Questions on replacing biomedia for AquaClear filters

[Boundava]

em Matrix is a scam. They advertise massive surface area but don't tell you that almost all of it is useless. Water follows the path of least resistance. Do you really think water is going to flow through the pores in Seachem media? It will simply flow around the media. Even gravel provides more useful surface area for bacteria than Seachem.

 

[Slaphppy7]

em Matrix is a scam. They advertise massive surface area but don't tell you that almost all of it is useless. Water follows the path of least resistance. Do you really think water is going to flow through the pores in Seachem media? It will simply flow around the media. Even gravel provides more useful surface area for bacteria than Seachem.

Was this supposed to be a reply?...lol, gotta mess with you, Nat

 

[Boundava]

So the benefits of Matrix is that it offers aerobi and anerobi

Was this supposed to be a reply?...lol, gotta mess with you, Nat

Yeah, not sure what happened, It removed the quotes on me.

Was supposed to say:

Matrix provided aerobic and anaerobic bacteria to cycle the tank. I have used it for over 17 years with sponge filtration without any issues.

 

[plebian]

When I ran Aqua Clears all I had in them was the foam sponge and the charcoal bag . One time I used peat pellets in a filter bag for my Rams with good results but I wonder , do all the different media a guy can get really do anything special ? Or is it just marketing hype ?

It's just marketing hype. The best media available for biofiltration is foam, period. Foam media should last for many years without replacement. But where's the profit in that?

I have a 150 gallon tank (net volume) running two canister filters filled with nothing but 30 ppi foam. I keep Discus, Tetras, Corydoras and a couple other catfish species. I change 50% of the water every two weeks and clean my filters once every 6 months. That's it.

Activated carbon should only be used to remove medication or some other chemical that's been added to the water, assuming carbon will actually remove it. It will also remove tannins, but will require frequent replacement.