Soothing Shrimp Posted March 12, 2015 Report Share Posted March 12, 2015 I'm still pretty new to fish. I just added an HOB to one of my tanks tank , but still keeping the double sponge running until the HOB is seeded. If I remember correctly, there's no need for carbon, so what should I fill the HOB with for beneficial bacteria? I have a top fin 30 on a 20T. CiaraHono 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RyeGuy411 Posted March 12, 2015 Report Share Posted March 12, 2015 Biomax Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RyeGuy411 Posted March 12, 2015 Report Share Posted March 12, 2015 Or Seachem Matrix Soothing Shrimp 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
colorfan Posted March 12, 2015 Report Share Posted March 12, 2015 Matrix is a good choice Soothing Shrimp 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roborep1 Posted March 12, 2015 Report Share Posted March 12, 2015 Matrix. Here is everything you ever wanted to know about biofiltration; http://www.seachem.com/Library/SeaGrams/Biofiltration.pdf Here is a study comparing others vs. Matrix http://www.seachem.com/support/SpecificSurface.pdf Biomax is cheaper and would be my second choice. Soothing Shrimp 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soothing Shrimp Posted March 12, 2015 Author Report Share Posted March 12, 2015 Do you think 500ml of Seachem Matrix would do it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mayphly Posted March 12, 2015 Report Share Posted March 12, 2015 I use these http://m.ebay.com/itm/160860778674?nav=SEARCH I have these in most of my hob filters. They're cheap and they work. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roborep1 Posted March 12, 2015 Report Share Posted March 12, 2015 Yes absolutely. Put it in a bag- Fluval makes some for the AC 20/30 that should fit. You may want a sponge for polishing as well. I have two of these, they are tiny little filters but the setup would be the same for me even if I was using aquaclear or in your case Top Fin What kind of fish? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aquariumlover10 Posted March 12, 2015 Report Share Posted March 12, 2015 Why no carbon? It helps with ammonia, nitrate, nitrite, the smell of fish poop, and keeps the water cleaner, just need to replace every other month. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
High5's Posted March 12, 2015 Report Share Posted March 12, 2015 I use pea sized lava rock. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soothing Shrimp Posted March 12, 2015 Author Report Share Posted March 12, 2015 Would panty hose work to contain the media? Crazyfishlady 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aquariumlover10 Posted March 12, 2015 Report Share Posted March 12, 2015 Yup, just make sure its new Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soothing Shrimp Posted March 12, 2015 Author Report Share Posted March 12, 2015 Sweet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheGardenofEder Posted March 12, 2015 Report Share Posted March 12, 2015 I'm about to use an hob for my 20g I was going to use matrix with a bag of purigen. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crazyfishlady Posted March 12, 2015 Report Share Posted March 12, 2015 In my betta tanks (that have HOBs) I just use sponges, and now purigen. Before I found heavenly purigen, They are small tanks and fully planted. I keep the carbon cartridge around just in case I have to medicate the tanks but honestly have never used them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jadenlea Posted March 12, 2015 Report Share Posted March 12, 2015 I use sponge on the bottom, purigen in place of carbon and then the bio rings. . Aquariumlover I think the reason alot of fish keepers no longer use carbon is because it is only beneficial for a month then it needs to be changed or can sit there uselessly. aquariumlover10 and Crazyfishlady 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dendrobatez Posted March 12, 2015 Report Share Posted March 12, 2015 For my zoo med 501s (about the same size as an HOB) I use a sponge on the intake so I can go without it inside of the filter and then fill the chamber with pea sized lava (like high5 mentioned), purigen, and sera super peat. I've used panty hose before and it works but I switched to these cheap filter bags I got on eBay for everything but purigen. They allow more flow than the panty hose Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aquariumlover10 Posted March 12, 2015 Report Share Posted March 12, 2015 I use sponge on the bottom, purigen in place of carbon and then the bio rings. . Aquariumlover I think the reason alot of fish keepers no longer use carbon is because it is only beneficial for a month then it needs to be changed or can sit there uselessly. Yeah I get why some people dont, but in smaller tanks its usefull. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zodiac Posted March 12, 2015 Report Share Posted March 12, 2015 I've used panty hose before and it works but I switched to these cheap filter bags I got on eBay for everything but purigen. They allow more flow than the panty hose pantyhose is for matrix.it's like purigen. i would use ceramic rings (having the water hitting them first),then matrix if you want. if your going to put it a tank will fish you need a good colony of BB. in your shrimp tank there's not going to be much ammonia to feed on. when you get your media,put it in a tank with 1-3 ppm of ammonia and cycle the tank. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shrimple minded Posted March 13, 2015 Report Share Posted March 13, 2015 I'd echo the same as many others. I have an AQ20 with sponge > matrix > purigen.........I had the purigen "before" the matrix until I realized it was stalling my cycle. I'm using Seachem's "The Bag" with the matrix, but looking for cheaper alternatives in the future. "The Bag" is a plastic material that can be fused (heat-welded) if you have a vacuum sealer........ Soothing Shrimp 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chibikaie Posted March 13, 2015 Report Share Posted March 13, 2015 I would also only use carbon when removing medications, or when no amount of filtration will keep up the water quality (e.g., a turtle tank rather than a fish tank). You don't really need it and can spend the money and media space on other things. If you need carbon to keep the tank smelling clean, then I say stock less or do more water changes. (I pretty much always end up saying that.) I saw a pretty epic video of a wet/dry built for a pond using lava rock. Very nice. That style filter is better oxygenated, but I'm guessing you aren't going to need to process the same kind of waste load as a pond. (Did you know that water is like a magnet for duck poop?) Ekbergtog 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dendrobatez Posted March 13, 2015 Report Share Posted March 13, 2015 "The Bag" is a plastic material that can be fused (heat-welded) if you have a vacuum sealer........ I never looking into "The Bag" before but now that I know you can seal them yourself it seems a lot more useful for the price Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shrimple minded Posted March 13, 2015 Report Share Posted March 13, 2015 Yeah Dendrobatez I think I'll be able to get three bags from the original since I'm using in an AQ20 and size needs are small (1/3 of original Bag size) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roborep1 Posted March 13, 2015 Report Share Posted March 13, 2015 I'd echo the same as many others. I have an AQ20 with sponge > matrix > purigen.........I had the purigen "before" the matrix until I realized it was stalling my cycle. I'm using Seachem's "The Bag" with the matrix, but looking for cheaper alternatives in the future. "The Bag" is a plastic material that can be fused (heat-welded) if you have a vacuum sealer........ This is exactly what I use- sponge, matrix, purigen. I got the "bag" and it was huge. I cut it down an zip tied it- I had no clue you could do this. I have a vaccuum sealer and will give it a shot. Soothing Shrimp 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ramawo Posted March 19, 2015 Report Share Posted March 19, 2015 I am using eheim substrate pro, biohome and powerhouse for my shrimp and fish tanks. They are quite expensive, but really good for long run ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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