need advice on filter media

[leezard]

hi everyone,

i've posted this query on PF but no one was able to give me a satisfactory reply although they did provide alternatives.

this was my original post on PF:
"currently i run an Eheim 2028 (with standard pack) Eheim 2212 (with substrat pro) fluval 4 plus internal (with supplied foam + purigen) on a 45G. i hope to reduce the frequency of WCs. trying to push WCs to (10-20%) once a fortnight or 3 times a month instead of the current twice a week 30% WC.

biohome plus claims to reduce ammonia, nitrite and nitrate. but the Eheim substrat pro only deals with ammonia and nitrite?so i hope to change the filter media gradually to Biohome plus. anyone ever used this product and can provide testimonial if it works? any input would be greatly appreciated."

i understand that some of you have been on PF for the longest time. (i read most of the tank/filter/ thread till the last page in pg 111, literally) but you guys rarely post anymore. Nevertheless, i'm sure the "old birds" from Pleco Club Singapore (PCS) can help me out :)

this is my current stock:
22 guppies (3rd generation...today)
about 40 neon tetras (difficult to count...)
8 angel fishes (gift from friend, can't reject)
9 corys
1x 5" L27
1x 4" L14
1x 3" L134
1x 3" L200
1x 3" L190
1x 3.5" clown pleco

take care:)
mai

[lyh]

hi everyone,

i've posted this query on PF but no one was able to give me a satisfactory reply although they did provide alternatives.

this was my original post on PF:
"currently i run an Eheim 2028 (with standard pack) Eheim 2212 (with substrat pro) fluval 4 plus internal (with supplied foam + purigen) on a 45G. i hope to reduce the frequency of WCs. trying to push WCs to (10-20%) once a fortnight or 3 times a month instead of the current twice a week 30% WC.

biohome plus claims to reduce ammonia, nitrite and nitrate. but the Eheim substrat pro only deals with ammonia and nitrite?so i hope to change the filter media gradually to Biohome plus. anyone ever used this product and can provide testimonial if it works? any input would be greatly appreciated."

i understand that some of you have been on PF for the longest time. (i read most of the tank/filter/ thread till the last page in pg 111, literally) but you guys rarely post anymore. Nevertheless, i'm sure the "old birds" from Pleco Club Singapore (PCS) can help me out :)

this is my current stock:
22 guppies (3rd generation...today)
about 40 neon tetras (difficult to count...)
8 angel fishes (gift from friend, can't reject)
9 corys
1x 5" L27
1x 4" L14
1x 3" L134
1x 3" L200
1x 3" L190
1x 3.5" clown pleco

take care:)
mai

Hi bro would you mind specifying the size of your tank? In additional it seems to me that you are not using ohf for mechanical filteration therefore am I right to say that the water changes are used for clearing the waste? By the way I'm no old bird :o

[HeiYuEr]

my personal thought is......no matter how much filter media we put or how many filter system we have......a weekly WC is a must.....no matter how lazy i m......i make sure i do WC once a week or twice :p

[y_man]

Setting up a fish tank is easy. It's the maintenance part that is most people can't follow routinely. And water changing is part of the maintenance regime. To me twice weekly water change is not much. I change water more than twice per week (15%-20%). Once you slack or cut corners on maintenance, means you're finding fishkeeping to be a chore instead a pleasure. You can try that on your fishes. Initially nothing will happen until things will take a turn for the worst. (Hopefully not)
Another option is to reduce your plecos to just one or two pieces. Then you can reduce your water change to your desired number, be it twice or once monthly. Remember the welfare of your fishes are at your mercy. They depend everything on you. So i think it's your responsibility to provide them with optimum water conditions. Just my opinion, give it a thought. We're into pleco-keeping for the long run, not 1-2 mths.
Btw, i also no old bird. Still in my 20s....... :D

[michael lai]

Hi Leezard,
There won't be any testimonial but I can tell you from my own experience it works, the filter media. You can too with a few simple test kits. The weekly water change is a necessity because ammonia, nitrate and nitrite is accumulative and the amount generated by plecs far exceeds the pace of biological breakdown provided by our cannister filter.
And too much of this stuffs in your water will create alot of unwanted side effects, stunted growth for instance.

