[punchbuggy]

Hi, just wondering if anyone has tried using cheeseclothes as media bags?

As well, how would you layer your media? I am making my own, hopefully with cheesecloth bags, and it will be

inflow
floss
matrix
purigen
matrix
polishing pad
outflow

Cheers

 

[Postal Penguin]

I wouldn't put floss as the first thing meeting the water. I would put a sponge type of material to filter out the big stuff first. Floss can quickly clog so its best to leave it to the latter parts of the media order so you dont have to constantly open the canister.And as long as cheese cloth bags have the right size holes and wont decompose they should work fine.

 

[paulrw]

not sure if cheese cloth would work. I'm a chef we use cheese cloth a lot in the kitchen the "holes" tend to shift and increase and decrease in size when the bags moved and i believe its made of cotton it tends to soften and break down when wet of course I've never kept it wet for long periods of time so I'm not sure how far it would degrade

 

[bsmith]

You want the water to go from less fine to more fine as it goes through

 

[punchbuggy]

more fine being sponge vs. floss??

how about pantyhose as a media bag? sorry for all these questions but i find it ridiculous that a piece of polyester with holes can cost so much!

 

[paulrw]

panty hose should work i think there polyester

 

[AEWHistory]

Okay, here's a question tho.... I've always read that you want to filter out as many particles as possible before the water reaches the biological media? Am I misinterpreting what I've read or is there something of a divide on how to layer filtration? It just seems to me that there is a element of mutual exclusivity to these ideas....

 

[FSM]

Layer the mechanical media so it gets progressively finer as water flows though, and then put the biomedia after that. High surface area media is pointless if all the pores are clogged with junk.

 

[punchbuggy]

Okay, here's a question tho.... I've always read that you want to filter out as many particles as possible before the water reaches the biological media? Am I misinterpreting what I've read or is there something of a divide on how to layer filtration? It just seems to me that there is a element of mutual exclusivity to these ideas....

Isn't that what the sponge/floss is for in the beginning. I don't find carbon or purigen or anything else cleans up gunk that we can see. And I kind of stick biological media anywhere I find a nook and cranny.