Filter Media That is NECESSARY and...

[Newman]

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

 

[Newman]

c'mon someone..

 

[MissFishy]

I don't know what "cycleguard media" is, but I think it's safe to assume it's not necessary. All you need is a sponge of some sort for the bacteria to colonize on. The carbon is also not necessary unless you are removing meds from the tank, not sure if it would also remove fertilizers or not though, I'd leave it out.

 

[Newman]

I provided a link to the cycleguard stuff...
I thought it was necessary cuz it looks porous and is designed for the bacteria...should i really remove it?

And ok, im gonna remove the carbon till ill need it again, thanks.

What about the two layers of sponge? would that be advisable?

 

[bmoraski]

the more media to establish bacteria the better. i double my filter media so when one falls apart i can replace with new and not have to worry about it.

 

[homebunnyj]

Cycleguard is just the company's name for all the different parts of the filtration media put together. They want it to sound like using their system will take care of your tank better than anything else. What you really have there is a foam insert, a bag of bio-max porous media, and a carbon insert. You do need the foam AND the porous things in the bag -- the bio-max. This IS a good thing. The only part you don't really need is the carbon. It won't hurt to have it in there, but I generally save mine until I need to filter out meds after a treatment, or if I need to clarify my water of tannins in case of critical, uninformed guests. (Saves me from having to listen to them.)

If you have a kind of media with a name like ammo-zorb or zeolite or something, you don't need to use that. Under normal circumstances your established bacteria should deal with ammonia in the tank.

It's usually a good idea to determine what something is before telling someone it isn't necessary, IMHO; or at least try to give them the necessary facts for them to make that determination for themselves.

 

[stoddern]

if the carbon is in a plastic cartridge just cut a slit in the plastic empty out the carbon and replace the cartridge, rinsing it in old water when you do water changes, makes a great mechanicle filter and lasts forever

 

[Newman]

Ok thanks people. I am keeping the sponge and porous media in the tank. ive removed my two carbon inserts.

Is it advisable to use a finer sponge layer above the regular sponge? would it help in filtering out more visible particles?

 

[bmoraski]

if you can, i would put something to replace carbon inserts.
you can get the do it your self carbon kits. use the filters without carbon.
you can cut to fit.

 

[KyleBradley]

Why would you want to remove the carbon? In my filter, the Marineland Emperor 280, the floss filter has charcoal sealed inside it so that whenever you change the pad you get new carbon.. It's not optional.. If it were only for removing meds or tannins, why would the manufacturer take the decision away as to whether or not to use it when it would definitely be cheaper to just sell the floss filter..

 

[Newman]

Personally, im not gonna use the carbon until im adding my driftwood to my tank. I dont want the carbon messing with my fert dosing. I've decided on buying a finer sponge element to put in place of the carbon packs.

 

[bmoraski]

Why would you want to remove the carbon? In my filter, the Marineland Emperor 280, the floss filter has charcoal sealed inside it so that whenever you change the pad you get new carbon.. It's not optional.. If it were only for removing meds or tannins, why would the manufacturer take the decision away as to whether or not to use it when it would definitely be cheaper to just sell the floss filter..

the carbon is not needed. unless you want to polish up your water.
or clean up meds.
i get do it your self kits for my tanks.
the manufacturer wants you to buy more product

 

[Newman]

Do it yourself kits for...what exactly lol
examples please?

 

[homebunnyj]

Why would you want to remove the carbon? In my filter, the Marineland Emperor 280, the floss filter has charcoal sealed inside it so that whenever you change the pad you get new carbon.. It's not optional.. If it were only for removing meds or tannins, why would the manufacturer take the decision away as to whether or not to use it when it would definitely be cheaper to just sell the floss filter..

You are still laboring under the assumption that people who sell you things have your best interests at heart. They don't. They don't intend to sell us something cheaper, they intend to sell us something with a higher profit margin, and they advertise (which also includes packaging and sales rep training) in such a way as to cause us to think we can't do without it. It's the oldest game in the world.

Of course it's optional. What do you think will happen if you don't run carbon?

 

[Newman]

well, your tank might get brown water from driftwood, or your fish might have problems from the copper in med treatments. thats the worst that could happen.

 

[KyleBradley]

You are still laboring under the assumption that people who sell you things have your best interests at heart. They don't. They don't intend to sell us something cheaper, they intend to sell us something with a higher profit margin, and they advertise (which also includes packaging and sales rep training) in such a way as to cause us to think we can't do without it. It's the oldest game in the world.

Of course it's optional. What do you think will happen if you don't run carbon?

If my floss filters are not sold without carbon, how can I run without carbon?
When I buy filter replacements, they are laced with carbon..

 

[OrangeCones]

Buy filter floss alone. It's easy to make your own and much cheaper than buying the replacement inserts.

 

[stoddern]

Kyle- when you have a carbon cartridge that the carbon is used up in simply cut the plastic side alil so you can get the carbon out then keep useing the cartridge, simply swish it around and clean the gunk off in old tank water whne you do water changes then put the cartridge back in.


if you don't want tannens in your water soak your drift wood in a bucket for afew weeks to a month changing the water in the bucket once a week, no tank I have ever had has turned brown from drift wood this way, you can also boil it to remove tannens faster but boiling will definatly shorten the life of the driftwood and make it fall apart faster, but thats still years away

 

[no.1chuy]

I don't know what "cycleguard media" is, but I think it's safe to assume it's not necessary. All you need is a sponge of some sort for the bacteria to colonize on. The carbon is also not necessary unless you are removing meds from the tank, not sure if it would also remove fertilizers or not though, I'd leave it out.

i did a lil reading on this today and carbon does remove alot of the fertilizer*thumbsdow so from now on im leaving it out.

 

[Newman]

Really? yea then im removing the carbon yet again lol.