planted tank filter media

[finfan]

after working with many types of filter media over the years, i have settled for sponge only for my planted tanks, no carbon, no ceramic chips, no extracts, nothing... just fill all the space within the filter with sponge (hob and canister) - works best for me and easiest to maintain (i never change the media... just clean it from time to time... no expense once set up)

what do you use?

[Regloh]

I am using whatever the Eheim came with... If I were to start again with an empty filter I would probably try to split it between a course sponge on the bottom and filter fleece on the top.
I only ran carbon for 1-2 weeks after the new filter install, in case something nasty came with it.
I am in the planing stages for a small (probably 10g) shrimp tank, and am entertaining the thought of a HMF (Hamburger Mattenfilter) which is just a sheet of filter sponge with a power head behind it, but that may still change.

[@marko@]

i suggest using some biomedia. i also put purigen too.

[blackandyellow]

I´m in the process of setting up my tank. Regarding the filter media, I read somewhere that carbon is not recommended for planted tanks. why is this? I´ve always used carbon in my fish tanks and in the only successful planted tank I had 5 years ago (with me not really knowing anything about plants honestly, only providing light and nutrients) I had carbon. I like the crystal clear look.

So what should i put in the filter media? It´s a Fx5 Fluval. I ordered the biomax (ceramic little tubes), a mix of carbon and ammonia remover, peat granules and a biolab nitrate remover. I was planning on adding both the ammonia remover and nitrate remover only after the tank had cycled.

[Hoppy]

In a planted tank nitrate is something we add, not remove, so don't use a nitrate remover. Ammonia is something the plants can eat, so removing that is a good idea only if you expect an unusual load of ammonia, like with the first few weeks of Aquasoil usage. Almost anything with lots of surface area works as a biological media, even well used charcoal pieces, but I just use the small bag of it that came with a small Fluval filter, but in my Rena XP3. Other than that I use sponges, from coarse to fine.

[fibertech]

In my XP2 I use the sponges in the bottom tray and use fiberfill in the top tray. I have to change the fiberfill about once a week because it collects so much junk. I never added the carbon

[hissytri]

I was told that after a certain amount of time in a tank carbon that has absorbed all it can, begins to leach the bad stuff back into the tank...is there any truth to this?

[fibertech]

I have heard that also

[itstony]

i use sponge. but i might add purigen to the mix.

[@marko@]

Originally Posted by hissytri

I was told that after a certain amount of time in a tank carbon that has absorbed all it can, begins to leach the bad stuff back into the tank...is there any truth to this?

i think so. it makes sense that when it absorbs all it can, that whenever the water has less of the substance some of it would leach out of the carbon.

i have used carbon with planted tanks before, and had no issues though.

[plantman119]

IDK why people think carbon is so important to run in a tank. It not really a fix for anything. I guess you think you should use it since it comes with the filter? I does have its uses though.

[blackandyellow]

Thanks on the advice on the nitrate remover and ammonia remover. I guess I´ll just use it for cycling purposes and then remove it. In my experience fresh carbon does clear out the water nicely, but again I understand in many circumstances you actually want the tank to look a little darker with the peat.

From what I know your supposed to replace the carbon monthly because it looses it´s effectiveness, but never thought it would revert things back if you leave it there unchanged...

[Postal Penguin]

Carbon will only leech things back into the water if something in the water has more affinity for the carbon than what is already bound to it. Think of it like this: Carbon has absorbed X, Y and Z so that it has no more absorption ability. Carbon will not release X, Y, or Z when full it will simply not absorb anymore new XYZ. Now, if say you treat with medicine A that binds more strongly to carbon it can knock off XYZ leeching XYZ back into the water.