What kind of filter material is this?

[hovmoller]

Just bought a canister filter that had this stuff inside..

I don't know what it is or if the filter has been used for fresh or salt water..

Anyone know what this is?

[malevolentsparkle]

looks like some kind of ammonia or phosphate remover. most often used in marine tanks i think

[reptilez]

is it limestone

[hovmoller]

The filter was full of it.. No other medium in there!

[livingart]

what does it smell or taste like?

[ryanjury]

I have some stuff like that that is inert and is just another biomedia.. It does look a little rough to be limestone and too big/irregular to be a phosphate type remover..

[hovmoller]

what does it smell or taste like?

Hehe.. It was absolutely chock full of old rotten "carp".. so didn't feel like tasting it.

Now after I have washed it thoroughly it doesn't smell of anything.

[spoon]

it looks like the old eheim stuff

[suphew]

Unless you can be certain what it is you should just replace it, a liter of bio noodles will only cost you ~$25.

[hovmoller]

Yes I was planning to get new bio noodles.. but if this was some kind of awesome innert medie then why buy new.. But if i'm not sure what it is it will be replaced.. thanks

[Joshlikesfish]

That is like the stuff that came out of my Ehiem2213

[ryanjury]

I wouldn't get rid of it, it looks like filter media that I have used before if you are worried just boil it before use and it should be fine. If you are worried it might alter PH or something just soak it in a bucket for a few days and measure the water to see if it has done anything.

[malevolentsparkle]

the whole filter full of it? that sounds like a marine trick to me, and its not normal to use a canister for biological filtration in a marine aquarium right?

[Ira]

Just bought a canister filter that had this stuff inside..

I don't know what it is or if the filter has been used for fresh or salt water..

Anyone know what this is?

It's just an old biomedia. I vaguely remember it being eheim stuff, I have a few bags floating around and a couple filters with it. Doesn't really matter who mad it though. Give it a good clean and use it, it's perfectly good media.

[Ira]

the whole filter full of it? that sounds like a marine trick to me, and its not normal to use a canister for biological filtration in a marine aquarium right?

A marine trick? What? To fill up a filter with biomedia? I wasn't aware running them the way the instructions say is a trick.

[suphew]

It's just an old biomedia. I vaguely remember it being eheim stuff, I have a few bags floating around and a couple filters with it. Doesn't really matter who mad it though. Give it a good clean and use it, it's perfectly good media.

See thats the thing, to me it looks a lot like the ammonia chips they put in new filters now days. It doesn't look porous enough to be bio media (or good media anyway). The point being it could be anything and for the sake of $25 why stuff round?

[malevolentsparkle]

A marine trick? What? To fill up a filter with biomedia? I wasn't aware running them the way the instructions say is a trick.

no to fill up a filter with phosphate remover or similar is the trick. i didn't think that marine needed biomedia.

[Ira]

Here we go. Eheim Substrat is the one I was thinking of.

[Navarre]

I might be wrong, but it looks like the old ehiem "sintered glass"

It looks like a very poreus and rough ceramic that has been used for a number of years prior to all the swish filters you would place this in one tray and the "noodles" in another

Soak in fresh water with several water changes

water test water coming off them and you should be right I would think

HTH