fluval 304 advice

[jaws]

Just go a 50 gallon tank with a nice fluval 304 for $70.00. Never had this type of filter. There are three trays with two baskets in each tray. Is it necessary to have all six trays with a filter medium. Or can I have just have one bag in each tray. I have one bag of aqua clear activated carbon on the bottom tray. The middle tray I have a Ammonia remover. And the top tray bio material. Can I purchase bulk amounts of carbon and make my own filter bags?

 

[FishLuvr]

First of all, fluvals have the greatest capacity for media, that what makes them so great, so why would you not want to use it to its fullest extent.

Carbon is not needed on a regular basis, It is only used to remove meds, or other chemicals. If left in for a long period of time. it can actualy have the reverse effect by leeching the stuff it pulled out back into the water. there is one other benifit to charcoal and that is to remove the tannins that bdriftwood can leech into the tank, other than that TOSS THE STUFF (well keep it for a med removal situation)

I woud fill the bottom basket with some mechanical filtration, sponge, filter floss, etc. to remove the big stuff ike food that gets sucked in, waste etc. the second tray i would fill with some even finer material to get smaller stuff that the first tray may have missed. and finally the third tray i would fill with some biological material.

The baskets in each tray allow you to be able to remove/clean part of your filtration instead of all of it at the same time. GREAT CONCEPT.

So again

Tray 1 (bottom) sponge
Tray 2 (middle) Filter floss
Tray 3 (top) Ceramics of some sort for your biological filtration

Hope that helps
Kevin

 

[Rush07]

Wow. Good find. You will get differing opinions as to what to run in the filter. Most people will not recommend the carbon unless you are trying to specifically remove something from the water. Also, once the tank cycles you will not need to ammonia remover. While cycling it may slow it down if ammonia is being removed. But I think I am getting off subject........

You do not need to fill all of the trays. Make sure you have Bio Max or something similar in trays 6 & 7 (top tray, two compartments). I run poly filter floss in the middle (4 & 5) and Pre Filter in the bottom (2 & 3). The Pre Filter is large ceramic rings that trap large particles. The floss filters out the smaller particles and the Bio Max is were the bacterial colonies will set up. As needed you can add Carbon, Phosphate remover, Peat, etc. in the bottom or middle trays. This is of course my opinion and you will get others, but this set up has worked for me. I run 2 405's in my 110 and a 404 in my 55 and they have worked great.

 

[jaws]

fluval filter

Thanks for the advice. It seams I got a great deal with this tank. I have lots of option now.
Take care

 

[FishLuvr]

yeah you did, im jealous, heh