Hi Again! And Question on Emperor Filter Cartridge

[SKSand]

Hi Again Everyone! :)

It has been a long time since I have been in the forum, in fact my membership expired. It is nice to see a lot of the same members names that provided me so much information, and a couple of them are now moderators. I also like the new look, (well for me it is a new look:D )

All my fish and tanks are still doing great. I did close the FO salt water though, too much work with the new grandbaby.

Once upon a time, someone told me something I could use instead of the Penquin/Emperor filter cartridge that would save a small fortune. I can not find my note on this (I took lots of notes from everyone back then, which is probably why my tanks have done so well).

I would again like to thank the person who told me a Threadfin Acura is an excellent fish. He is almost two years old now, and around 4". He is still my favorite fish.

Thank you!

[OrionGirl]

Welcome back!

There are a couple of options for alternative media. Sponges, cut to fit, are quite popular and very cheap, since they can be cleaned many times before replacement. Another option is to use a cotton/polyfill, like is used for stuffing, or quilt batting. Either option is cheaper than the replacements sold at LFS.

I use sponges in all my filters, simple because they are so easy to clean, and custom fitting is just a few snips away.

[SKSand]

Hi OrionGirl,

3090 Posts! You I do remember, you helped me out a lot way back when, (now I remember when I was first registered).

Is there any specific brand or type of sponge I should use? I have done such a great job with my tanks imo, I am concerned about messing something up by making a change.

Thank you

[OrionGirl]

I've been a bit wordy... :)

I buy AC sponges, but you can get pretty much any kind of untreated sponge in a large enough size. For me, the AC's are just easier to work with, and are really cheap from Big Al's. I do know people who buy the sponge-type cushions (think Walmart carries several sizes) and whack them up. No problems, since the main goal is to provide a large surface area in a small volume. Avoid anything that has any kind of flame retardent, or anti fungal treatment (which is another reason I buy the AC's--I can't find anything locally that isn't treated).

[SKSand]

Thank you for the advice. I need to put in an order with Big Als so I will be sure to pick some up. One other thing, I still use the extra carbon filter too (somethings die hard, I have been told I don't have to, it is a mental block.) Should I take this out with the sponges?

Thank you

[AikidoGuy]

OrionGirl, which model filter sponge do you use? the one for the ac 500 im guessing? how many does it take to fill up the emperor?

[OrionGirl]

I actually haven't used on for the Emperor's--and I use which ever I can get cheaper and easier--depending on what I'll use it for. I use the 200's for my smaller tanks regularly. I think I remember someone else saying they needed 4 total, since they were cutting them down a bit...Does that sound right? I think they were using the 300's though. I should have written it down, I guess. They might have been using additional media as well.

As for the carbon, I wouldn't keep running it. It doesn't work for long enough IMO to keep in there full time.

[AikidoGuy]

hm interesting ill have to do some r&d whe get home. i have a dozen emperor 400s and i would like to find something other then the replacement cartridges. Im already using cell pores in place of the gray boxes on some and others i fill the gray boxes with filter pad from my Amiricle wet/drys.

[JSchmidt]

I'm experimenting with some AC 500 foam cut to fit the media wells on my Emp. 400 and 280s. It seems to work OK, but I don't believe the coarse foam of the AC filters catches as much crud as did the Emp cartridges. It's cheaper though, and easier to clean, so I'll probably stick with the foam.

I might experiment with a more dense foam, if I can find a source that I know to be fish-safe.

HTH,
Jim

[AikidoGuy]

cool let us know what you find

[OrionGirl]

Have you tried using a single layer of batting in front of the sponge? I use the sponges because of the surface area and cost. For better mechanical filtration, I would go with a poly batting any day. Much denser than the sponges, but not as easily cleaned. I ran this on a fry tank, and had to clean the poly every other day--which meant replacing it about every third cleaning.

[AikidoGuy]

i was thinking to load the whole filter with gobs of the batting since i only use them for mechanical filtration anyway. So i would just take out everything and just load it with the batting.

[OrionGirl]

Yeah, but it might be costly, because it is really a pain to clean that stuff. Particles get embedded and caught up--it's like spider web. You ruin it by trying to clean it out. At least, I did. I'm used to really scrubbing my sponges, so I tore this stuff to shreds. Running water through it the opposite direction worked, but took up more time than made me happy. Maybe running the sponges first would help? Pull the larger stuff out first, then just have the smaller matter make it into the batting.

[NJ Devils Fan]

If I wanted to buy some carbon and have ac sponges, where would I put the carbon? I don't think you actually just pour the carbon into the filter. Would I cut the sponge, put one layer in the little grey basket, put carbon on it, and put the other layer on top? Being that I have 2 emps 400s, would I need to buy 4 ac 500 sponges and then cut them?

[OrionGirl]

Easiest way to have carbon available quickly and cheaply is to buy it in bulk, and then just put a couple cups in the toe off a pair of nylons. Easily sized for any filter, cheap, easy to remove and replace.

[NJ Devils Fan]

Can it be done the way I suggested though? And what about the sponge sizes?

[OrionGirl]

You can use the basket as long as you don't mind a few chunks escaping--most the media baskets I've seen are a large enough mesh that some would puch through into the sponge. And sitting the sponge on top means you'll end up picking it out of the sponge (or I would, anyway). As for what size--that would depend on some trials. I can't be sure that 4 is the right amount--I may be remembering wrong. You don't want the sponge to be squished, since this reduces the available surface area, so cutting it to fit would probably be needed to prevent compacting or moving.

[NJ Devils Fan]

i meant 4 as in 2 for each filter sinse there are 2 areas where the water goes on each filter.