Can You Use Any Biological Filter Media Freshwater

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If you have establish this page then yous probably already empathise the importance of media for your aquarium. But, not just any old media will do. You want to find the best biological filter media to ensure your tank has the cleanest h2o possible.

As a long fourth dimension aquarium owner and fish keeper I can certainly relate. In this article I volition dive deep into the details of bio filtration and media, as well as my personal recommendations for best bio media.

In this article I review the following biological filter media:

Biohome Ultimate Filter Media
Seachem Matrix Bio Media **Top Choice**
Fluval Biomax Bio Rings
Marineland Bio-Filter Balls
EHEIM Substrat Pro Biological Filter Media

Importance of bio filter media

Did you lot know that bio filter media doesn't really filter out ammonia and nitrite? It's true. Bio media actually serves as a abode for beneficial bacteria to live. It is these leaner that are responsible for consuming and converting this ammonia into the less harmful nitrate.

While these leaner will have up residence nearly everywhere in your aquarium we need to optimize their function. This is washed by giving them a abode where millions and even billions of bacteria cells can flourish. Not only are they provided with a great home, nosotros put them in a filter where they receive lots of water flow. This provides them ready access to their favorite foods ammonia, nitrite, and fifty-fifty nitrate.

These biological filter media are fabricated of very porous materials like ceramic, pumice, glass, and other substances.

Every bit with anything y'all put in your aquarium rinse thoroughly start. Biological filter media can exist very dusty when new.

The Best bio filter media

As you accept simply read, it'southward important to give our little bacterial friends the best home we can. So permit's take a look at my top picks for the all-time bio filter media on the market.

Biohome Ultimate Filter Media

Biohome Ultimate Filter Media is considered a premium media in the aquarium world. Information technology is made from sintered drinking glass which is a combination of silica sand and recycled glass that is then oven fired. This process creates a pellet that is extremely porous with infinitesimal spaces for bacteria to thrive.

This media is bachelor in i, two and 5 pound bags. It besides has a fairly good lifespan lasting 1-5 years and in some cases longer.

All media volition back up aerobic bacteria but non all support the anaerobic kind. Biohome claims that its media will back up both. Anaerobic bacteria are desired because they are the only bacteria that will reduce nitrate levels. Without these leaner the simply mode to control nitrate levels is through frequent water changes.

The Ultimate Filter Media goes a step further beyond biohomes other media in that it contains iron and manganese to back up bacterial growth.

Pros

Supports nitrifying & denitrifying leaner
Big even for a canister filter
Pellets are pocket-size enough to fit in well-nigh filters
Made of natural recycled materials

Cons

More Expensive than other options
May initially discolor water

Seachem Matrix Bio Media

Seachem is a well known company in the aquarium space and for good reason. Seachem Matrix Bio Media isn't only any inexpensive pumice rock as its detractors may merits. Information technology is a specific blazon of pumice that is carefully selected for high porosity, pore size, immovability, and inert nature.

Grain size varies but each slice is about 10 mm (0.iv inches) in diameter. This media provides both an external and internal expanse for leaner to grow. This means that information technology is capable of supporting nitrifying and denitrifying bacteria. Yous will, however, need a large corporeality of media to reap the benefit of the denitrifying bacteria.

While this is a great bio media to apply in your fish tank in that location seems to be a common issue. Many people written report other types of stones in their media besides pumice. These are darker colored stones such every bit obsidian. Sometimes it's just a few, other times quite a bit more than.

Seachem states that this cloth is a natural product that is mined. This means that there are other naturally occurring stones that get mixed in. Most of this non-pumice material is removed by paw simply some gets missed. Then don't be alarmed if you find a few dark rocks in the jar.

Aside from this annoying occurrence I nevertheless remember this is a keen product. It also has a very long life and should theoretically concluding forever with regular rinses.

Pros

Carefully researched and selected pumice
Capable of supporting nitrifying and denitrifying bacteria
Small enough to fit in most filters
Extremely long life

Cons

Sometimes adulterated with non-pumice stones

Fluval Biomax Bio Rings

Fluval Biomax Bio Rings are a very popular option when selecting a media. They are also included with virtually of Fluvals top rated canister filters.

These bio rings are a manufactured inert ceramic cylinder with a hollow eye. These cylinders are non tumbled or polished during the manufacturing process. This creates a rough, circuitous, porous blueprint with lots of surface area for leaner.

Since these bio rings are designed for canister filters they are larger in size than some other media. So if you are looking for something to put into your "hang on back" style filter y'all should find something else. They likely won't fit into your pocket-sized filter housing.

My biggest complaint with this product is the stated half-dozen month replacement period. This is much shorter than almost other comparable media. Being an inert ceramic product the biomax bio rings should final longer than this. This nonetheless, is likely just marketing to sell more product. Unless the rings become clogged with gunk that cannot exist rinsed off they tin can be kept.

Pros

Trusted & established make
Very porous hollow cylinder design
Relatively inexpensive
Ceramic

Cons

Short 6 month life
Too large for pocket-sized filters

Marineland Bio-Filter Assurance

Marineland bio-filter balls are black plastic balls with a complex inner pattern. They are designed this way to create maximum surface area for bacteria. While this is truthful, they don't technically accept as much surface area as a ceramic, pumice, or sintered glass media.

They do even so have a very long life. In fact, the only time they demand to exist replaced is if they break. I know of one person who equally been using the same bio balls for 12 years! They are besides easier to clean than a more than finely porous media.

