Question for Everyone With a Canister Filter

[Jstdv8]

you won`t have to change the majority of your media for a very very long time. i set up my xp2 over a year ago and the exact same media is running in it today. sponges take forever to break down and the ceramic biomedia will last you forever. be sure to rinse your media in old tank water to preserve the bacteria!

the only part of the media that will need regular changing to new is filter floss or polyester batting. there really is no way to rinse it and replacing it is cheap and easy if you get one of the large bags of polyester batting (like the stuff you make quilts with) from walmart or some such big box store.

can`t comment on the hydroton media. never heard of it.

Gotcha,
I guess the thing I don't like about the XP3 comapred to the eheim i was looking at is the filters are on the bottom, where with the eheim if all you have to do is change the filters they are rigth on top, first thing out, so you wouldnt need to dissasemble the whole thing to change what you need.
Is this relevant or not realyl since you only do it every once in a while?

 

[BettaFishMommy]

the baskets of the xp canisters are great, as they are a nice square shape and fit pretty much any media you want to put in there. the water flows from the bottom to the top in them so if you are changing out just the filter floss/polyester batting then you don't need to remove any trays at all since the top tray would be holding the floss.

in addition to my xp2 i also have an xp4 and it takes me no more than 20 minutes to do a media rinse and reassemble on either canister. I highly recommend the rena xp filters!

 

[Jstdv8]

ok, so the floss goes in the top tray but the faom pads go in the bottom tray? and the floss is the one you change out most often?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HxkqLzx2UgU
Would it look like this?

 

[BettaFishMommy]

yes, the sponges go in the bottom tray. when you buy a rena xp new it comes with 4 sponges, 2 coarse and 2 fine. the coarse ones go below the finer ones in the bottom tray.

i change my floss about once a month, when i do a filter cleaning.

 

[Jstdv8]

yes, the sponges go in the bottom tray. when you buy a rena xp new it comes with 4 sponges, 2 coarse and 2 fine. the coarse ones go below the finer ones in the bottom tray.

i change my floss about once a month, when i do a filter cleaning.

Ok sweet,
BTW, I love your west edmonton mall
Dolphins in a mall, that's the coolest

 

[BettaFishMommy]

Ok sweet,
BTW, I love your west edmonton mall
Dolphins in a mall, that's the coolest

the dolphins are actually gone. it's just sea lions now. i personally think the animals should be housed in a much more proper facility than at 'the mall'.

 

[Jstdv8]

the dolphins are actually gone. it's just sea lions now. i personally think the animals should be housed in a much more proper facility than at 'the mall'.

I guess I never looked at it that way. It was jsut so cool to go to a mall and see dolphins. Good point.
I'm originally from Minnesota and have been to the mall of america more times than I care to guess at. but as neat as that place is the WEM really puts it to shame in jsut about every catagory. I like the roller coaster that loos around the walkway into the front entrance too.
I havn't been there in 7 years so I'm sure it's proabablt changed some.
Also loved the place that's out the freeway to the east where the elk and bison are.

 

[BettaFishMommy]

ah, Elk Island National Park. very peaceful out there. i haven't been in years!