Filter Media Contents!?!?

[discusbarlas]

Dear Friends,

I have a Ehem Classic filter and currently I am using the original contents which comes with the box like blue sponge + carbon + ceramics + bio balls. But I feel that may be this combination is not working/doing well together.

So can anyone suggest the best contents to keep the PH + KH + GH + NO2 + NO3 normal and stable!?

Someone suggested me to put substrate in the filter and another friend told me to put PEAT... so i am a bit confuse which and what to choose?!

waiting for your kind replies...

[ILLUSN]

what do you want to acheive?
peat will lower your kh,gh and ph but will need to be replaced monthly (fortnightly is better).

i run my eheim classics, from bottom to top

ceramic noodles
blue sponge
efhi substrate/substrate pro or JBL micromech
white sponge

ph, gh, kh are set by my tap water so stay stable enough, no2 is zero, no3 i dilute with water changes 30-40% twice a week

[discusbarlas]

Thanks for the reply ILLUSN

Well I want to stabalize my water parameters.

my KH is 0 so I want to increase it to at least 4

I want to reduce my Nitrate to 0 which is more in my tank.

[ILLUSN]

used crushed coral to increase your kh 1 tablespoon per 100l tank water worked well for me when i was using rainwater (KH =0) to reduce NO3 do more water changes

[discusbarlas]

Ok I will buy SUBSTRATE to put in my Canister Filter. I am using Coral bag of half kg in my Overhead SAME Filter to control KH. Will that will work for KH fine?

[ILLUSN]

will work fine, just keep an eye on it, too much will send your kh way too high, if you put in substrate now your filter will have to re-establish itself, make sure you have additional filters working first to carry the load while your eheim settles in again (awill take a week or 2)

[discusbarlas]

I replaced all the media in my Ehem classic filter and cleaned them with Tank water. I didnt clean the Ceramic noodles to keep the useful bacteria.

From bottom to top the new media which I put in the filter is:
Ceramic Noodles
Sera Cotton
Bio Chem Zorb Bag
Sera Cotton
Ehem Substrate
Blue sponge on top

Also I put the left over Substrate in a net bag and put it in my Overhead Sump filter which also have sponges+ Coral (less than half KG) for maintaning the KH

Do you think with this new Filter media in my canister filter help reduce down the problem in water and make the life of my fish easy??

[ILLUSN]

biochem zorb will take alot of impurites out of your water, just remember to replace it every 6 weeks or so. how are the fish doing?

[discusbarlas]

Thanks ILLUSN...

I just did an update about my fish on the following thread:
http://www.discusforums.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=112130#112130

[discusbarlas]

when does the Filter Media which I changed in my external filter need to be replaced and what is the best intervals to clean the filter.

Also a quarter kg of mini corals is fine in my Sump filter? or will it increase my KH more than the desired levels? like +10d

[scott bowler]

hi discusbarlas i clean or replace the sponge around 3months athe filter wool .i dont clean the nooles at all and leave them in the water in the bottom of the filter.
and as for the mini coral in the sump i would keep an eye on that it will increase the kh of your water when you get to the level you are looking for i would remove it