[archangelvk]

Im still kinda new to this hobby so please bare with me. I was given the following two items as shown in the picture below and I have some questions about it. They were bought for a canister filter but all I own are HOB filters. Lets talk about the blue one (the left one first)

I know its bio media. The box looks kinda old so I was wondering ....

1) Is it still useable? Does it expire?
2) Can I use it in my Auqaclear HOB filters? (ive got a 50 and two 20's) and my Fluval C4 filter?
3) If I can use it, would I need to put it in a mesh bag or can I just dump it into my HOB's?
4) How often does it need to be changed? IT doesnt say on the box or the website

Now lets talk about the yellow one.. the one on the right

1) I dont understand what it is... what do ceramic rings do ?
2) Do I need it?
3) Could I use it on my HOB filters?
4) Do I need I mesh bag for those?
5) How often do they need to be changed?

Thanks for taking your time to help.

 

[latchdan]

First is bio media on left second one are noodles. Those are used to spread out the incoming water so it doesn't tunnel through the rest of the media. If you have a eheim classic noodles go on bottom then sponges then bio media/chemical.

Bump: You can use the bio in a hob which will go on top of the sponge/mechanical filtration. Noodles would be a waste imo.

No they don't expire from my knowledge.

Adding them in a bag is up to you, might be easier to remove for cleaning

Shouldn't need to replace just rinsed in tank water during maintenance.

 

[Diana]

Ditto latchdan:
When using a loose media in a HOB filter put the loose media in a mesh bag. I use nylon stockings for this, or the coarse mesh that some food comes in (Avocados, for example). But these food bags are pretty coarse, and some media finds one hole in such a bag and falls out.
If these land in the impeller area this can cause problems. Some impellers are more exposed than others, but better safe than sorry.
Also, it is MUCH easier to take out a mesh or nylon stocking of media to rinse it.

Bio media does not expire. It is inert and has nothing growing on it until it is exposed to ammonia and oxygen in a damp environment. Then it takes several weeks to a month to grow a good population of nitrifying bacteria.
If you are currently running a filter on an inhabited tank do not simply remove the current cycled media and substitute this media. You would be tossing away a lot of beneficial bacteria.

 

[PlantedRich]

You can get varied answers on how long the solid media is good for use. I personally have never replaced it but then it is also true to that I can see the tiny little holes can become clogged and harbor less bacteria. Eheim has some schedule that they recommend but I've never used that info. For my simple mind, I think of the Eheim media as so good that I don't worry with a small loss of effective use? It comes in three types, I call them gravel, barrels and co-co puffs. The barrels do a good job on the bottom of the canister as it makes a wide ranges of paths for water to move through rather than "tunnel" as mentioned. When I remove it and shut down a filter, I do a rinse, bleach soak and then spread it out to totally dry so the fungus, etc. doesn't form. Good to go until it totally breaks? I use weedding veil to form a bag to hold it so I don't have the chase single pieces.

 

[archangelvk]

Ah ok thanks. I think I'll just go with the sponge on the bottom and then two layers of Bio Media. The first layer being the one that came with my aquaclear filter and then this stuff that was passed down to me.

If this Ehiem Substrat doesnt need to be replaced, does that same rule go for the aqua clear ones that come with the filter? cuz the instruction manual says to replace it every 6 months or something like that.

 

[PlantedRich]

Yes! It is likely to be the same thing or at least made the same place. What I see is that if I give my tank time, it will be covered in good bacteria on almost everything. That leaves me thinking that I can let the hardstuff lose a bit of capacity and still have plenty hanging on all over.

 

[Diana]

I do not replace the media on any kind of regular schedule. The floss mats down over time, so that gets replaced when I can no longer fluff it up. The peat moss loses its effectiveness, so gets replaced.
But firmer media like sponges and bio media do not get replaced.

Bump:

 

[archangelvk]

I do not replace the media on any kind of regular schedule. The floss mats down over time, so that gets replaced when I can no longer fluff it up. The peat moss loses its effectiveness, so gets replaced.
But firmer media like sponges and bio media do not get replaced.

Bump:

Wow! Thanks for that info.... It makes me feel stupid to have wasted all that money on replacement bio media .... Now I have so many new packs of it, not even including the full box of substrat that was given to me, just sitting there probably for the next decade lol