Polyester batting ok for floss?

BeerBudgett

BeerBudgett

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Jan 25, 2005
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Starting to setup a FREEBIE 125 gallon freshwater tank ( no equipment tho ). Was wondering if the polyester batting used in quilts was suitable as a coarse filtermedia in a Rena XP 3 cannister... Will be running 2 of them and possibly 3 as money allows. The woman who says she loves me has a gigantic quilting fetish and so I have a closet absolutely full of this stuff!


Also while I am thinking of it, (if this is an ok media for filters) could I use it in my HOB filter in my FREEBIE 29 gal and use it as a bacteria "nest" to help "seed" the new aquarium? The 29 has a gravel substrate and I will use some of that in the new one in a media bag to help it cycle. I will be using play sand as a substrate so direct transfer of the gravel is not an option.


Thanks for all the help everyone has provided by allowing me to just "spook" around and learn from all the years of experience......
 
I read on another message board about someone who used the hypoallergenic pillow stuffing from Wal-Mart's sewing dept. as filter media with regular success. He said to make sure it was allergin free, because that was the kind that had nothing harmful in it, was just a synthetic fiber that could be used for mechanical/bio filtration. He said he kept the old filter frame from his HOB filter, took all of the old media off, cut a piece of the filling to match the size, then used rubber bands to hold it in place.

DISCLAIMER: I only read this and have never tried it myself, so please, excercise caution if you choose to do this. I will vouch for rubber bands as holders though. I use Marineland filter foam on my Penguin 125s rather than using the activated carbon filter cartidges and I secure it in place with rubber bands.
 
Ok, thanks Harlock.

I am not at home right now so I have no idea what this stuff has in it other than the actual polyester fabric/fiber. Will check it out when I get home..... If in doubt I won't use it. I enjoy my critters too much to save a buck or 2....

BTW what is the actual "Aquarium Floss" made of? Just curious
 
Pillow stuffing

I use pillow stuffing (Polyester) from walmart in my media basket in my Emperor HOB and it works great. Been doing it since early December and the fish and tank look great. Very affordable at $2.00 a bag compared to the Emperor filter media.
 
No idea what aquarium floss is actually made of. Likely a synthetic like polyester or something. And thanks, Puffernewbee for the validation on that one!
 
Thanks Puffernewbee! I have to look at what The Woman Who Says She Loves Me has stuffed in the closet and if it is hypo allergenic I will try it after some additional research. I have seen a few posts in other forums that say it will work but still hesitant....

Harlock: If it IS ok to use, do you think it could be used to seed a bigger tank with bacteria?
 
BeerBudgett said:
Harlock: If it IS ok to use, do you think it could be used to seed a bigger tank with bacteria?
Click to expand...
Sure, once it is properly seeded itself. Most media needs to be in a tank for a good while to really get the bacteria on it. I'd leave it in a cycled tank for at least a month if I were going to use it as seed for bio filtration. In my case, I would like to have it in a tank for a good 2 months, really.
 
It is all polyester. It is all safe to use but avoid anything that might have an additive such as flame retardent material. It will get junky pretty fast so you will have to rinse or change it often, but that is why getting the cheap stuff is best.
 
Be CERTAIN that it has some sort of barrier between the batting and the intake for the impellor. I just found my canister that has a layer of quilt batting slowed to a trickle with the batting sucked up into the impellor well and wound around the impellor. I've gone back to fused padding for that one.
 
The only "bad" experience Ive had with using floss of any type (including the kind you buy at walmart) is when I let it get too dirty. The floss traps debris very well and is excellent in polishing your water. If you use it constantly, just make sure to inspect it and rinse it. Ive always used it as a polisher and not necessarily as a bacterial source of media. I generally throw some in after doing a tank redecoration or maybe after moving a tank or anytime there is just a lot of tiny debris that gets stirred around.

One time I neglected to change or clean the floss in my Aquaclear and actually had the top layer of floss get clogged up. I had packed the floss too tighty in the filter and when it got clogged, the water started seeping out and around the outlet portion of the filter. Luckily the water started making more noise than usual when entering the tank. When I inspected it, the water was darn near ready to start coming out of the sides and the top of the filter which would have caused a very wet floor.

I have also used floss in a canister filter and had no problems at all with it.
 
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