# best media for a fluval 405



## petro4411 (Feb 3, 2008)

the tank is a pretty well stocked 72 bow and i am presently running the foam filter blocks and the baskets are filled with lava rock--my question is what kind of media could i use to be more effective??


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## yogurtpooh (Jul 28, 2005)

nylon pot scrubbers seem to be pretty popular. I use them.


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## Solchitlins (Jul 23, 2003)

scrubbies are awesome in a wet dry sump where size doesn't matter and you can use hundreds of them.

For canisters ceramic or splintered glass media is best. Little Rings or balls of just the rock rubble looking stuff. Matrix pond size seems like a good amount per volume for the price.

The Eheim stuff is great but expensive.

imho


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## Nathan43 (Jul 9, 2007)

I have a 305 and use big als filter floss & fluval ceramic rings.


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## petro4411 (Feb 3, 2008)

thanks for all the replies...i tried the pot scubbers--for surface area they are supposed to be the best and i'm sure they are the best for biological filtration but when i tried them they didn't get the water crystal clear--i guess my own fault for trying to get a bio filter to do what a mech filter should do--i always figured that if the bio filter was good and ripe ,it would work to clear the water as well--i do have some of those ceramic rings i got with the fluval so i'm gonna try 2 baskets of those with 2 baskets of filter floss before them and then before the floss would be the prefilter sponges--thanks again for all the ideas....


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## gaqua (Apr 11, 2008)

I have two fluvals.

One is Filter Floss, Carbon, BioMax, BioMax
The other is 4 baskets of BioMax

Also, I have an Aquaclear 110 on top with Foam, Ammonia Remover, BioMax, and Purigen.

This is on an 80 gallon tank, and it's working quite well with my heavily stocked Mbuna tank.


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## TrashmanNYC (Dec 10, 2007)

i use foam, ceramic rings, and crushed lava rock......


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## alicem (Jul 26, 2007)

> i do have some of those ceramic rings i got with the fluval so i'm gonna try 2 baskets of those with 2 baskets of filter floss before them and then before the floss would be the prefilter sponges--thanks again for all the ideas....


Be advised, when you replace the pot scrubbies with these items, you are removing the good bacteria held in the scrubbies.
Consider adding and subtracting each medium a few at a time for a safer way to introduce the all new medium.
hth


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## petro4411 (Feb 3, 2008)

alicem said:


> > i do have some of those ceramic rings i got with the fluval so i'm gonna try 2 baskets of those with 2 baskets of filter floss before them and then before the floss would be the prefilter sponges--thanks again for all the ideas....
> 
> 
> Be advised, when you replace the pot scrubbies with these items, you are removing the good bacteria held in the scrubbies.
> ...


yeah thanks for the advice--i was figuring that there would be enough good bacteria in the prefilter foam sponges--right now all 4 baskets have lava rock in them that are pretty ripe--they do work because my amonia and nitrite are 0--problem is i need more mech filtering cause my water is cloudy from small particles- i am a bit aprehensive to change all 4 at once tho--think i'll just do the bottom 2 with fiter floss for now


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## alicem (Jul 26, 2007)

opcorn: Here are some thoughts to consider:

You might be surprised at the improvement in water clarity by adding a thin layer or two of floss at the _top_ and leaving the lava rock as is in there.

If you put too thick of a wad of floss, it could restrict the flow too much too soon.

I believe floss would work best if added to where the the water leaves the canister to polish it.

Later, consider adding coarse sponge where the water first enters the canister to aid the pre filter in catching the larger stuff.

Eventually set up like this:
water enters the canister 
flows through coarse sponge - catching large debris (mechanical/bacterial)
flows through less coarse sponge - catching smaller debris (mechanical/bacterial)
flows through lava rock - (bacterial)
flows through filter floss - polishing (mechanical)
water leaves canister


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## TrashmanNYC (Dec 10, 2007)

alicem said:


> opcorn: Here are some thoughts to consider:
> 
> You might be surprised at the improvement in water clarity by adding a thin layer or two of floss at the _top_ and leaving the lava rock as is in there.
> 
> ...


+1


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## petro4411 (Feb 3, 2008)

Hmmm.....interesting--i've always thought it was best to do all the mech filtering before the biological so the bio media doesn't get clogged with detris---right now what i have is a course sponge for the prefilter(that is inside the canister) with all baskets filled with lava rock--this works fine on another tank with a light bioload but with with my main tank the load is heavy and a lot of detris gets by the sponge and gets into the lava rock so i def need more fine mech filtering--i plan on adding floss to 2 of the baskets--so you think i should add it after the lava rock and not before it?


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## jboogerfinger (Apr 16, 2005)

> Matrix pond size seems like a good amount per volume for the price.


For a Fluval you are much better off getting the regular Matrix because it is smaller and will pack denser than the pond version. It will definitely not give you any problems, I have 3 fluvals and use it and works great. I reccomend the order like this. Course sponge, floss, then Matrix. And GET A FLUVAL SURFACE SKIMMER!!


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