Bio Balls & Ceramic Hoops

[proton]

Hi Guys, I have a large filter that filters 1500 l/h according to the box. It is one I bought on ebay. The compartments have a few ceramic hoops in them. I am in the process of buying more filter media. Can I mix those plastic bio balls with ceramic hoops?

Thanks...

 

[rabbut]

They can mix, yes I haven't ran bio-balls for long, so don't realy know what they will be like long-term, but there are no issues with mixing any solid state media. With some, such as peat, you do actualy need to add another type of media to the same compartment to use it. Peat tends to go walkies if you don't put floss or sponge over it

HTH
Rabbut

P.S. There are two types of ceramic media, one smooth and one with a pitted surface. Which do you have already. If you have the stuff with a smooth surface, I position it before the bio balls, as smooth ceramics are mechanical pre filters realy, and bio balls are easily clogged with gunk, so using the ceramic first would reduce cleaning intervals If it is the pitted type, mix as you whish

 

[proton]

Cool thanks, they are all smooth at the moment, the ceramics I mean. I will definately put the bio balls on top and the ceramics at the bottom.

 

[T1KARMANN]

If you already have the rings then their is no point in buying bio balls

filter media is ment to get smaller as it goes up in the filter

normal rule of thumb are bio balls or the hoops

 

[proton]

Oh OK, I though that if the bio-balls were on top they would have a good way of capturing the dirt and stuff.

This is kinda what I had in mind.

ceramics on the bottom tray then second and the third bigger ceramics and the top on (fourth) the bio-balls and a foam thingy on top (I have loads of foam). At the moment I only have one size ceramic rings (10mm).

So you mean I should swap them around with bio-balls at the bottom then going to smallest at the top.

Thanks...

 

[rabbut]

The smooth ceramics in my set-ups are always first, as the spread the flow accross the media and prevent chaneling, at the same time as breaking up large dirt particles. Next I would put in foam, then floss where appropriate, to remove all dirt from the water before passing it through the biological media. In doing this, my oldest filter has not needed the bio media cleaning out sice purchace 9 months ago. That said, I've only cleaned that one twice since then....

Thats just my way of doing things. This may be an area where you need to play with the ordering of your media to find what works to filter best, without increasing maintanance time.

No two exturnals are used in the eaxact same set-up so few prople will run them with an identical media layout, unless they bought a filter will all media included and don't want to spend the cash modifying for their set-up.

HTH
Rabbut