# canister filter media ideas ?



## newcichlidz (Feb 23, 2012)

i hava a xp3 for 60g tank. comes with bio chem zorb, 12 bio stars, and it comes with like black filter pads and some white ones.

what media should i get to fill up the trays ? people say use pot scrubbies/matrix/filter floss/ and alot of other things.

which ones do you think are good and worth the price and how should i stack them in the filter. thanks


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## 13razorbackfan (Sep 28, 2011)

I use fluval bio-max and other similar ceramic rings. They have good surface area. Other than that I just use sponges and fine filter pads. You can buy the fine filter pads and cut to size.


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## theoryguru (Oct 11, 2011)

Many ppl have multiple setups so saving $$$ is key and finding the ideal ratio between 'most economical and effective' media is why this CF is great, lots of ideas floating around and some of which you've mentioned already.

In general most canister trays are setup mechanical / bio / chemical with variations of the later two.
Eg. First tray should be coarse sponges - pot scrubbers and lava rock are inexpensive for this purpose, then I would fill a tray with biomax or Seachem Matrix, and last fine filter/biochem zorb. First decide with what type of media want to use and then shop around. There's a lot of info in the forum just search 'media tray' or something to that effect and I'm sure others will chime in as well.


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## vann59 (Jun 20, 2011)

When you have enough room, multi stage mechanical filtration is the best approach. Pot scrubbers, coarse sponges, and floss are good for coarse filtration, then fine pore sponges, then white (easy to tell when it's dirty) felt works really well as a cheap polishing pad downstream from the other filter layers. Buy the felt at a fabric store to get a good price. Using layers of filtration keeps your filter from clogging as quickly, while still having the ability to polish the water for best clarity.


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## newcichlidz (Feb 23, 2012)

theoryguru said:


> Many ppl have multiple setups so saving $$$ is key and finding the ideal ratio between 'most economical and effective' media is why this CF is great, lots of ideas floating around and some of which you've mentioned already.
> 
> In general most canister trays are setup mechanical / bio / chemical with variations of the later two.
> Eg. First tray should be coarse sponges - pot scrubbers and lava rock are inexpensive for this purpose, then I would fill a tray with biomax or Seachem Matrix, and last fine filter/biochem zorb. First decide with what type of media want to use and then shop around. There's a lot of info in the forum just search 'media tray' or something to that effect and I'm sure others will chime in as well.


alright would this wrk for my xp3 (i have a 60g tank, and going to keep mbunas or peacocks dont know yet)
top-bottom
1.course pads/pot scrubbies
2. matrix/or other bio media
3.black pads that were already in the bottom tray whhen i got it.

im new to this so i dont really know that much about canister filter or about fish keeping. but this forum has helped me out alot.

so would this setup be good ? or is there another way i can achieve good filtration but with less $$$

thanks for the help


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## countryboy814 (Feb 19, 2012)

I'm guessing the black is carbon. Carbon is for the removal of meds and some coloration (tannins). So you don't need it. I run fluval filter media.. A-1470 ceramic pre filter (maintenance is just rinse) and bio-max ceramic.. Leave the third tray empty until you need (and this may never happen) activated carbon or other medication.


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