No way like I said on an earlier thread I used all the free boxes of round polishing pads for cut up cleaning swabs for my guns and as patches for black powder loads, gun fodder.
I buy and use the Polyester -quilt batten that I buy from WallSmart in 9'x8' by 1/2" thick sheets sold in the DIY sewing and craft section. I lay the sponge on the the corner of the batten and cut out a pattern and use the pattern to cut multiple panels out of the batten for just the outside face of the sponge. Each panel is just slipped in place and held in place by the sponge and basket frame.
I don't know what the micron size is but I do know that it polishes my water crystal clear and becasue of the huge circumference surface area (300 SI) it cant clog the way it would clog if placed inside the basket section (35 SI), which were truly engineered for porous water treatment media not polishing media which is the "stackable only filter's" achilles heel.
Also becasue the FX5 is only one with true non-bypassable filter baskets as each basket has its own O-ring making it water tight accessible by water only from the top and bottom. This as a result also forces water to travel through the huge circumference filters first without bypassing, just like the Magnum.
The circumference design has been around and used in heavy industry for more then 80 years in everything from the first automobiles to modern RO systems and the reason is because they are 10's of times more efficient and enduring then inline filtration.
The stackable inline filter like my Fluval 404 is a very rudimentary and ancient Greek design, its only strength as a stand alone filter is it offers interaction with the user who has choices on what to stick in each drawer which can be used to treat water with with chemical filtration (carbon) or PH/GH/phosphate additives.
I no longer consider bio filtration media to be of any substantial use when it comes to inline filtration and IMO is a misconception to think that beneficial bacteria colonization would inhabit one media such as bio balls over another such as your sand that it would make any notable difference. In fact I belive it is true to say that in only rare exceptions beneficial bacteria colonizes the aquarium to a much greater extent the the filter system and therefore is in great supply and not nearly as significant an issue as mot make it to be with basket bio media.
What is in short supply is mechanical filtration becasue only the filter can achieve this and there is no filter basket substitute. The bacteria has been around for millions of years and can take care of themselves without our additional help. All we need to do is mechanical filtration, water changes and a little water treatment. In fact many people don't know that carbon besides being a wonderful chemical filter has the capacity becasue of it's huge surface area (1 teaspoon equals 7790 square feet) to colonize more beneficial bacteria then any other media out there hands down.
So just consider this when shelling out the big bucks for your next expensive filter.
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