Canister Filter Media?

Hello.
I'm currently running a Penn Plax Cascade 1000 filter for a 75 gallon freshwater tank with 19 smaller sized cichlids. So far the filter has worked great and my water is crystal clear.

The filter has 4 trays with the follow media.
-Tray 1 (Bottom) - Carbon in a bag placed on a floss pad
-Tray 2 - Floss
-Tray 3 - Floss
-Tray 4 (Top) - Floss on Biosponge.

I'm looking for the best filtration possible.

Can you please provide me ideas/advice to get the best possible water clarity? I hear of ceramic rings but not sure where or how to place them.

Thank!

 

The 'best' combination is always going to depend on you.

Worried about particles floating around in the water? Get them fine pore sponges, filter flosses, and polishing pads. Mechanical filtration will do you proud.
Worried about excess medicines, colour-stained water, and odours? Carbon's your medum. Too many nitrates? There are media for that too. Chemical filtration is what you want.
Worried about your bioload? Need lots of surface arta? Sponges, ceramics, lava rocks... These are your biological powerhouses.

You've got four trays - you can tackle all three of these matters, with emphasis on the one most important to you with that fourth tray.

For example, the best combination for me is 1 tray of sponges, followed by three trays of ceramic rings, because to me I want the absolute maximum amount of biological filtration possible where I have absolutely no care for chemical filtration, and very little care for mechanical filtration.

As for the order of the trays, it's best to put the most porous materials first, and the least porous last. A large-pored sponge is going to collect the largest particulates, letting the smaller ones through to be collected in the smaller pored sponges... whereas if the smaller pores are put first, they're just going to get clogged up by all of the particles that try to pass and reduce your efficiency / increase filter media cleanings.

 

Carbon should be on top.
Top Tray 1 carbon/amonia absorber polish pad (for clarity)

Tray 2 bio media--sponge ceramic disc, barrels. Wide variety available, including plastic media.

Tray 3 bio or floss

Bottom Tray 4 coarse floss

Picture from web

 

Thanks for the tips and advice. I didn't think the filter was setup right but I followed the instructions that said to put the carbon in the bottom tray. I'll pick up ceramic and adjust how I set up the filter. I've had very good quality water so far. Setting it up this way will make it even better.

My other question is, when I get the new media, how do I go about adding it to the filter without "removing or killing" off all of the beneficial bacteria in it? Would I need to keep some of the older floss in there?

 

That's the beauty of having multiple trays - there will be bacterial growth in all four of them. This way, if you swap out the media in only one tray, you still have 3 trays worth of beneficial bacteria that will then multiply and immediately start colonizing the new stuff. You may experience a tiny little cycle bump, but everything will be back in order within a week or two. Just, never swap out all four trays at once.

At most, I might swap out two stages. And once you have a section of bio rings or lava rock, that tray should never have to be replaced, and it will be your biological powerhouse. Even sponge layers will take forever to degrade to the point of needing a replacement. My sponges are at least 3 years old, now... Maybe 4.

 

Great info. Thanks!