What media to use in canister.

zachjohnson65

zachjohnson65

AC Members
Mar 31, 2007
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Staunton, VA
I have a Via Aqua canister i will be setting up for my upcoming 55 lightly planted tank. What media to use? I have 3 baskets 1 fine pad, 1 coarse pad and 1 empty. Should i use bio balls, bio rings, pot scrubbers, lava rock in the 3rd basket? And how should i arrange the baskets for best filtration? I'm new to canisters
 
So 1 being the the bottom basket, and 3 the top? I read that carbon is good for the first 2-3 weeks correct then i can take it out, correct. I do not use it in any other tanks. Should i use chemical? I'm hoping to not to overstock this tank.
 
There is no reason to use carbon unless you are removing something from the water like meds. or tannins from drift wood.

bottom basket: coarse pad and poly. quilting bats from wal-Mart for fine pads
Middle basket: the same thing
top basket: bio rings and poly on top and bottom
 
carbon and the such really aren't necessary but some people use them. i have some carbon in my filter but haven't noticed any difference in the tank from when i did not have it in personally just stuff as much mechanical and biological filtration in to the filter as possible.

personally my filtrations go like this

1. Bio balls (i will replace these i think with rings some time soon)
2. sponge
3. bio-media (ehiem substrate pro mixed with some other stuff)
4. filter floss.

personally i would fill that last basket with eheim substrate or seachem matrix and some lava rock ruble
 
I would put ceramic rings in the empty slot.
 
Ok cool i will get some rings and bio media! I can put sponge (like the ones in AC, but bigger) in a canister? instead of the pads it can with?
 
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