Equipment Review and Discussion :: XP filters

[Franklin1013]

what are the ceramic rings? are they necessary and do they come with the filter?

[Vtolds]

They don't come with the filter, they aren't necessary and they are suppose to help with the nitrogen cycle I think. I don't have the rings or the stars in my XP3 and my tank is very clean. It comes down to personal preference really. Lots of people just use the 20/30 filters and the Charcoal bag and all of that comes with the filter plus the micro filter (white) that most people don't use because it sometimes clogs up.

[SpotsMama]

Sorry to totally disagree but the rings or else stars (which accomplish the same thing) are necessary. You do have to get them separately as they do not come with the filter. They are not personal preference if you want to get the full benefit of your nice filter. They are the heart of the bio filter which is what neutralizes the ammonia and nitrite that builds up in the water. Ammonia and nitrite are invisible but toxic so you can have a harmful buildup and not know it. Beneficial bacteria (nitrifying bacteria) grow in the bio filter and they first breakdown the ammonia into nitrite, and then break down the nitrite into nitrate, which is not toxic.

Foams (the 20/30 filters) also function as bio filters but they aren't as effective. Rings and stars are very porous therefore providing the maximum surface area for nitritying bacteria to colonize on. Foams are designed primarily to capture particulate waste and this they do, which means they have to be cleaned periodically. The cleaning process washes off good bacteria, meaning you lose effectiveness until they grow back.

Vtolds, you're the only one I've heard of that doesn't use the biofilter part of an XP. If you're running it that way, I'd recommend testing water quality frequently for ammonia and nitrite. In my case, before I had the bio filter going, ammonia would build up to undesireable levels in a matter of days, forcing me to change the water. (Turtles pee a lot.) With the bio filter going, I never get a positive reading for ammonia or nitrite - it's completely neutralized. Actually, it's probably more important to use good bio filter media with a turtle than with fish since fish aren't as messy.

Vtolds, I'm curious as to why you don't use rings (or stars). They are not that expensive and are a one time expense - you never have to replace them.

[marisa]

Vtolds, the most important media for the XP3 are the sponges at the bottom (provide mechanical filtration) and the ceramic rings and/or stars (provide biological filtration). The carbon (chemical filtration) is the least important media, and some people choose not to use it and fill the basket that would contain it with extra biomedia (rings and/or stars) instead.

Unless you buy the filter as a promotion (and this is rare and as far as I can tell only happened when the filter was relatively new to the market), you need to buy the ceramic rings separately. They will last a very long time. If you're not using biomedia in the XP3, you're not making the best use of the filter (and not getting your money's worth).