HI i need to replace the bio balls in my fluval 205 and was just thinking could i use some old gravel i took out of tank when i changed to sand thanks in advance
peter

First of all what makes you think that you need to change your bio balls? If you remove all your bio balls then you are completely removing your biological filter which means you have to start all over again when it comes to cycling your tank. You really shouldn't need to replace them, just give them a rinse out an existing tank water. Don't worry if they don't look sparkling new, within time they will start to look a bit discolored and am dirty, but this is quite normal, they should last you for years. When you do change this type of media, you any change a small portion of the media at the time so that you always have established bacteria to seed the need the new media

As for using gravel in your filter, I don't think this is a very good idea because it will probably destroy the filter if it gets into the workings. You could use media such as alphagrog which resemble small rocks, even then, I have never known anyone actually use them inside a canister filter, they are normally used in sumps

Thanks this is a spare filter and was going to use it on another tank and i was going to cycle it in main tank but i have lost the bio balls soz the way i worded topic my fault

I think it would be advisable for you to purchase the correct media for your filter. I wouldn't have thought stuff like gravel has really got the surface area for effective biological growth, you want something a little bigger diameter than gravel.

i had one project before for a lanai having 15 feet x 2 feet x 18 inches concret
pond....using a centrifugal pump and a plastic drum full of crushed gravel as
filter works perfectly well. the house help will just wash the fiber pre-filter
on top. the plastic drum was around 200 liters capacity placed at one end while
pump is at the other far end.

I use lava rock in the first stage of my canister. Just buy the lava rock for grills and break up large pieces so that they are all the size of a quarter.. Just wash it good first.

the idea behind bio media is to have the most surface area possible. this is why products likes bio max from fluval and the eheim equivalent is produced. if you lack the funds to purchase proper bio media for your filter a cheap and effective substitute are plastic pot scrubbies you get from the buck store. these have a very large surface area for bacteria to colonize and are quite inexpensive to purchase. just cram as many as you can into you spare filter and set itup on your existing tank and in 6 weeks you will have a seeded filter ready to be put on another tank.



note: be sure to get scrubbies with no soap or additive on them as this is not good for filter applications.

HI
thanks for all the advice cash is no probs just thought i can use some of the stuff ive got laying about phoned lfs thay have some £8.99 a box and thay say i will 3-4 boxes may be cheaper to get a new filter never mind thanks anyway
peter

Good idea, get the good stuff and run both filter for 6 to 8 weeks and then remove one filter and put in on the other tank, bingo one cycled tank

albino peter wrote:

i didn't notice this post....thus i answer the subject title. should it had been label
'any alternative media", i would have had answer the same way as cris did...why would
i use gravel instead of scrubbers....gravel is too heavy to carry

dont change your media and if u did you would want something with more surface area