Ceramic blocks/Bio media

[bigredspecial]

I was going to ask this in another thread I started, but decided to start a new one to prevent it from getting sidetracked.

The ceramic media that comes with newer AC filters, and most cannister filters... How good is it?

AC claims it has 3 times the surface area(or something like that) of a sponge. I've seen claims as high as 10 times from other manufacturers. How much area does it really have? Is one little package really better than the rest of the media combined?

Discuss.

 

[Fishckabibble]

i have an Aquaclear 50 and i use the ceramic media, i have noticed a difernce in the water opposed to just sponge and carbon but that is just my opinion, i will keep using and the best part about it is you only have to change it every 2-3 months as long as you rinse it out.

 

[Lotus]

I'd say that in a well established tank, especially one with plants, it's not really necessary. If you don't rinse out your bio-sponge, then you probably already have enough of a biological filter to keep your tank healthy.

It can be useful if you need to set up extra tanks, or have a quarantine tank that you occasionally use, or if you are constantly redoing your tank with new substrate/plants.

 

[bigredspecial]

That is what I was thinking; I know I don't really need, but I still wonder how well it would potentially work, given a really high bio load...

Fishckabible, I never go by the recommended rinsing/replacement times. Those rings should never need replacement; even rinsing shouldn't be necessary. My sponges get rinsed about once a month(as necessary, whenever they start to reduce flow) and never need to be replaced(They continue to flow well).