Filter media

[Neonsilver]

I'm going to be building a betta tank in the very near future. It's a Christmas present for my girlfriend and as soon as I give her the actual tank I'll be able to start work on the enclosures. I'll be taking design cues from someone else who had recently built one and I'll be using a 55 gallon tank. The filter will be a powerhead with chambers before it to house different types of filter media and I was wondering what types should I go with. What types are out there and what does each type do? Also, there are certain ones I'm confused on how they work. How does filter floss make the water clearer? Thanks in advance for all of the help.

[Neonsilver]

Nobody?
Maybe I need to rephrase my question.
What types of readily available filter media are there and what type of filtering do they do? Biological, mechanical or chemical.

[6.5x55]

Plastic Bio-balls, porous lave rock and Eheim Ehfisubstrat are all good biological mediums :).

[Rbishop]

Sponges, floss and similar materials will provide mechanical filtration.

Sponges, bio-balls, ceramics and other stuff provide a surface area for biological filtration.

Chemical filtration is provided for with additives like carbon or peat.

Many forms of media are dual purpose.

[gaffman]

Nobody.

[jm1212]

Sponges, floss and similar materials will provide mechanical filtration.

Sponges, bio-balls, ceramics and other stuff provide a surface area for biological filtration.

Chemical filtration is provided for with additives like carbon or peat.

Many forms of media are dual purpose.
there you go...