So I just picked up a Fluval 405 canister filter with 4 stacks. I've been reading up on the net for about the last 2 days trying to educate myself. I've got the just of it, but still have a couple of questions. Hopefully you guys can give me a hand. This would be for my Oscar tank if the helps.
1) What media stack up would people recommend or currently have? The filter already came with the pre-filter which I'm pretty sure goes first. And it also comes with the ceramic rings, which I'm guessing goes last. Any others I should insert in there? Besides charcoal and what stack.
2) How or where can I get the filter seeded to bypass the cycle process?

Thanx

I am afraid I can't really help you set the filter up as I've never owned one, someone else will no doubt help you there.

However, if you can get some established media from somewhere then you can certainly seed your filter but as for cutting out cycle process, that would be very difficult unless you had enough established media to fill your filter.

pre-filter is always at the first stage of the process where it come in contact
with water... it is where all the crap were screened and collected....

carbon is not needed, just keep it for someday use especially after medication.

ceramic rings is used to host beneficial bacteria where it breaks nitrites and
ammonia into a less toxic nitrates.

another stack could utilized as another bio media where foam, straw, or scoring
pad can be used instead....but should always come before the ceramic rings.

Thanx for the replies, especially for that last one. But there has to be someone here wiht this filter set up and running................

When I first started my 304, I went to a LFS and asked them for a used filer pad. They gave me 2 sponges from their filter in a bag of rank brown water. It was full of BB. ran it for 3 weeks, and my tank was pretty much cycled.



Oh and in my 304 which is 3 stacks of compartments I use prefilter, and biomax.
And only use carbon after I have medicated the tank, or need to remove a major impurity that a water change will not fix.

Hi i don't have a 405 but know the set up. i take it you have the foam at the side, this is the mechanical and will remove the large mess. wash and keep clean. 4 boxes each can have what you choose to put into them. With no use for carbon I would recommend you add bio media to all 4. no real point having more mechanical foam. but if you choose this put it in the top box. you could choose a polishing pad? this will go in the bottom box.

as for quick seeding. do you have another pump up and running? if so you can use the media from this. or wash out the old filter in old tank water then add the dirty water to the new filter media. washing old media in the tank with the new pump running is another option to fast seed. i would also recommend nutrafin hagen "cycle"



This will help fast seed your filter as will "prime" water treatment. for the very best results a fully cycled tank is better than a fast seeded tank and more stable. you will need to check water parameters before you start adding fish to make sure the cycle process has worked. hope that answers all your questions?

I have 2 405's and a 404 (old version). The sponges are for screening out the large lummps of waste that get in the filter. Fill the 4 baskets with bio media. These come in many different forms, the hollow tubes, little rocks, and rocks that look like little sponges are the common ones

What you want to create is debris water free to pass through Bio max rings.
Prefilter in the bottom compartment,

Biomax in the rest of them. Only use carbon if you need to take out some sort of chemical impurity. i.e. Medication or some sort of metal.

The sponge pads are to remove large debris. The prefilter is to remove smaller debris and can host some BB. The Biomax is for the BB.
Make sure when you clean it you just dip it in a bucket of tank water and just squeeze and rub to clean.

What size tank do you have?

i use small plastic balls in the bottom/first tray, the other trays i fill withceramic cylinder, i keep half of the top/last tray empty for carbon when i use it. it is super efficient. ammonian and nitrite always 0.1

hi i run an fx5 and a 405, if i was you i`d empty all the trays in your 405 and fill them with noodles, bio rings what ever you call them, no need for charcoal, ones it fills up it dumps more badness into the tank than good,all it realy does is pollish the water, keep your sponges in the front and fill the rest with bio,

i have a 6x2x2 and found the 405 wasnt enough,

A 405 is rated for 100g so will only filter 50g in an oscar tank

As said dont bother with the carbon, fill with bio media. Save the carbon for removing meds (if your carbon has been in for more than a few weeks then 'used up' and needs to be thrown away