# Glass wool as filter media?



## Catfish Dan (Apr 12, 2011)

I work in a lab and am always finding stuff to take home for use in my tanks, such as big ole syringes for adding dechlorinator and pipettes for easier water testing. We have a large box of glass wool that no one wants and I was wondering if this could be used as filter media in, say, an FX5.

Also found a box containing about 40 lbs of tiny (~5ml) unglazed ceramic crucibles which I'm thinking of breaking up to use as biological filtration.

Thoughts?


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## Storiwyr (Apr 24, 2012)

The only thing that would worry me about glass wool is that it might break up some and fragments get into the water. The fragments might be too sharp and harm the fish if inhaled and passed through the gills?


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## Catfish Dan (Apr 12, 2011)

Yes, I thought of that also. However it seems very flexible- I can roll it into a tiny ball with bare fingers ans see no visible breakage. May not be worth the risk, tho.


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## lilscoots (Mar 13, 2012)

I would go with "not worth the risk".


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## 13razorbackfan (Sep 28, 2011)

I use the marineland bonded blue/white filter pads cut to fit in my canister filters including my FX5. A sheet is $5 and you can make 6 pads for the FX5 out of one sheet. Works very very well at trapping smaller particles and polishing while allowing water to pass through easily. When I clean my FX5 the pads trap a lot more than the sponges. I use one pad in each tray and the bottom pad especially traps more gunk that all 6 of the sponges.


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## Catfish Dan (Apr 12, 2011)

> I use the marineland bonded blue/white filter pads cut to fit in my canister filters including my FX5. A sheet is $5 and you can make 6 pads for the FX5 out of one sheet. Works very very well at trapping smaller particles and polishing while allowing water to pass through easily. When I clean my FX5 the pads trap a lot more than the sponges. I use one pad in each tray and the bottom pad especially traps more gunk that all 6 of the sponges.


Fantastic. We'll be sure to pick some of these up. Thanks!


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## 13razorbackfan (Sep 28, 2011)

Catfish Dan said:


> > I use the marineland bonded blue/white filter pads cut to fit in my canister filters including my FX5. A sheet is $5 and you can make 6 pads for the FX5 out of one sheet. Works very very well at trapping smaller particles and polishing while allowing water to pass through easily. When I clean my FX5 the pads trap a lot more than the sponges. I use one pad in each tray and the bottom pad especially traps more gunk that all 6 of the sponges.
> 
> 
> Fantastic. We'll be sure to pick some of these up. Thanks!


You will be glad you did. Make sure you put white side down. I also put one on top of my bio media in each basket except for the bottom basket where it is on bottom to keep anything from falling down into the impeller chamber.


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## BillD (May 17, 2005)

Glass wool was used as a staple in filters for many years prior to the advent of inexpensive polyester.


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