What To Put In New Media Basket

[BigEZ77]

I'm about to purchase a new InTank media basket and I'm hoping for some recommendations on what to place in it. I'm currently running two reactors, one with GAC and one with Rowaphos. Would like to find an alternative for the Rowaphos reactor since it doesn't tumble low enough for media IMO and I don't really want to buy another reactor.

There's so many products that it all seems a little daunting. I was thinking Polyfilter on the top, and have read about Purigen, Matrix, Chemipure, Chaeto with a small light, etc.

Any recommendations for mechanical filtration products to tie into my GAC and possibly allow removing the Rowaphos would be greatly appreciated.

Other than a long running diatom bloom, my water params seem to be fine. So I'm hoping media in the basket with be more long term preventative measures as opposed to reactive.

Thanks,

 

[homer1475]

Why not run GFO instead of rowaphos(basically the same thing and GFO is way cheaper in bulk)? I've seen a few threads now about that product and how it either doesn't tumble properly, or its so fine it comes out of the reactor.

Save yourself some dough skip the poly filter and go to walmart or any craft store and pickup a big bag of poly fill(pillow stuffing). It's loads cheaper and with the 3 or 4 weekly changes you'll need to do, it will save you a ton in the long run. In the year and a half my biocube was running, I used one big bag of the stuff and still have some left.

As to what to run in the media basket, I ran filter floss, purigen, and seachem matrix media. Only reason for the matrix media was to seed an on needed basis QT. I used to run a bag of carbon in the bottom before I got a reactor.

 

[BigEZ77]

Thanks, all great suggestions. Ever use Chemipure?

 

[homer1475]

Never used chemipure.

From my reading and understanding, chemipure is an ion exchange resin(same thing as purigen), and GAC mixed together. Your already running carbon in a reactor, so you don't need to use it twice. IMO

And I believe(don't quote me on it) chemipure blue is GAC, their ion exchange resin, and GFO mixed.

 

[BigEZ77]

10-4, thx