Hi

I am getting a fluval fx5 for my new 200 gallon tank and planning on using pure bio media (no carbon no resin). What are the best biomedia? Seachem matrix? regular bioball? regular bio nood?
Value for money wise, I was thinking of putting bioballs in all of fx5 trays...

Which of those bio media can make cycling faster.

Your thought is appreciated. Thanks.

the choice of bio media is kinda like whats the best car. you will get a lot of different opinions on this. personally i use fluval biomax in all my canisters and hobs and in my sump i use plastic scrubbies you get from the dollar store.
there is a possibility that eheim bio media might beat out the biomax in surface area but im not 100% sure on this.
as for the best bang for your buck the winner hands down are the plastic pot scrubbbies. the have a large surface area and are quite inexpensive.

why not any mechanical filtration? I'm not an expert here, but I would think your bio filter would work more effectively if you also employed some mechanical filtration in addition to the biological. I'd be interested in other's opinions on this.

one item to consider is how often does the media have to be replaced. For example, if cared for properly, the Eheim media (Ehfisubstrat Pro) will last for years; while Fluval Biomax claims it has to be replaced every 6 months (depending on bioload). It doesn't necessarily mean one is better than the other - just another thing to take into account while looking at the cost.

MeghanR wrote:



an fx5 come with the mechanical filtration in form of sponge that surrounds the bio chambers. so i beleive the question is what the bettrer bio is.

as for changing fluval bio max every six months i have had mine in my filters for going on 5 years now and they are still are fine for use.

i would prefer to put a polishing pad at the last stage so that water
will be crystal clear. suspended particles must be collected and that
is the role of fiber or polishing filter.

Hello MeghanR, yes as necromancer4 said...fx5 comes with sponges that surrounds the chamber. Pretty cool huh? It will pick up some larger waste more efficiently.

Polishing pad and home dish scrubber is definitely a good idea. However I have read about a material of some fibre that is superior for this kind of application but I forgot what's it called. Maybe someone can tell me...

Ah yeah eheim biomedia... I heard it is really superior quality but it is also expensive.

Has anyone ever used bioballs? What is your experience about this? I heard bioballs only work better in open aquaculture industry. (that is, for a pond, and you need literally hundreds of them or even thousands to make them effective... doh..)

And oh...
I've read in other forum. There;s a guy who's using pot scrubber (enitirely) in his filter. And it works well...your thought about this please?

necromancer4 wrote:


ah ha - thanks for clarifying - I didn't realize it already came with the mechanical filter:) and on the replacement frequency recommendation by the manufacturer/retailers......I'm now suspect of this - it's probably a ploy to get you to buy more frequently than you need!

Yeah many manufacturers will tell you to replace media every X number of months...I agree that it is just to get you to buy more from them. Most media will last a long time. Like Cris said above he has had the Fluval stuff for years now with no problems.

I personally have never used bioballs so I can't comment on how well they work but I know many members here do use them so just wait and i'm sure you'll get a good response from them.

I too have some over 5yrs still in use. if you change every 6 months send the old stuff to me ))))

Plastic scrubbies for me also.

Bac-balls & alphagrog in my filter. I think people really need to try and get an understanding of how your filter works and exactly why it is there. Changing your mechanical filtration is one thing, changing all your biological filtration in one go will instantly turn your tank from a living environment into an aquarium full of toxic soup. Most biological filtration will last for years. By all means clean it very carefully, but do not change it because all you are doing is removing the heart of your aquarium.

are the pot-scubber "scrunchy" things considered mech or bio?

I almost made a mistake, worth sharing - it's important to read your filter manual and understand what order to place the media in.... and understand if your filter passes water from top to bottom or bottom to top.