Regular Member fortunefaded Posted August 23, 2008 Regular Member Share Posted August 23, 2008 Howdy. For my filter I've been given two seperate pads to be added when i want into the filter for extra goodness, unfortunately my missus has put the instructions elsewhere and now we can't find them. Essentially I have a black pad and a white pad. I know one is carbon and is used to get rid of medication etc but what is the white one for and how long can it be used for. I've had that in the filter for a week (just remembered the white one is used to make the water clear after gravel has been moved and bits of stuff are floating about). So, in summary: What is the additional white pad used for and what is the additional black pad used for in my filter? 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member cometgirl Posted August 23, 2008 Regular Member Share Posted August 23, 2008 What brand and type of filter is it? You are right about the use of the carbon filter. Maybe we could look up your filter online and find out more about the other pad. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member Erinaceus Posted August 23, 2008 Regular Member Share Posted August 23, 2008 Although it might be brand-dependent, my experience is that black always means 'carbon filter' (as you mentioned yourself) and white is a 'mechanical filter', which keeps the muck out of your 'biological filter', which is the other (often blue) pads and which house the different kinds of bacteria that convert ammonia to nitrite and nitrite into nitrate. This means that the white pads should always be more towards the filter intake and that they should be placed in such a way as to prevent any muck from getting past. Hope this helps . 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member fortunefaded Posted August 23, 2008 Author Regular Member Share Posted August 23, 2008 Fluval 2+ filter. I'm not sure if the mechanical filter is something you put in temporary and if i should remove it. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member Erinaceus Posted August 23, 2008 Regular Member Share Posted August 23, 2008 Fluval 2+ filter.I'm not sure if the mechanical filter is something you put in temporary and if i should remove it. No, it's part of the permanent filter composition. The basic difference with the 'biological' filter material is that it's okay to replace the mechanical filter every once in a while, though it's usually just as effective to temporarily remove it (while you for a moment unplug the filter), and clean it under the tap or in a small bucket of water by squeezing it and such (just to remove most of the muck on top of and in the filter material, without ripping the material). That's basically all the maintenance the mechanical filter material requires (which is actually far more than what the 'biological' filter material requires, since that's better just left alone). 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member claire_uk Posted August 24, 2008 Regular Member Share Posted August 24, 2008 Is the white one, thin and fine? Its like filter floss, and I change mine when it gets too gunked up even when I have cleaned it out in a bucket of tank water. You also have the 2 coarse sponges? 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member Erinaceus Posted August 25, 2008 Regular Member Share Posted August 25, 2008 Is the white one, thin and fine? Its like filter floss, and I change mine when it gets too gunked up even when I have cleaned it out in a bucket of tank water. You also have the 2 coarse sponges? The white one should be thin and fine, in order to filter as much muck as possible. The coarse sponges (blue or maybe green?) are probably the biological filter material. It's got large holes to allow for sufficient water flow, but it also needs a coarse texture, because the larger the surface (with is much larger on a course than on a smouth surface), the more place there is for your benificial bacteria to settle on and cling too. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member claire_uk Posted August 25, 2008 Regular Member Share Posted August 25, 2008 In my fluval plus the coarse sponges are also white. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member Erinaceus Posted August 25, 2008 Regular Member Share Posted August 25, 2008 In my fluval plus the coarse sponges are also white. Ah, I didn't know that . You learn something new every day. Thanks Claire . So in that case, look at the structure more than the colour. Also, for reference, the carbon pads should be somewhat intermediate in the size of the holes (in case they are similar outside Belgium as inside Belgium). 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member claire_uk Posted August 25, 2008 Regular Member Share Posted August 25, 2008 For the Fluval Plus filters, it is bright white for the fine pads, black for the carbon, and off white for the coarse ones. The fine one goes inbetween the 2 coarse ones. That is also where you would place carbon if it was needed and remove the fine one. (hope that makes sense?!) My Tetra Tec also has different coloured sponges!! 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member Quasi Posted August 25, 2008 Regular Member Share Posted August 25, 2008 In my fluval plus the coarse sponges are also white. Ah, I didn't know that . You learn something new every day. Thanks Claire . So in that case, look at the structure more than the colour. Also, for reference, the carbon pads should be somewhat intermediate in the size of the holes (in case they are similar outside Belgium as inside Belgium). And they often let loose little particles of carbon when you just gotten them out of the packaging. Grey hands= carbon 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member claire_uk Posted August 25, 2008 Regular Member Share Posted August 25, 2008 O yer, I hate carbon, rarely use it ! Black particles everywhere! 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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