Tropical Fish Forums

[sawblade]

Does anyone make their own filter media rather than buy the expensive replacements? I read somewhere that lava rocks make great bio filter media and wondered if anyone had any cheap media ideas. It can be expensive replacing media in a big canister filter and someone must have figured out a better way by now.
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If it ain't broke...fix-it 'till it is.

[thefishguy]

Use polyfill as a mechanical and biological filter. You could put it in a media basket. Just make sure it is compacted enough to trap floating particles and keep the water clean. I have a hang on back filter, not a canister so I don't know if polyfill would work or not but it is a suggestion.

I have never heard of lava rocks being used this way but it seems like it should work with all of the surface area cased by the holes.

[anonapersona]

Canister media doesn't need replacing very often, but for the white padding at the top, and that can be bought in a big roll and cut to fit, so you can toss in a new one each time you clean, every few months.

The Eheim SubstratPro claims it does not need to be replaced.
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Member AGA, HAS, NASH
59 gallon planted
55 gallon cichlids
110 and 58 gallons 17 adult discus

[WilbyZ]

I use Dupla BioKascades in my Eheim 2260. Every so often (like once a year) I pop it open and clean the bioballs out. Good as new and back in they go for another year.

I only fill it with noodles (5litre) first layer, then the rest is BioKascades (about 15L). No fine filter media. Biokascades are really good in the sense they are not like the normal spiky bioballs which the spiky stalks tend to break off over time.

Expensive tho.


For Fine Wool filter media I just buy a 2200mm x 550mm x 200mm off eBay for like AUS$10 to use in my 2 other Eheim 2217s.