Help with filter media

I am about to try chemI pure blue and it say I should change it every 4-6 months, But I have been told that I don't have to, that I can clean it with the water I take out of my tank when I do water changes but I clean my filter maybe every 4 months. Would it be best just to buy new to replace it after 4-6 months?

Also I'll be stocking my 55 gallon tank with 15 cichlids, I just need to decide on rocks to get even though I wanted real rock I might settle with the Cichlid Stone on amazon because they are lighter. I guess I should also mention I have new had cichlids before so any advice would be helpful.

 

With cichlids you want to over filter as much as possible on my 65g I have a internal filter that does 1000l/h and then my external that does 2000l/h.
So you might need to get yourself another filter they are very messy fish (eating wise) and poop a lot lol.
Also get ready for big water changes, I do a 50% water change every week but I know that do that twice a week just to keep the water pristine.

As for rocks etc anything will really do as long as it's aquarium safe a lot of people go with limestone and such likes to help buffer the ph (my tap water is already has a ph of 8.2 so I don't need this, but I have some crushed Corel in my external filter just to help) . I personally use lava rocks cause I like how they look and made caves all over the place for them to hide in etc. But it's up to you what sort of rocks you use just make sure you make lots of hiding spots for then

But cichlids are awesome but can be daunting to begin with, I'm not sure if you will get away with 15 of them in your 55 gallon though with only one filter.

Are you planning a all male tank? Or male/female if your going the male and female route make sure to get your ratios down so that you don't have stressed out females.

Hope that helps I'm new to the cichlid world myself (been keeping them just over a month so learning myself) LeoDiaz is one of the best people on here regarding cichlids so he might be able to give some more input.

 

i've actually found these rocks called Holey rocks that looks great and are light weight going to be buying that. I already bought another filter. I have a fluval 306 already and I bought a sunsun Hw302 264GPH. I was planning on making it all male.

EDIT: what about ur filter media?

 

In my internal (fluval u4) it's just ceramic rings, sponges and carbon.

In my Sunsun HW304a I've got sponge, ceramic bio rings. Ceramic rings, crushed coral and biohome ultimate pellets.

Yea I've seen those stones before they look pretty good

 

in my filters i'm going to be using cemipure blue and elite, purigen, Phosphate Reducing Media Pad, and lava rock.

 

Why lava rock?

 

cheaper seen a video on youtube saying how it's good for beneficial bacteria

 

cheaper seen a video on youtube saying how it's good for beneficial bacteria

Ah okey

 

Do u clean your filter with the water u take out of your take when u do a water change?
Do you replace any of it or keep it?

 

Do u clean your filter with the water u take out of your take when u do a water change?
Do you replace any of it or keep it?

Ive only had my canister running a couple of weeks so I haven't cleaned that at all, but my internal filter I just rinse the media in tank water yes.

 

I like natural rockwork you don't really need to care how much the rocks weigh because a fish tank can handle a lot I mean a lot of weight. You never mentioned what kind of cichlids you had? And in my filter all I use is filter foam and biological media nothing else.

 

Hi! I need help with a DIY filter media that I can put in my submerged filter. It is a tetra whisper filter. The reason I am asking this is because the "bio-bags" it comes with rip pretty easily and also have carbon in it, which I wish to get away from. Also, I thought I'd like to try it. I had put a new bag in a month (?) ago (kept cycled bag in too) and just took them out to rinse them in tank water to find that the new one had a huge rip. The old one has a small year I already knew about.
The DIY media will be used with the blue thing in the pictures below.

I will use a cycled bag in conjunction with the new media until it is cycled.

 

That rough thing is for beneficial bacteria, I think. You can use a combination of coarse sponge and floss in the pocket. Just cut to fit and adjust as necessary to suit your preferred output flow rate.

 

That rough thing is for beneficial bacteria, I think. You can use a combination of coarse sponge and floss in the pocket. Just cut to fit and adjust as necessary to suit your preferred output flow rate.

I believe it is for beneficial bacteria but I'm not sure.
What do you mean by floss?

 

Polyfill, like quilt batting. You can buy it at the pet store or go to a craft store and get enough to last you for ages for the same price.

 

I have a big bag of polyester fiberfill, is that good?
For the sponge, are there any to stay away from/any you would recommend?

 

That's the stuff. Honestly? I buy which ever sponge is on the cheap. I cut down big sponges for small filters, and so on. I do stick to ones bought at the lfs, just because hardware store or other big box sourced sponges can be treated with chemicals.

 

I'll have to look for some sponges. Could I just stick in some fiberfill in with the rough thing and a cycled bag until I get a sponge?

 

Sure. Absolutely.

 

Thank you!

 

You're very welcome!

 

My brother has this "air filter" he said he'd sell me cheap. It's supposed to remove fumes. Would this help with filtration/be safe?

 

Filter floss is just a way to polish the water of impurities.

You could try buying a sponge like aquaclear which sells cheap. I think you could use pot scrubs.

 

My brother has this "air filter" he said he'd sell me cheap. It's supposed to remove fumes. Would this help with filtration/be safe? View attachment 339052View attachment 339053View attachment 339054

That looks like it would strain some things out of the water column, but ... IDK. I seems like the last roll of media I bought at the lfs cost between 5 and 8 dollars, and it was meant to be used in canister filters (I used it in HOBs. Don't tell on me.)

It's probably fine, but do you want to risk your fish on an unknown?

 

That looks like it would strain some things out of the water column, but ... IDK. I seems like the last roll of media I bought at the lfs cost between 5 and 8 dollars, and it was meant to be used in canister filters (I used it in HOBs. Don't tell on me.)

It's probably fine, but do you want to risk your fish on an unknown?

No, I was just wondering.

 

When you use air filter mat you really need to be sure it's not treated, air filter could be treated with mold-mildew preventive chemicals.

 

When you use air filter mat you really need to be sure it's not treated, air filter could be treated with mold-mildew preventive chemicals.

That's a very good point.