# Very cheap bio media?



## josmoloco (Aug 23, 2008)

I can't find a decent price on pot scrubbies. Not even the dollar stores have them.Has anybody ever tried using bird netting? Lava rock is cheap, but it dosn't look very effective for a canister filter.


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## cevvin (May 2, 2008)

you can get shower puffs at walmart for a buck. I have heard of people using them.


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## boredatwork (Sep 14, 2007)

Polyfil.


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## blueinfinity (Jul 17, 2003)

ooh never thought of them shower puffs. i wonder if they work. i always noticed a smells o they may need a good soaking first.


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## josmoloco (Aug 23, 2008)

I know trra cota isnt the best,but is it safe in filter and (BIRD netting?)


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## jcushing (Apr 6, 2008)

alot of those shower puffs have antibacterial additives have to watch out for that. i too couldnt find many pot scrubbies around, i just got a few and wound up using lavarock. if you squish it up small id see it being ok for a canister...


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## KaiserSousay (Nov 2, 2008)

> Polyfil.


Keyboard must have broke :lol: 
Pot scrubbies in a cannister are a wasre of available space(IMHO)
People have used evrything you can imagine, little green army men, thier childrens legos, yada, yada.
With the limited space in a cannister would mos def agree, polyfill :thumb:


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## josmoloco (Aug 23, 2008)

where do I buy polyfill? How Do I use it in the canister?


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## josmoloco (Aug 23, 2008)

bean bag beans? $11.50 for four pounds.


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## boredatwork (Sep 14, 2007)

KaiserSousay said:


> Keyboard must have broke


Haha, no thats all I had to say.

Polyfil can be found at any girly crafts store, like Michaels, or even at Walmart. At first I had trouble figuring out where to buy it because I had no idea what it was, so it might help to know what it actually is, because I am guessing even if you went to the right store and just asked for polyfil they might not know what you are talking about.

Polyfil is polyester filling that is used for stuffing quilts, stuffed animals, or pillows. It is usually sold in a medium sized plastic bags in the shape of pillow. So if you know of any sewing, knitting, or craft stores, they should sell it.

To give you an idea of what to look for a quick google search turned this up. About halfway down you will see a blue/white bag - thats the stuff I use. 
http://www.poly-fil.com/fiberfill.asp#polyfil


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## boredatwork (Sep 14, 2007)

josmoloco said:


> where do I buy polyfill? How Do I use it in the canister?


To use I wet it first in some dechlorinated water, then put it into the media basket. You don't want to stuff it too much, but when its wet you will be able to fit more in then when its dry.


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## josmoloco (Aug 23, 2008)

Would that be the fiber or the beads?


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## bell (Dec 12, 2005)

for years i simply used gravel.....can't get much cheaper than that


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## josmoloco (Aug 23, 2008)

wouldn't the fiber just clog up as a bio media? The beads are the way to go, right?


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## boredatwork (Sep 14, 2007)

I am not sure what you mean by either question.


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## Mcdaphnia (Dec 16, 2003)

Chop up old credit cards with a paper punch to make biomedia. Any credit card in your wife's purse is fair game too. Tell her it expired and you chopped it up.


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## josmoloco (Aug 23, 2008)

What I meant was do I use polyfill fiber or beads? Won't the fiber clog up with **** as a bio media?


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## boredatwork (Sep 14, 2007)

I'm still confused by the way you are wording the question.

Yes it will clog up more than a courser media, but that is kind of the point, right? For bio filtration you want to increase surface area of the media. So ideally you would have a very dense media. As it turns out a dense media will also perform good mechanical filtration. This is the beauty of polyfill.

And in my opinion if using a finer media causes excessive clogging, the answer is not to use a course media. The clogging means that you have a lot of waste in the tank that needs to be taken out - either by vacuuming the substrate more often or cleaning out the filter more often. Using a courser media to avoid clogging maybe seem more convenient but it also seems to defeat the whole point of filtration.

I clean mine out every couple of weeks and I don't have any problems using it.

