Filter Media For Planted Tanks

[manwithnofish]

I have a Fluval 405, on a 70 gal tank. It has been set up 3 weeks and I'm not sure what to do next. This is all new to me. The filter has four trays (each divided into two compartments). I think it came with BioMax in the two upper trays and Carbon in the bottom two trays. I took the carbon out of the very bottom tray and put the Fluval Pre-Media to just add mechanical filtering. It looks a lot like the BioMax ceramic rings. The next tray up, I put a bag of Fluval Clear-Max which says it "traps Phosphates, Nitrites, Nitrates" in one of the two components (half the tray) and left one bag of carbon in the other side or half. I put the Clear-Max in because I was having an algae problem and cycling my tank. I left one carbon bag in because I didn't have anything else to put in there and I felt that if I left one side empty, the water flow through the filter would not work very well. Somewhere I read that the carbon filtering can be bad for a planted tank so I want to remove it, when I can.

I'm starting the 4th week with the tank and it has really settled out nicely. I feel that I should make a change in the filter media soon by removing the last carbon bag and the Clear-max. I don't know what I should replace them with. Some have suggested that I should just add sponges in that tray but I'm not sure what they mean. I don't want to cause too much water flow resistance and burn up the filter motor or anything. I don't see sponges made for the filter on websites.

The tank will be built and maintained around the plants, so I'll choose fish that will work in that environment.

My tap water is from my well. pH seems to hold at 7.4. kH about 7 or 8 and gH is around 14 to 15.

What should I do from here?

 

[Themuleous]

First off, carbon removes important plant nutrients such as iron (check out the link in my sig ) so best removed is as soon as poss. Same goes for the Clear-max as P and N are vital for plants to grow.

FYI - phosphate and nitrogen dont cause algae, its long establish these days. So you're wasting your time and money trying to reduce P and N in the tank. Hell I ADD P and N to my tanks!

Your next set should be reading the pinned threads, in particular the ones on the estimative index, lighting and CO2. They should get you started, but I'm sure you'll have lots of questions once you've read those

Sam

 

[fozziebear]

heres what i use,


very bottom - Bio-Balls

First tray - coarse sponges

second tray - ceramic rings

third tray - 1 coarse sponge then 2 fine sponges

i also use a internal filter with a coarse sponge and filter floss to polish the water but i dont leave it in all the time.

 

[lisa_perry75]

With the fluval externals the flow goes down through the sponges then up through the tubs. I let the sponges do their job, then I take out the dividers within the tubs. In my 204 there are 3 tubs. I put in filter floss in the bottom one (covering the entire grated area or the water will go around rather than through the floss), and those hula hoops in the top two. I wouldn't jam pack them in, or buy ridiculously expensive ones.

 

[Nim]

I would only get rid of carbon for now. If you are not injecting CO2 then you can keep the nitrate and phosphate removal stuff but if you really want your theme around plants then they should also be taken out.
You can have a planted theme without CO2 injection but then my experience with EI in those cases has been slightly dramatic. It may work but it may fail as well and with no CO2 control, it becomes a bit difficult to work on the estimative index concept. If you have CO2 injection or planning to get one then those phosphate and nitrate removal things will be totally useless and as stated above, you may need to add these to the tank instead of removing them.

Nim

 

[manwithnofish]

Your next set should be reading the pinned threads, in particular the ones on the estimative index, lighting and CO2

I'm not really interested in doing the EI or CO2. Not yet anyway.

First tray - coarse sponges

and

I let the sponges do their job,

I don't see any Fluval Sponge media. Are you talking about something I would buy to wash my car or dishes from the local Wal-Mart?

I do intend to remove both the carbon and the Clear-Max (reason I started this thread). I'm just not sure of what to put back in their place. I suppose I could just leave it emplty. I know some sponges (like you do dishes with) that just seem to disintergrate if they stay wet constantly. I don't want something that will come apart and clog up my propeller.

 

[fozziebear]

use filter floss id say, just but it at a haberdashers, its called wadding, it does the same job as the stuff you but in the right shape for your filter, you just have to cut it to size, you throw it away once it gets browned up, so your gonna need alot of the stuff, thats why i dont use it all the time.

 

[manwithnofish]

I'll have to see if I can find anything called wadding or filter floss. thanks

 

[Themuleous]

IF you're not going the EI route, and you have your light sorted, then all that is left is to sort out what scape you want and plant, plant, plant!!! Go for it

Sam

 

[SuperColey1]

My Tetratec has:

Bottom tray - Nothing
second tray - Nothing
third tray - coarse sponge x 2
top tray - coarse sponge + filter floss.

Filter floss was bought at wilko called Supawool (Pets section) 69p a box

Andy

 

[lisa_perry75]

With the fluvals you have half the filter is trays and half is a section with sponges in
http/www.swelluk.com/img/shop/original/A...al-External.jpg

Also thrifty measure with everyone you don't need to throw away filter floss as it can be cleaned in a similar way to filter sponges. It's annoying and time consuming, but if you want to save the pennies it may be worth it.

 

[garuf]

Is there a reason for you running carbon? if its to remove tannins swap it out for purigen, mechanical and biological are by far the most important filtration types in a planted tank as long as these are in the majority then you'll be fine. Chemical is more or less superfluous.