The different brands of media performs the same function, ehiem, biohomme or sintered glass. What will give you a better filtration process is the overall "filtered area." Which means the bigger the cannister, the better.

I hope this answers your question.



Cheerio.

[T1000]

a denitrator may be the answer.
currently my two pleco tanks are using ohf with normal ceramic rings & substrate as media, these are to tackle ammonia and nitrite.

to handle the nitrate, i used denitrator; top tank is using a diy coil denitrator while the bottom is a dymax denitrator. I have managed to control the nitrate level to within 30ppm, howwever I still do a weekly change of less than 10%, sometimes just to siphon out the debris & shit.

[SoToNgMaN]

a denitrator may be the answer.
currently my two pleco tanks are using ohf with normal ceramic rings & substrate as media, these are to tackle ammonia and nitrite.

to handle the nitrate, i used denitrator; top tank is using a diy coil denitrator while the bottom is a dymax denitrator. I have managed to control the nitrate level to within 30ppm, howwever I still do a weekly change of less than 10%, sometimes just to siphon out the debris & shit.
Agree with T1000 ...

Filter Media and filtration may not be what you are looking for .... instead a denitrator would do better ...

sheesh .. just wacked a couple of brandy .... post more details later else post wrong must hide under table ..

[leezard]

thanks for the replies everyone,

i used to run OHF for mechanical but has since changed to internal fluval 4 plus.

to y_man and lyh, if age is a factor in terming old bird..then i'm actually one :)
but thanks for the inputs. not sick of plecos though i've stopped buying new ones until it's really really unbearable...cos the present bioload's pretty heavy. must be fair to fish right. but i am thankful for the tankmates, otherwise, there's really nothing to see most of the time...have to "ninja" myself near the tank at night with all the lights off and try to peep...

i'll skip the denitrator as it's in my bedroom. but thanks for the suggestion T1000 and sotongman.

just gotten myself another 2080 loaded with substrat pro, biohome plus and ehfimech. just waiting for the 422 to come soon. i guess i'll keep with the twice weekly WC, but down to 25% instead. i read somewhere that there are some chemicals or compounds which stay in the water and accumulate overtime. only way to get rid of it is by WC.

michael, is there any particular brand of test kits which you find reliable? i'll start another post about it

thanks everyone
mai

[SoToNgMaN]

thanks for the replies everyone,

i used to run OHF for mechanical but has since changed to internal fluval 4 plus.

to y_man and lyh, if age is a factor in terming old bird..then i'm actually one :)
but thanks for the inputs. not sick of plecos though i've stopped buying new ones until it's really really unbearable...cos the present bioload's pretty heavy. must be fair to fish right. but i am thankful for the tankmates, otherwise, there's really nothing to see most of the time...have to "ninja" myself near the tank at night with all the lights off and try to peep...

i'll skip the denitrator as it's in my bedroom. but thanks for the suggestion T1000 and sotongman.

just gotten myself another 2080 loaded with substrat pro, biohome plus and ehfimech. just waiting for the 422 to come soon. i guess i'll keep with the twice weekly WC, but down to 25% instead. i read somewhere that there are some chemicals or compounds which stay in the water and accumulate overtime. only way to get rid of it is by WC.

michael, is there any particular brand of test kits which you find reliable? i'll start another post about it

thanks everyone
mai
Tetra is one of the top brands ...

though some pple do swear by Sera and API test kits as well ...

[lyh]

Tetra is one of the top brands ...

though some pple do swear by Sera and API test kits as well ...

Tetra one is good but there have been complains that they have expired as most of them sit on the shelf for quite long due to its price tag.

[SoToNgMaN]

Tetra one is good but there have been complains that they have expired as most of them sit on the shelf for quite long due to its price tag.
then must open eye big big before buying loh .. :D