[mitchar19]

what filter media do you guys use in your canister filters? I have a filstar xp3 and I'm not really sure what the most beneficial media would be for it. Also, do you guys use carbon? and if not what do you use to keep your water clear? besides water changes.

 

[steve.hes]

I have an XP3 and use what came with it except no carbon, just use some extra filter floss to fill up the top basket.

Water stays clear enough with regular water changes unless you suffer an imbalance and get some sort of bloom. I've added a UV filter to the outlet of the XP3, water is invisible now

 

[eklikewhoa]

I use what came in my xp3's as well and fill the empty trays with porous ceramic glass rings. No carbon here either but I do use seachem purigen to get the water clear.

 

[wood]

I put a bag of purigen, bag of matrix, and a foam pad. Perfect combination for chemical, biological, and mechanical.

 

[mitchar19]

would the purgien and matrix remove important nutrients for plants?

 

[crazy loaches]

I dont know about purigen, but matrix is just porous media for bio filtration (not chemical). Your plants will more than likely be the primary bio filtration, the bio media in your filter will be 'backup'.

 

[wood]

would the purgien and matrix remove important nutrients for plants?

Completely untrue.

Seachem purigen does not remove vital nutrients in noticeable quantities whatsoever. Seachem Matrix is simply porous rocks that have a large surface volume for bacteria to grow on. What you are probably thinking of is Seachem MatrixCarbon which will pull some nutrients out because it is carbon.

Purigen

Matrix

 

[mitchar19]

cool, those sound good, I might have to give those a try.

 

[wood]

cool, those sound good, I might have to give those a try.

I highly recommend that you get them. They are expensive somewhat, but are a great investment. Getting cheap with filter media/equipment can cause problems for you down the road....

If you put a nice amount of Purigen and Matrix in your xp3, your tank will be crystal clear and have excellent bio filtration, trust me.

 

[Wasserpest]

I just stuff my canisters and HOB full of sponges for superior mechanical and biological filtration. They last a long time too.

Actually I even dropped sponges into some tanks, stuck a powerhead inlet into them, bingo, cheap filter. :hihi:

 

[forddna]

Hey just curious why some people are not using the carbon pack that comes with the XP3?? I'm going to have to make a run to the LFS to get bio media, and I'm searching threads for info. Thanks!

 

[gotcheaprice]

I think it's cause carbon is useless in a planted tank. I've been trying to do research on media to for my future xp3.

 

[nicklesh]

I use Matix by Seachem as my biological media.

I use Purigen for water polishing - a preventative measure against the tannin leaching driftwood in my tank

If your worried about the cost factor - it pays off in the long run if you just recharge your Purigen - cant find the forum.

 

[crazy loaches]

I only use carbon to help remove any traces of medication after a treatment, that hasnt been for a long time, but I still keep a couple carbon packs avaiable for my XP3's.

I also have Matrix in one XP3, its about the cheapest aquarium-marketed bio media (at least when I ordered it online). Some of the smallest peices might fall through the basket, just a couple. Put potscrubbers in the other xp3.

 

[Madfish]

I have the Bio-Chem Zorb in my XP3 so I should dump that then?

 

[fishscale]

Does it really matter what kind of biological media you have? It seems that Efhisubstrat, Seachem Matrix, and Fluval Biomax are pretty much the same kind of thing.