Equipment Review and Discussion :: Fluval 405/06 Media Load Clarification

[MEandYouPhoto]

Hello everyone.

I am trying to get ready to do my first major filter cleaning since I got this new filter a month ago. I wanted to change the media load from the default load to one more in line with the suggestions on this site.

This is the suggested Media Load for my Fluval 406

I am trying to clarify which media is meant by the term "Bio Media"

Is it the Bio-Max

Bio-Max Media

BIOMAX.jpg (9.92 KiB) Viewed 7578 times

I know this is the obvious choice because of the term "Bio"

Or is it the Pre-Filter

Pre-Filter Media

Pre-Filter.jpg (20.66 KiB) Viewed 7578 times

The reason I ask is the pre-filter media looks a lot like the "biological filtration" media that came with it so I wanted to just make sure I was buying the correct material.

Sorry for such a boneheaded question but I am very new to this and wanna make sure I am doing this right.

Thansk!

[ljapa]

From my reading on the subject, the biomax is more porous and will get the bacteria growing inside. Bacteria will still grow on the pre- filter, just not as much per volume of media.

And many here suggest you can get bulk media on eBay for much cheaper. I wouldn't know because I bought the brand name before learning that. Oh well, when I finally get the larger tank and the fx5. . . .

[PridgNYC]

I also spent about $80 on the brand name media after discovering that the 2 boxes of fluval bio media would not be enough to fill my fx5, so iI had to go the pet store and pay their price for the brand media.

[MEandYouPhoto]

So the "beneficial bacteria" thats good for a turtle tank? I thought i was mainly for fish.

[ljapa]

So the "beneficial bacteria" thats good for a turtle tank? I thought i was mainly for fish.

Fish and turtle waste both contain ammonia, which if allowed to build up are toxic--though more so to fish because they are drawing it across their gills while getting oxygen.

Google "aquarium nitrogen cycle" for the details, but one group of bacteria will break the ammonia down into nitrite. A second group will break the nitrite down into nitrate. Ultimately, too much nitrate is bad, but it is removed by water changes or plants, if your turtle doesn't eat them.

Since turtles don't breathe the water, they are more tolerant of the various nitrogen compounds, but the answer is, yes turtles benefit from the bacteria.

And the "bio" in the biomedia comes from their ability to support the biological colonies of bacteria.

[steve]

ljapa is correct. I made a rookie mistake and bought the Fluval Pre Filter media years ago because I thought the same thing. There are a lot more buying options right now, you definitely don't need to go with a name brand.

[MEandYouPhoto]

Thanks a bunch for the clarification!

I am glad I asked before I broke into the 5 boxes I just bought of the Pre-Filter lol

I will go back and exchange them today and get the Bio-Max.

[VeipaCray]

I bought a box of that pre-filter by mistake once as well. I grabbed a bunch of boxes and got one of those mixed in. That pre-filter stuff is a waste of space in the filter. The biomax is good but pricey. Any brand ceramic bio media will perform the same job.... It's just porous inert material that sits in the water path and provides surface area for the bacteria to colonize. The more surface area the better. The cheapest brand bio media is the best . It never needs to be replaced, only rinsed regularly to keep the gunk from clogging up the pores.

[MEandYouPhoto]

Well I just finished doing my first filter clean since I purchased the unit a month ago. I cannot BELIEVE how clean the water was. Aside from the amount of meal worm and shrimp shells on the filter pad it was just really really clean. I cant imagine how he ever survived in a 20 gallon tank with two Zoo Med 501 "Turtle" canisters filters...

I decided to change out the media that was in there and follow the suggested load that is listed on the forum. Two filter bags on the bottom tray (one on each side) with rest of the trays being filled with BioMax (saved the biological media that came with canister and reused them in the tray with the carbon then four boxes of BioMax split among the remaining three trays)

Thanks again for the clarification and help on this!

Happy Turtle Owner with a happy