Fluval 13.5 Saltwater To Freshwater

HI everyone! Kinda simple question. I have a Fluval 13.5 that I am converting to planted freshwater. So the only snag I have is that the tank has a three chamber overflow built in.

•1st chamber is (what should be a protein skimmer) filled with filter fiber,

•2nd chamber is a coarse sponge (see pic) with two slots cut into it for a small bag of media and a small carbon bag,

•3rd chamber is return pump and heater.

So I have done my fair share of freshwater (75g discus, 55 gallon tropical, 40 gallon breeder planted, all taken down, has been less than 1.5years ish) and now this saltwater. My problem is that I know that freshwater needs A LOT more media than saltwater due to them not having live sand/rock.

In what way would you guys orient the three chambers at this point? 1st filter floss, 2nd mostly ceramic rings with coarse sponge place where I can, and 3rd keep the same?

Seems logical to me but i’m still unsure.

Thank you everyone! Looking forward to reading y’all responses.

 

in the first chamber i'd change it up a bit....Get a coarse, medium and fine sponge with the filter floss underneath it and then i'd full the entire second chamber with bio-media. IMO bio-max media for aquaclears are awesome. The last chamber i'd leave with the return pump. You are pretty much set with my suggestions

Link for sponges I buy-https://

Media-https://
2 packs of that should be more than enough to handle any stocking for your size tank

 

I run my fluval spec 2.6 with just the stock sponge and two of the biomax packets. The tank is planted and I have no problems with filtration. That being said, adding another sponge wouldn't hurt. I would personally cram it with filter floss underneath the sponge in the second chamber

 

Hi, thanks for the response I think this would be the best option although there is a snag with the sponges and filter floss in the first chamber. See when they designed this tank, i’m not sure what they were thinking but there are slits in the plastic divider all the way from top to bottom. So this causes a problem, when the water overflows into the back (1st chamber) it can so easily just hit the top layer of sponge, flow out the first 3 slits into the second chamber, and not flow all the way down through all sponges.

I will probably use your suggestion on what to do since I love the biomax that I put in my AquaClear110, i’ll go buy more and stuff all of that in the second chamber.

To fix the situation with water not passing all the way down I will most likely find a way to block all the slits besides the bottom lot, that way the water will flow all the way down? Make sense to y’all? lol

Thank you so much, i’ll add some pics of the slits to show more what i’m talking about. Excuse my crude illustration!

in the first chamber i'd change it up a bit....Get a coarse, medium and fine sponge with the filter floss underneath it and then i'd full the entire second chamber with bio-media. IMO bio-max media for aquaclears are awesome. The last chamber i'd leave with the return pump. You are pretty much set with my suggestions

Link for sponges I buy-https://

Media-https://
2 packs of that should be more than enough to handle any stocking for your size tank

^^^^^^^

 

You can always silicone a piece of glass onto those slits

 

that’s what I was thinking too, shiv, might go to home depot and pick me up a piece.

 

But why don't you put the sponge in the first chamber

 

And the media in the second