# Fluval FX5 Media type & Order



## kme38 (Sep 9, 2008)

So, I have just taken delivery of my first Fluval FX5, it came with sponge media and nothing else. I have read a few opinions regarding the best type of media to use and not to use, and in which order! Most tend to say that it works from top top bottom, so use sponge in the top tray, then Biomax in the remainding - but avoiding polishing 'bags'.

Before I do this & spend at my LFS, does anyone else have any opinion? It will be running alongside a Fluval 405 on a Mbuna Malawi 170gal tank. :?


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## Britnick (Apr 18, 2008)

Have you checked the manual, it gives a good idea of what to use.

I think there is a great deal of personal preference and also I think it depends on what you want from the FX5, flow or filtration. Now I know that sounds strange, but the FX5 doesn't have the largest media literage of the external filters (see this form on FX5 modifications) but its flow rate is awesome.

The FX5 filtration works bottom to top and then back to the bottom. The water is forced up the sponges in the outside ring and then down through the middle.

Because I want flow and I have another external with great biological filtration, I use:
Top: scribbies
middle: fluval pre-filter media
Bottom: Biomax Bio Rings, with a polishing pad on the top

That's just my opinion and there are plenty others on this forum.

Good luck :thumb:


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## boredatwork (Sep 14, 2007)

This is a very personal and highly specialized question. My advice would be to not think about getting it right the first time. And don't think that there is a optimum or correct answer on to how to stock your FX5.

Originally I spent weeks searching this forum to do exactly that. I wanted the perfect media combination. I came across several media combination and decided upon pot scrubbies in the top basket, then bio rings and then matrix.

Personally I didn't like that combination for several reasons. First, I don't understand everyone's addiction to using pot scrubbies. As a mechanical media they are redundantly unnecessary in an FX5. More importantly, the mechanical filtration was horrendous. My water was diry and cloudy. From this experience I would not recommend using a course mechanical media in the media baskets. While it is true that the FX5 has smaller media capacity than other large canisters, they can be used wisely to overcome this. One of the reasons that the media basket capacity is so small even though the FX5 is so large, is because of the unessarily large amount of pre filter sponge. Since the pre-filter sponge is already there I would not add any more course mechanical media.

So according to my thinking your media baskets should be filled with bio media or fine mechanical media. Personally, I like to combine the two and just use polyfill in all of the baskets. Another pitfall is thinking that to get the best media you have to spend a lot of money. In my opinion polyfill is the best dollar for dollar media you can buy. It has great bio capacity and super great mechanical filtration.

If not using all polyfill I would recommend fine mechanical in the top basket and then bio media in the bottom two baskets. Specially I would use polyfill in the top basket and then pot scrubbies for bio media in the lower two. As much as I don't like scubbies for mechanical media, they are really great bio media - theoretically better than most bio rings or bio balls - and they are cheap.


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## kme38 (Sep 9, 2008)

Thanks boredatwork & Britnick :thumb:


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## Dobbs92 (Dec 15, 2008)

Ok, this will probably sound like a dumb question, but what exactly are "pot scrubbies"? Are they like those green 3M ones you find in the supermarket? I'll be purchasing an FX-5 myself when I start up my new tank and seem to see these scrubbies mentioned often on this site.


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## boredatwork (Sep 14, 2007)

If there was a technical definition the green sponges would be pot scrubbies. But on this forum when people are talking about pot scrubbies they are usually not referring to the green pads you are talking about.

The best way to explain it is with a picture:

http://www.usahardware.com/inet/shop/it ... ie/502.htm

Usually you will find them in bright colors in packs of 4 or 6. A lot of people have luck finding them at dollar stores, but I never can.


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## Dobbs92 (Dec 15, 2008)

Ah, a picture is worth a thousand words. Thank you! I should be able to ferret them out if I decide to go that route.


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## KaiserSousay (Nov 2, 2008)

> green 3M ones


I not only have used the regular scrubbies, but the scour pads as well. Scrubbies for bio media and found some 6X9 pads, I cut to fit my media baskets, as medium filter pads.
The 6X9 size can be hard to find, but are worth the hunt..Uncut, they will slide right into quite a few HOB`s..cut to fit, they work great in most canisters..the left over scraps, tie wrapped on an algea scraper do wonders to glass tank walls..I guess you could even use them for what they were intended for as well


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