leftover seeded biomedia lifespan?

[zeebo]

picked up the new Fluval C3 (too small for the 54g) and swapped it onto my 29g ,replacing one of the marineland HOB's. Not happy with the room inside for the old biomedia, there is a ''mecanical frame'' which holds a polyfom pad . Takes up too much room imo for all my old biomedia i planned to switch into . The mechanical frame cant be left out as it braces other parts in there, so i had to leave some of my seeded biomedia out. Stuffed as much in as possible and moved one fish out to other tank.

Reason for the switch was the marineland was running crappy and didnt want any probs. This was my first shot at a Fluval HOB, wanted to see how it did on the small tank before i purchased one for the 54g to replace the Aquaclear. Highly doubtful now.

Question is, i saved the leftover seeded biomedia ,have it in a pan with airstones, how long will the media last before dying off ? i have not put a heater in there but i could if necessary. i want to save it as my neice is planning to set up a tank soon and would give her this to get started .

Georgie

 

[bigbird]

to the best of my knowledge. to keep them alive you need water flow and same constant temp. If you have it in a pan also be carefull that it is stainless steel pan or you might get other aloys in the media. In all honestly though, I never use other media ( unless it is an emergency) as I would rather cycle new for all elements in the new tank to adjust individually. This is just my view and I am sure you will get different replies. the other option for your niece, would be that she buys her filter already now and hangs it on to your tank now and when she gets her tank in 3-4 weeks she can then transfer the whole lot ? Just a thought. cheers jk :thumbup:

 

[Lornek8]

Wasn't familiar with the filter so had to take a look. Quick question, are you using the carbon? Another option would be to do away with the carbon & simply use that slot for additional biomedia.

 

[Tener ds]

Wasn't familiar with the filter so had to take a look. Quick question, are you using the carbon? Another option would be to do away with the carbon & simply use that slot for additional biomedia.

off topic ish,but my filter has a "Adsorptive filtration with activated carbon sponge" number 3 in the pic,in the pump compartment.can i replace this with additional biomedia?
the filter has ceramic rings and plastic balls in there own compartment,fine and corse sponges in the other one compartment.4 compartments in all.

 

[bigbird]

i believe you can and anyway I am under the belief they must be replaced anyway after a period of time as otherwise they are not effective. I always remove all carbon pads from all filters that I have. cheers jk :thumbup:

 

[Lornek8]

You can always replace carbon from filters. In fact carbon can e conterproductive if you dose your tank with ferts. You end up taking out some of what you put in and just use up the capacity of the carbon.

 

[Tener ds]

So if I removed it it would increase the flow too?
Should I get plastic balls or ceramic tubes?

 

[bigbird]

i think from memory plastic balls have more surface area. either or I would say. cheers jk :thumbup:

 

[Lornek8]

You could use either. There is a trade-off between increased flow & biological efficiency. Remember, the bacteria that break down the waste are living things & need time to accomplish what they do. At some point, increasing the flow rate, even with the addition of more biological media reaches a point of diminishing return. If the water flows by too quickly the bacteria simply won't have time to break down the waste. High flow rates work well with mechanical filtration but for biological filtration a period of swell time is required. If I want more flow I simply use a powerhead or an additional filter.

 

[Tener ds]

You could use either. There is a trade-off between increased flow & biological efficiency. Remember, the bacteria that break down the waste are living things & need time to accomplish what they do. At some point, increasing the flow rate, even with the addition of more biological media reaches a point of diminishing return. If the water flows by too quickly the bacteria simply won't have time to break down the waste. High flow rates work well with mechanical filtration but for biological filtration a period of swell time is required. If I want more flow I simply use a powerhead or an additional filter.

well with what u said lornek and this:
"The effect of the adsorbent sponge ceases
in about 2-3 weeks; we therefore advise, if
necessary, replacing it with a Ferplast
replacement sponge available from leading
retailers or leaving it in the filter to perform a
mechanical function, rinsing it every 2-3 weeks"
taken from the online manual for the filter,ill leave it in the filter and just clean it in old tank water when the flow slows,i do this any way.cheers for the replys guys.

 

[zeebo]

hi guys, yep me too , always remove the carbon from a new filter, only use carbon for a short period of time after the use of meds. You would laugh at the small basket they provide for clay biomatrix ,it is a joke, so i stuffed it with seeded media , plus more below where the carbon is supposed to go. The only place i couldnt bypass was the basket holding the ''sponge''as it is thin and as said before,it braces other parts.

The new Fluval HOB still has a very small bucket for biomatrix, so i am dealing with a mini cycle now in the 29g:wb:. Just got through one in same tank after the 6day power outtage. Now there are baby platy in there , and they are so cute, dont want them to croak ,so moved a female rainbow fish to the 54g , but still mini cycle. ordered some Microbe Lift special blend and nite outII ,will get today , gotta complete this cycle as the store is holding my L34 male ,and i just ordered a female for him. stupid filters :wb::wb:

Only good thing about the Fluval is it did not have to be manually primed last night when we lost power for a few min due to high winds, but of course the Aqua Clear HOB on the 54g had to be primed. Guess i am stuck with the ac and the hot magnum for the 54g.

no sense in holding onto the seeded biomedia i couldnt fit in it,as yes BB,it is in a stainless steel pot ,but the water got pretty cold overnight,so i will toss it.

Thanks , Georgie