Filter media advice

[Onewolf]

Hello,

We are starting to put together a 90 gal tank that we plan to eventually stock as a Discus/community/live planted tank.

We have the tank and filters and we are waiting for the cabinet/stand to be ready (another 4 weeks?).

I have two Penn Plax Cascade 1200 canister filters we plan to use with tank. In fact the tank is currently on the floor of our detached garage and I'm just starting to do a fish-less cycle on the filters.

I am looking for recommendations on filter media configuration for the two canister filters. The Cascade 1200 filters have 4 media trays. I assume the first stage in tray 1 would be sponge and floss, then more floss in tray 2?. Biologic (bio balls and then ceramic rings) in trays 3 and 4?

Thanks for any advice.

Doug

[pitdogg2]

If it were mine i would not use the balls it would be all rings or seachem matrix

[Onewolf]

If it were mine i would not use the balls it would be all rings or seachem matrix

Thanks for the reply. That's an easy change.

[jim LI]

If it were mine i would not use the balls it would be all rings or seachem matrix

+1

[Ryan925]

I have my canister packed with matrix and eheim substrat pro. I do have a course sponge on the first tray and prefilter on intake.

[Filip]

If you put mechanical filter materials in your canister be prepared to clean them regularly I.e. one canister on every two weeks .
If you are not dedicated to clean them every few weeks , than the best option IMO is to stack them both with only biomaterials and put the mechanical filtration - sponge or floss on your filter intake .That way you'll only have to clean the sponge / floss from the intake every other day , and leave your canisters unopened for a prolonged period .
You can also choose to put chemical filtration such as purigen or SZAT -clear water in your last tray of canister too.

[Clawhammer]

I would put the floss in the last tray. It would get pretty nasty pretty quickly at the bottom.

+1 for Seachem Matrix. I have also had great results including Purigen

[Bizarro252]

I run a canister, I put an eihiem prefilter on it (cleaned daily) and crack teh canister open once every month or so and it still looks new in there, a prefilter IMO is a must.
For bio I almost exclusively run biohome ultimate, but any ceramic media will outperform those plastic balls in a canister IMO, those are better suited to a wet/dry or fluidized bed style filter.

[pitdogg2]

Agree 100% with bizarro252 on the bio balls

[Ryan925]

Agree 100% with bizarro252 on the bio balls

Same here. If you are going to use submerged media there are far better option than bio balls as that's not really their intended use