zoomed 501 canister filter media?

[Arch345]

Has anyone had any experience with Zoomed's 501 nano canister filter? The stock setup is somewhat reversed..where the water flow reaches the bio media (ceramic rings), then to the carbon and lastly to the sponge. I've noticed that my ceramic rings are getting somewhat dirty after only a few days since its the first stage of the water intake.

Would putting in a foam pad ( like the one Fluval makes) on top of the ceramic rings help to cut down on the debris coating on the rings? Are there other alternatives to making this setup work better?

Because of the way the canister is set up, the sponge has to go last in its own compartment. The second compartment is open and you can put any media in it. Currently I have ceramic rings and carbon in the second compartment.

Thanks

 

[FreshyFresh]

Arch- first off, welcome!!

Secondly, are you sure you've got your media staged correctly in that filter?

As far as I know, bio media should never be placed in the unfiltered portion of a filter. That doesn't make any sense. If it gets covered with particulate matter, it's going to choke out the BB.

FWIW, my inexpensive Sunsun HW-302 canister flows bottom up, which is typical of conventional canisters. Unfiltered water is forced into the bottom, so the media is stacked mechanical, chemical (if wanted) and then bio media on top.

I've got a thick, coarse sponge on the bottom, a thin floss pad with a bag of carbon in the center, then another floss pad and plastic balls, ceramic rings and gravel in the top.

 

[Arch345]

Thank you Fresh!
Yes, I checked zoomed's webiste and scrutinized the 501 manual closely because it didn't make sense to me. But their website confirms that the order is indeed reversed. They claimed that it is the "most effective water flow" or something. I think its just bad design but I already set it up and, other than the media thing, works fine. I even tried to hook up the hoses so that the intake goes thu the sponge first but it didn't work..the water kept going up and down in the hoses and there was no complete loop.

Zoomed used to recommend putting in the carbon first and then the bio filter but they received too many complaints about the canister being clogged by the carbon. So now they recommend the bio then carbon setup.

I checked the reviews for the 501 and its received general good praise. Some ppl have mentioned using floss on top of the bio rings to strain out the debris to prevent buildup. I guess you just need to rinse out the ceramic rings in tank water more often. I'm using fluval's biomax ceramic rings instead of the stock ones that came with the canister.

So now, I'm thinking foam on top, then bio rings and then carbon in a mesh bag. Or maybe I can do foam- little bit of carbon-bio rings? Maybe switch out to just foam and rings eventually?

 

[FreshyFresh]

Yeah, I don't get that at all. Kind of goes against logic, but I guess the manufacturer know best for that specific model.