These bio assurance are fairly small in size. They measure about xix.5 mm or the size of a quarter. So if you take a big filter you will likely have to purchase multiple boxes. On the flip side, these volition fit into smaller filters unlike some larger bio balls.

Pros

Non dusty like other medias
Very long life
Easy to make clean
Affordable

Cons

Non equally porous equally other medias

EHEIM Substrat Pro Biological Filter Media

Sintered glass media are considered some of the best types of bio media due to their high porosity. This is especially true of Eheim Substrat Pro biological filter media. These little (¼" or six-10mm) pearl shaped sintered glass chaplet take a surface surface area of 1800 sq ft per gallon of media. This volition back up an ground forces of denitrifying leaner to keep your water make clean.

Eheim claims this media should be replaced every 3-6 months. This claim is likely just fabricated to sell more media. With a little care you lot should be able to gently rinse and reuse this media many times over.

Being a premium, high functioning media, Substrat Pro is expensive compared to another options. This is especially truthful if you follow their recommended iii-vi month replacement interval. But Eheim is a long trusted company that makes quality products so you lot get what you pay for in the end.

Pros

Very porous structure supports tons of bacteria
Made from sintered glass
Eheim is well known for quality
Modest enough for well-nigh filters

Cons

More expensive than other options

Which is The Best Biological Filter Media?

All 5 of these media have served many thousands of aquariums well. Simply which is the all-time? This is a tough pick for me but I'd take to say the Seachem Matrix Bio Media. Despite my annoyance at the occasional not-pumice stones that go far into the container information technology'south still my top choice.

Why? Because it is made from carefully selected natural pumice that provides a dwelling for nitrifying and denitrifying leaner. This not just helps go along your water cleaner but reduces the amount of h2o changes needed to reduce nitrate. Information technology's too a totally natural production unlike some of the others I accept mentioned.

Why Is Bacteria So Of import?

Fish create waste products as they digest the food that is given to them. The master waste product product, and the ane we are most concerned about, is ammonia. Ammonia is very harmful to fish and other aquatic pets in any corporeality. That's why it is of import that it exist removed as chop-chop as possible from the fish tank h2o.

Fortunately, nature has provided us a mode to exercise just this. Information technology's called the nitrogen cycle. The aquarium nitrogen cycle is the term used to describe the process past which ammonia is transformed into nitrate. Nitrate is much more beneficial than ammonia and is only harmful at high levels. This is what nosotros remove when nosotros practise our water changes.

But, some media are even capable of supporting anaerobic bacteria which will feed on the nitrate. As the name implies, anaerobic leaner live in environments devoid of oxygen. For these leaner to survive and thrive we need a very micro porous bio media. These media have such a structure that oxygen is non able to penetrate to the interior of the pellet or rock. This provides the much needed habitat for these special bacteria.

Why Is Bio Filter Media Needed?

Have you ever noticed that glace, slimy picture show on everything when you lot make clean your fish tank? That's biofilm, or more specifically bacteria. These are our friends that make clean the water of ammonia, and nitrite.

The trouble is that when yous clean your tank much of this gets removed and disturbed. There is also only then much room for bacteria to grow on a flat surface. That'south why bio media is designed to accept lots of area to grow. It'south like taking a flat surface and folding it many times over into a small space.

We also maximize the work that these bacteria can exercise by placing the media in a filter. In the filter water from the fish tank is constantly circulated over the media and bacteria. This gives the bacteria easy access to all of that ammonia and nitrites to feed on.

Types of bio Media

Bio media are fabricated of a variety of different materials. These include things like ceramics, sintered glass, pumice stone, and plastic. While all different materials, the aim of each is to provide as much expanse equally possible for bacteria.

Where Should I Put The Bio Media In My Filter?

bio ring biological filter media in a canister filter

In social club to answer this question nosotros need to beginning remember the function of bio media. Bio media is a place for benign bacteria to colonize and consume ammonia, nitrites, and nitrates. The purpose is not to filter out suspended particles like uneaten fish food or other waste.

This is why you should e'er take some blazon of mechanical pre-filter installed before your bio media. When I say before I hateful it needs to be placed where it tin filter the water earlier this h2o reaches the bio media. This way your mechanical filter will trap any of those organic particles before they get to the bio media.

Why is this of import? If you call up from our discussions above, bio media is designed to exist as porous as possible. This ways that those tiny pores volition quickly go chock-full with any type of tank crud that makes it that far. Once clogged upwardly those bacteria will not be able to efficiently process the nitrogen waste in the h2o column.

Cleaning And Replacing Bio Media

How oftentimes yous clean and replace your bio media can vary somewhat based upon your specific aquarium set up upwardly. To confuse the matter more, many manufacturers recommend an unnaturally brusque replacement period in club to sell more media.

Generally speaking, y'all will only need to gently rinse your bio media when at that place is waste building up on it. If you practise need to rinse but practice so with water from the fish tank. Chlorinated tap h2o will impale those friendly leaner. If there isn't any visible waste or build up on the media, only leave it alone.

In regards to replacing the media this will simply need to exist done if the media begins to break down or it becomes totally clogged with gunk.

When you do make up one's mind to finally supersede your old media don't alter all of it at one time. Instead aim to change ⅓ to ½ of your media and look a calendar week or 2 before replacing the rest. It takes a piffling while for the new media to become colonized with leaner. This volition ensure you will still have enough leaner present to filter your h2o while the new bacteria becomes established.

Final Thoughts On Media And Filtration

If you made it this far congrats! I promise y'all learned all you needed to know about biological filter media. Your way alee of the average aquarist who but uses whatever comes with their store bought filter.