Which Filter Media is Necessary and Which is Just Extra:
OK I need to know from some knowledgeable people on this forum (cmon MOA help me out here), EXACTLY which filter media is necessary to a tank and which is added for extra purposes.
I have a HOB filter (aquaclear 110)
All i know is that it is NECESSARY to keep a sponge element in it.
Is it advisable to have a coarse sponge layer at the bottom of the filter followed by a very fine layer of sponge above it?
Another NECESSARY element that i think i need to keep is the Cycleguard packet. I assume this is a bacteria housing media. it looks exactly like this:
Hagen Fluval BioMax Media 500G 17.63 oz - Fish.com
The black carbon media that i have, is it just for those times when you need to clear your tank of driftwood tannins, or cloudy water? Or is it a necessity and has to always be kept in a filter?
Reason for asking about the carbon is that i have a lot of live plants in my tank and am worried that the carbon is removing necessary nutrients from the water (like ferts.)
Are there any other NECESSARY packets i should be running on my filter? So far i have understood that i only need the sponge and Cycleguard media in there at all times. am i wrong? Should i remove the carbon if i dont NEED it to clear up the water from tannins and such?
Thanks for any help and sorry to make you read so much text
OK I need to know from some knowledgeable people on this forum (cmon MOA help me out here), EXACTLY which filter media is necessary to a tank and which is added for extra purposes.
I have a HOB filter (aquaclear 110)
All i know is that it is NECESSARY to keep a sponge element in it.
Is it advisable to have a coarse sponge layer at the bottom of the filter followed by a very fine layer of sponge above it?
Another NECESSARY element that i think i need to keep is the Cycleguard packet. I assume this is a bacteria housing media. it looks exactly like this:
Hagen Fluval BioMax Media 500G 17.63 oz - Fish.com
The black carbon media that i have, is it just for those times when you need to clear your tank of driftwood tannins, or cloudy water? Or is it a necessity and has to always be kept in a filter?
Reason for asking about the carbon is that i have a lot of live plants in my tank and am worried that the carbon is removing necessary nutrients from the water (like ferts.)
Are there any other NECESSARY packets i should be running on my filter? So far i have understood that i only need the sponge and Cycleguard media in there at all times. am i wrong? Should i remove the carbon if i dont NEED it to clear up the water from tannins and such?
Thanks for any help and sorry to make you read so much text
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