Help

[sasha]

im looking on internet for an aquarium and found one

it is 230 litres and has an external top filtration,with five trays and one powerhead which does 900 litres per hour

it pumps the water onto a sray bar located above the filter trays

it comes with some filter media, bio balls ,ceramic rings and activated carbon .

which of the above do i put in the 5 trays and do i fill all the five trays.and if so with the same media or different media.

ive never heard of bio balls before or ceramic rings.

can someone explain abit more about bio balls and ceramic rings

[Hidr]

its just media for BB's to grow in and on. They are great.

[sasha]

so do i fill all the trays with say just the bio balls

[Hidr]

I wouldn't. I use a varity of things. i have some floss some sponges and some of the balls.

[sasha]

thank you

[Helen]

if it helps you any, here's what mine looks like inside except i removed the carbon (the black stocking like bags)

[sasha]

ooh thanks stakos , so whats in each one , i cant really tell what they all are lol

hope you dont think im thick lol

and whats the white stuff under the bio balls, is it the coulour of the tray

Edited November 29, 2010 by sumer

[Helen]

the first one has the black balls with those flossy filter pads under them, the second one has the carbon (which i ended up removing anyway as it has a short lifespan) and under the carbon is that flossy filter pad again, the third one has ceramic rings (or you can use those ehim ceramic balls (i use them now)) with another filter pad and the fourth one is the same as the second one (carbon now removed) - the tray colour is black in my filter

when you put them all together just be sure that the handles are not in the way of them fitting properly.. if they are not sitting correctly, a tray is either too full or a handle is sitting the wrong way, investigate the problem and fix it.. if it's not sitting correctly, the filter won't filter properly.

[Helen]

and no.. i/we don't think you're thick.. infact, we're happy you are asking questions. and we're happy to help you

[sasha]

oooh thanks also do you change the flossy filter pads and if so how often do you change them or do you just rinse them in old tank water

and the bio balls and ceramic rings do they need replacing after a while or do you rinse them in the tank water you empty. tha nks again

it looks like i will defo get the tank i saw in a few weeks time.

Edited November 29, 2010 by sumer

[Helen]

some change their filter pads with new ones every fortnight when they clean their filters.. i rinse mine in old tank water for 3 filter cleans and then on the fourth, i put new ones in..

with the bio balls, i don't change them at all.. they're plastic, i just rinse them by swooshing the tray in old tank water.. and i do the same for the ceramic balls. for the ceramic balls, i change a quarter of them every fourth filter clean. you don't want to be handling them with your hands. i put on some latex gloves, gloves whilst wearing them in seperate old tank water and then i handle the ceramic balls. i am scared that my natural body oil will mess with the bb's. also, you don't want to be removing to many of them at the one time as that's how you lose your bb's aswell. so it needs to be done in sections.

when you clean the filter, you also need to clean the inside of the canister.. there is a lot of gunk caught in that too.. and also under the lid of the filter.. i use papertowel swooshed clean in old tank water and wipe the gunk of the underside of the lid.

[sasha]

thank you soo much xx

i understand better now lol

[Iheartfishies1172]

I think I've changed a filter pad.. once in my whole five years with T.F.

They haven't started to fall apart yet, so a rinse in tank water is enough to keep them clean. However, we shall see now that I've cut them open to replace the carbon with media.

[Helen]

thank you soo much xx

i understand better now lol

anytime