# Ceramic rings before coarse sponge in canister filter?



## mikeross (Nov 5, 2012)

I am in the process of setting up 2 135g setups. I have a pair of fx5 and a pair of ehiem 2217's. I plan to use 1 of each for each 135g. I have always used sumps and HOB filters so not 100% on how I layer these canister filters.

I thought I had it figured out until I saw this photo... it shows the ceramic rings before the coarse sponge filter. Is this the proper way of setting it up?










I currently have ceramic rings, biomatrix, 2217 coarse pad and filter floss.


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## Kalost (Feb 27, 2013)

yes


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## Kalost (Feb 27, 2013)

The rings with the 2217 are used as a coarse filter media and not as bio filtration. They are used to disperse water into many paths to prevent tunneling, trap large debris and create an even flow of water for subsequent layers.


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## philipgonzales3 (Dec 4, 2013)

I don't own an Eheim filter yet but I am pretty sure the picture is correct. You can put your media in any order but it may not work very efficiently if you put them in the wrong order. You want your mechanical filtration to go from course to fine, and usually the biomedia is placed before the filter floss, but I believe it can be placed after the filter floss as well. So the Eheim Mechanical rings go on the bottom, because they are the coarsest media because they are made to catch the bigger waste in them. Then the sponge is designed to pick up slightly finer waste than the Eheim Mech. If you had more sponges that continued to get finer than you would keep stacking them from course to fine. Then usually people put their Biological filtration which I believe is the substrate pro or whatever it's called in the Eheim. This is done because you don't want large amounts of waste in your biological filtration. I've heard excessive waste can smother the beneficial bacteria. Some people run their bio media after there filter floss so that the biomedia will stay even cleaner, but most people run it after there coarse sponge(s). If carbon is run, it is usually placed between the biological media and the filter floss, but it can also be placed before the biomedia and I don't see why it couldn't be placed after the filter floss.

So yea just trying to share what little I do know. Basically you use coarse mechanical in your first layer(s), then Biological in your next layer(s), then carbon if run it, in your next layer(s), then fine mechanical (filter floss) in your next layer(s). That's usually how any filter is set-up, but you have to find what works for you. For example if your filter floss keeps clogging you can try different filter floss or get rid of it all together.


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## skurj (Oct 30, 2011)

The ceramic rings used in eheim are different than say the rings used by fluval (biomax). The eheim rings are not as porous and are just being used as an extra coarse layer of mechanical filtration.


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## spotmonster (Nov 23, 2006)

For the Fluval, I would put the rings in the middle and or or bottom tray. DON"T USE POLISHING PADS in the FX5!

Here's the way the water flows....viewtopic.php?f=6&t=287842&p=2069434#p2069434


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## jeffkro (Feb 13, 2014)

Fluval seems more logical to me, why is eheim getting all the kudos?

coarse sponge, finer sponge, biomedia, polishing pad - makes sense.


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## pablo111 (Dec 10, 2013)

If nothing else, Eheim gives you a vastly superior biomedia with their filters. 
This Youtube user, who owns an LFS and Pond setup company, has very differing thoughts on canister setup. In his opinion, you should mech filter AND polish before the water reaches the biomedia. Have a listen and see if you agree.


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## noddy (Nov 20, 2006)

That guy in the video is wrong if we are talking about an Eheim canister. Like skurj says, the ceramic rings in an Eheim are used as a mechanical filter.


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## noddy (Nov 20, 2006)

jeffkro said:


> Fluval seems more logical to me, why is eheim getting all the kudos?
> 
> coarse sponge, finer sponge, biomedia, polishing pad - makes sense.


Add something before the coarse sponge to filter out larger particles and it would make more sense.


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## JimA (Nov 7, 2009)

Some of what he says makes a lot of sense, I am sure there are many ways to make it work, I myself do not like polishing pads, they just clog up to quick. I clean my canisters about every 3 weeks or so, the stuff that accumulates in the btm always amazes me. I couldn't see going a year let alone 3 months between cleanings, least not with Tropheus...


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## jeffkro (Feb 13, 2014)

I clean my filters weekly, anything in them decays and adds to the nitrates no? I'm amazed at how dirty the polishing pads are after the water goes through two layers of foam first. According to the dude in the video though maybe the polishing pads should go before the first layer of bio media.


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## jeffkro (Feb 13, 2014)

By the way at one week when I clean the filter the cleaning bucket looks absolutely filthy. I almost think this can reduce the number of water changes because my readings are all good.


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## jeffkro (Feb 13, 2014)

noddy said:


> That guy in the video is wrong if we are talking about an Eheim canister. Like skurj says, the ceramic rings in an Eheim are used as a mechanical filter.


They might be used primarily as mechanical but no question they would also be biological.


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## pablo111 (Dec 10, 2013)

noddy said:


> jeffkro said:
> 
> 
> > Fluval seems more logical to me, why is eheim getting all the kudos?
> ...


Did you guys watch the whole video? He puts what is essentially Ehfimech (ceramic rings) in the bottom of the filter before the coarse sponge.


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## Deeda (Oct 12, 2012)

I watched the entire video and I do agree that the preferred method is to trap any debris before it reaches the bio-media.

The problem I have with the video that pablo111 linked to is the video creator seems to assume that the ceramic tubes (Ehfi Mech) is bio-media when in fact it is not, it is the first coarse media and it's purpose is to trap large debris and disperse the water flow prior to the next stage of filtration, as noted by skurj's comment.

I have the same filter that is in the video and I have the media stacked exactly the way it is recommended in the manual. I do find that a lot of the large debris does accumulate in the space below the bottom media tray (as well as occasional fry) so I'm satisfied with the way the filter operates.

Now, back to the OP's original question. The pic he/she shows is the correct media stacking placement using Eheim media. If you are substituting another brand of media, just make sure the mechanical media is located in the lower section(s) of the filter and the bio-media in the upper section of the filter.


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## pablo111 (Dec 10, 2013)

The 22XX classic filters are designed to have water flow through them in a certain way. If you change the pattern (rings, mechanical, bio) or the media type you won't get optimal flow. Eheim's biomedia used to look like Seachem Matrix but they changed it to a spherical media that lets water travel around it evenly and efficiently. I think only Eheim media should be used with the classic filters.


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## jeffkro (Feb 13, 2014)

Yeah, I'm building a seachem matrix air operated filter for my 20 gal quarantine tank.


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