best type of mechanical filtering for HOB filters

[fl4ian]

I was thinking about using nylon pot scrubbies, but it appears that that's not the best idea. Because my HOB is a penguin 350B and has two biowheels for the biological filtering, I just want to have something in the filter to do the mechanical filtering as I don't really want to buy the cartridges (I don't have a need for the carbon anyway).

Any ideas? What do you guys use for mech?

[tanker]

You can buy the large "uncut" pads and cut to size.

[gt1009]

I just rinse my cartridges whenever they get dirty. Been using the same ones since december.

[TwoTankAmin]

I have run an Emperor 400 for over 8 years now. I reuse the carts as gt noted. You can rinse and reuse em til the shred.

I too dont want the carbon. You can either peel back the blue pad at a top corned or else cut of few of the grill slats on the other side at the bottom and then shake out most of the carbon, which is what I have done for years.

[jenazen69]

you could put a sponge, or polyester fill in the place where you would normally keep the cartridges. you can also get the ceramic rings sold for filter media. If you want your water to look clearer, use the polyester fill as it seems to trap more particle matter.

[fl4ian]

I was using the cartridges and removing the carbon by making a slit and jiggling it all out. However, I thought that was a waste of time and money if I didn't want the carbon.

I think that the filter floss clogs relatively quickly, though it does do a nice job. I guess the consensus is filter pad type media...

does that "bonded" filter pad have a layer of filter floss on the backside? that might work well... anybody using that stuff? the two sided bonded filter pad (one side blue, one side white)?

[Zebulon]

For some models of these disposable jobbies, you could cut off the filter material from a couple frames and clamshell them together. Others that dont have clearance for clamshell you could add a layer of plastic screen to hold in your floss or filter pad. You may want to cut out some of the grills too. This has worked for me anyway.

My LFS back home always had that blue/white filter pad stuff on a huge 3 or 4 foot wide roll hidden in the back room. They used it internally for their system but didn't sell it on the shelf. After some careful worming, the owner started to let me barter for feet off that roll. It was rockin for cutting out dozens upon dozens of replacement pads for all my hobs and canisters. I need another schtick like that out here!

[kyryah]

I use the filter media that come in bulk bags. It is cheap enough to throw away when needed, and I have not had any issues with it clogging.

Kristina

[Zebulon]

I agree, regular floss has always worked fine for me, when flow slows just replace it. You can't beat the price either.

[excuzzzeme]

I have tried many different things in my Oscar tanks and the poly filter floss does the best job. I now use it in all filters as a $4.00 bag will fill all filters many times over.

I strip the worn out media from a cartridge and put the empty frame back into the filter. I then fill the space between the frame and the back of filter with the poly-fil. Like Zebulon posted, I replace when flow slows down.

One bag lasts several months - I am using it in 7 tanks.

[BettaFishMommy]

i have a dual output hob similar to yours, without the bio wheels, and i just use filter floss (the bulk roll you buy in a big bag) in it and run it as a water polisher of sorts. i have another dual output hob (Elite Hush) that i have stacked media in just the same as you would an aquaclear, with two small sponges shoved into the bottom, a layer of loose biomax,, and filter floss on top. it worked well enough, but the flow was reduced a little bit.

[fl4ian]

I'm gonna have to retry the filter floss if all of you are having such good luck with it. Maybe I'm packing it in too tightly...

Probably try a combination of the two (blue/white filter pad) with some poly fill.

Thanks for the opinions, they have been helpful.

[BettaFishMommy]

yes, if you pack it too snugly in the filter, it is not effective. i just lay one custom cut piece, folded once, and stand it up in the place where the cartridge would normally go, same width as the cartridge would be, allowing the top edge of the floss to hang over the output area just a tad. you could use the plastic frame from the cartridges to hold the floss in place (between the frame and the front of the filter) if you wanted to.