Also, I am not familiar with polyfill beads but I just looked it up - you definitely don't want to use that unless you put it in a very fine media bag. Even still the fiber seems easier to use - and I am pretty sure people who use polyfill are using the fiber.

Hopefully that answers the question.


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## SullyNJ (Nov 1, 2007)

I use scrubbies in the middle and polyfil in the beginning to catch the big stuff and at the end of the filter to get the miniscule stuff , it seems to work great. I get my scrubbies and poly at walmart.


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## Hoosier Tank (May 8, 2007)

Here is some good reading on the various media comparison... and why I choose pot-scrubbies, but if they aren't available gives many other choices and their effectivness.

http://www.wernersponds.com/biofiltermedia.htm


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## 007Rick (Jul 29, 2007)

Without a doubt, polyfil works the best and it is so easy to use


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## Solchitlins (Jul 23, 2003)

Every time I drive by a new dollar general I stop in and buy all their scrubbies, they usualy have 3 bags of 6.
I don't know if they restock after I buy them all or not.

I'm just saving them for a future sump.


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## sirdavidofdiscus (Dec 8, 2006)

Is all of the polyfil good for water use? Or will certain kinds crumble apart when wet?


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## boredatwork (Sep 14, 2007)

There are two kinds of polyfill. Sort of. There is the fiber kind and the bead kind. Obviously don't use the bead kind.

As for the fiber polyfill, I have never used any that crumbles when wet. In fact, once its wet it becomes very adhesive. I can't imagine it falling through a media basket. If you did have concerns about that, put it in a media bag.


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## 98dsol (Jan 17, 2009)

Polyester rope is very cheap. All you would need to do is untwist it.


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## bones06 (Sep 26, 2007)

I have used lava rocks in one of my Eheim cannisters for the last year and they work great. Best thing is that you can get a 50lb bag for $5-10.00


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## JWerner2 (Jul 7, 2008)

SullyNJ said:


> I use scrubbies in the middle and polyfil in the beginning to catch the big stuff and at the end of the filter to get the miniscule stuff , it seems to work great. I get my scrubbies and poly at walmart.


This guys on track I fill my Magnums basket with polyfil and I line in between the fill and the inside of the basket with scotchbrite pads. This protects the media in the basket. I also-to help protect the scotchbrite pads-pack around the basket with fill. I dont notice much of a slow down at all and I know other members do the exact same and say the exact same. Of course you will get some reduced flow, thats expected but not as much as some who dont experiment with it think.

The fill out side the basket gets most of the stuff leaving both the pads and fill in the basket pretty clean. I rinse off the pads but I can use the fill in the basket over and over since the pads protect that enough that it stays spotless. I got a box of the stuff from Wal-Mart for cheap, the bags are really cheap but I think this box will last me at least 6+ months.

And no it will not make a mess cause the basket keeps it from the impeller.


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## I3lazd (Dec 29, 2008)

do you use the nylon scrubbies or the metal ones? any particular brand/and or type


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## JWerner2 (Jul 7, 2008)

Im not sure what they are exactly made of I mean I know its not metal :lol: so theirs a pic.


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## I3lazd (Dec 29, 2008)

sweet thanks. :thumb:


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## Hoosier Tank (May 8, 2007)

Here is what I think of when People say "Pot-scrubbies"... Green sheet is usauly termed "Scotch-Brite" regardless of brand.


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## I3lazd (Dec 29, 2008)

Thanks Banker. Here are the green pads I am talking about for the bottom I think they would catch anything missed by the poly-fil. I seen them and almost bought but opted for just the scrubbies.


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## I3lazd (Dec 29, 2008)

sorry wrong thread


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## joiseymike (Feb 8, 2009)

Are you guys putting these in a canister, or is this just sump usage?

I'm getting ready to set up a Fluval 405 on a new tank, and I'm curious if I should fill the compartments with some of this instead of the bio materials they sell at my LFS.


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## I3lazd (Dec 29, 2008)

This is going into my sump


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