In what order do you put media in Canister filter? Question Look

[Dale]

Just thought I'd ask this question about media in a canister filters after I read the Bio-Max box. I have a Filstar XP3 filter, and I use BioMax filter media rings in it. Now on the box it says to make sure that the rings are the LAST thing in line in the filter, meaning the last thing that the water flows through before the water returns back to the tank. This is how I have my XP3 setup- Basket #1- lower section 2 Coarse pads, Upper section 2 fine pads. Basket #2- lower/upper sections Chemi-pure in filter bag. Basket #3- lower/upper sections 30 oz's (2 boxes of BioMAX rings. I don't use the Micro filter pad at the top like FilStar says to do, in order for my BioMAX rings to be last. My filter seems to be doing good with the present setup. The reason I wrote this is because I've read other post that stated that the bio-rings were on the bottom of the filter, in other words, first to come in contact with the incoming water, and some who put the rings in the middle of the filter. I would like to hear from others on how they have there canister's setup and swap ideas on this subject. Thanks, Dale

 

[aquatic-store]

You put it last so all of the big debris is filtered out and doesnt clog up the biomax!!!!

 

[Somonas]

Interesting Eheim sees it the other way around - they want you to use the ceramic noodles at the bottom as a prefilter. I do it the way Filstar wants in the Filstar.

Eheim from bottom to top. Ceramic noodles, effisubstrat, coarse sponge, filter floss.
Filstar bottom to top. Coarse sponge, biomax, fine sponge.

 

[rdmpe]

I always put the most coarse material as the earliest filter so that the water flows into finer and finer material. As for bacterial surfaces, the little bugs will live on the filter media, the debris trapped in the filter media, every surface of every object in your tank (except maybe the deep unoxygenated sand...), free floating throughout the water , etc. So IMO the bacterial colonies will have plenty of area regardless. The important thing to me is to keep the flow going through the media.

 

[Somonas]

Hmm... I just thought of something... if the mechanical filtration is first and the biological material is last, does this mean that all of the oxygen is pulled out of the water before it hits the biological filter? My reason for saying this, there is probably some bacteria on the mechanical side, and rotting waste etc, this all used oxygen... I am wondering if the flow rates in canisters are sufficient to allow o2 to reach the end of the filtration media...

just a random thought... I imagine these canisters move enough water per minute to not make this an issue.

 

[rdmpe]

Probably not a problem, otherwise they'd possibly start pulling nitrAte out of the water too (wouldn't that be handy?) There is always the diy coil denitrator...