'm running 10 AC's, with different combinations of sponges, floss, and bio media.

 

[tropical_mommy]

wow ..that makes it sooo much clearer!! so all i have to buy is the biomax..in case i get a bunch of fry tyhat mature ...a carbon just in case... and floss... have to look for that ...i dunno if i'vew ever seen it ...


do you rince off the foam insert ever??? and how often do oyu change the floss???

 

[Mako Man111]

wow ..that makes it sooo much clearer!! so all i have to buy is the biomax..in case i get a bunch of fry tyhat mature ...a carbon just in case... and floss... have to look for that ...i dunno if i'vew ever seen it ...


do you rince off the foam insert ever??? and how often do oyu change the floss???

I have 3 ac's.

In my ac 20 and ac30 I run two sponges and biomax, in my ac110 I just run one sponge and biomax bacause for some reason, two sponges do not fit in the 110, but they fit perfectly in the 20 and 30.

IMO, that's the best combo, two sponges and the biomax, you get great mechanical and biologica filteration.

 

[Tolak]

Rinse off the foam media in used tank water when the filter flow starts to slow down. Depending on the fish, you should change the floss anywhere from every two to four weeks.

 

[Gazoo]

From top to bottom I use:

-------------
filter floss
-------------
Biomax
-------------
1/2 sponge
-------------
sponge
-------------

I had to cut one of the sponges in half since two were too much for my combination.

 

[xJake]

From top to bottom I use:

-------------
filter floss
-------------
Biomax
-------------
1/2 sponge
-------------
sponge
-------------

I had to cut one of the sponges in half since two were too much for my combination.

It's better to keep the biomax on top so that it has some contact with air and bacteria grow better. I'd say the best combo is...

-------------
Biomax
-------------
filter floss
-------------
sponge
-------------

 

[skiltrip]

i think some of us (including me) are not sure what "filter floss" is exactly...
what exactly is it?
where exactly do you get it?
how is it sold? bags? boxes?
what manufacturer(s) make it?

any info would be greatly appreciated. thanks!

 

[dizzied]

Fish stores sell filter floss, in bags that end up looking like pillows.

My AquaClears run Biomax-Sponge-Sponge top to bottom.

 

[TwoTankAmin]

I have 20 running AquaClears from mini to 300- they all have the same load in some combo: sponges and floss.

The sponges are excellent bio media (contrary to what an above poster said) as well as being mech media. The floss is stirckly for mech as it is an awful media for bio. The more recently purchased ACs come with the biomax junk which I just throw away. Did give them an excuse to raise the price for the filters and of course it does need replacing a lot sooner than sponges- so they make more on that too.

 

[Gazoo]

From top to bottom I use:

-------------
filter floss
-------------
Biomax
-------------
1/2 sponge
-------------
sponge
-------------

I had to cut one of the sponges in half since two were too much for my combination.

It's better to keep the biomax on top so that it has some contact with air and bacteria grow better. I'd say the best combo is...

-------------
Biomax
-------------
filter floss
-------------
sponge
-------------

Thanks for the tip.

 

[White Whale]

Oh. Would it hurt to use the carbon? I have the exact same filter.