# HOB filter media placement



## tyrone (Mar 20, 2003)

Hi,

How do you guys place the filter media in your Emperor 400s. I place ceramic rings at the bottom, the scotch brite pads in front and behind I have sponges. Is that fine for filtering out first the larger particles and then the smaller ones?

Thanks.


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## CharlieTuna (May 20, 2006)

hi. i am a aquaclear hob and rena canister owner but i would assume the principle is the same. i would put the bio media(ceramic rings) in as the last form of filtration this way the worst of the gunk doesnt make it's way to them. the reasoning is that you dont want to have to clean the bio media until it's absolutly nessesary or at all if you can help it so as not to disturb your benificial bacteria colonies. let the foam and pot scrubbers filter out the worst of the debris and wash those out when you notice reduced flow from your filter. wash them in tank water that you take from your tank when you do a water change because they hold the bacteria to but arnt nessesarily your main sorce of colonization.


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## Markolodeon (Nov 4, 2007)

I don't believe the Emperors were designed to house media in any other fashion than the methods described in the operating manual. Given that I use two of the carbon filter pads in the front slots (replace every month) and then the plastic media trays in the back two slots filled with Seachem's Matrix which in theory I'll never replace.


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## tyrone (Mar 20, 2003)

Oh but many ppl improvise and use other media as the emperor stuff is quite expensive and in my case not available here.

I was thinking if i put the pot scrubbers in front the sponges behind and the ceramic rings below. Or I could also put the ceramic rings in the plastic media trays????


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## Markolodeon (Nov 4, 2007)

I would try to find some sort of filtration media that will fit in the plastic media trays and use two of those per 400 (four won't fit). Something as simple as filter floss (polyester fiber-fill, same as they use in pillows) would work as long you cleaned/changed it regularly. The great part about the Emperors is because of the bio-wheel(s) you don't have to worry about upsetting the biological filtration during cleaning. You just need something to catch the gunk I use the replacement filters because they are relatively cheap (2 per, the other 2 are the media trays). I change the disposables each month and they are evenly dirty, suggesting you want some sort of vertical filtration arrangement that fits/fills the slots.


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## tyrone (Mar 20, 2003)

Thanks I do have filter floss which I can used in the plastic media trays. Will do that


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