tinytawnykitten Posted May 12, 2015 Report Share Posted May 12, 2015 I have a 450L tank with SA cichlids in it. I was running two AquaOne cf1000 filters on it which is inadequate and now one of them has started leaking and I think it is time to upgrade anyway. I can't fit a Fluval FX6 in my cabinet and there is no where to place one nearby on the floor etc. And anyway I can't afford the price. I was looking online at the AquaOne Nautilus 2700 and that doesn't fit under my cabinet either. I have ended up buying a Sunsun 304B on TM as it is the only one I can find which will actually fit under my tank. What would be the absolute best media to have in this filter to maximise water clarity? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adrienne Posted May 13, 2015 Report Share Posted May 13, 2015 I would say sintered glass and carbon however I run sintered glass in my FX5 and it slows the flow down considerably due to the fact it packs in very tightly. Then of course carbon requires changing out every 4-6 weeks or it becomes full and wont take any more. I have a sunsun ( not the model you do) and I am very happy with it. It is the back up to my FX5. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David R Posted May 13, 2015 Report Share Posted May 13, 2015 For the best clarity, you're probably going to want multi-stage mechanical filtration with something coarse to catch the larger particles, something in between like filter wool, then fine polishing pads to catch the really small stuff. Carbon may or may not be necessary depending on whether you have tannins from wood etc, and whether that bothers you. If you're after that gin-clear water I think you may be better off with two smaller canisters than one big one, so you can have one set up traditionally with plenty of bio media and "regular" mechanical filtration that isn't going to clog as easily and restrict the flow thru the bio media, and another set up dedicated to mechanical filtration with the multiple stages of mechanical filtration. With one canister, if you're going to run finer media to help keep the water really clear then you're going to have to clean it (the mechanical stage at least) more regularly to keep the flow moving through your biological filter. I haven't bought traditional filter media for years, but when I did AquaOne used to (still do?) make filter pads that did a reasonable job of catching the fine particles, and they could be cut to shape to fit the canister. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adrienne Posted May 14, 2015 Report Share Posted May 14, 2015 You can buy at most lfs filter media pads of various types that can be cut to the size you require. They work well and a reasonable price. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.