HELP! what media should i be using?

[Whitey1973]

Hi everyone, ive just brought a second hand RSM 130d, i intend to run a Tunze 9001 skimmer with a media rack, what would be the best things to put in the rack,

 

[mr_tap_water]

some active carbon would probably be your best bet[emoji846]

And welcome to the RS Will be looking forward to seeing your System in the near future.[emoji846]


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[Whitey1973]

Thanks for the welcome.... just carbon? I currently have carbon and ceramic media, but have rack and tunze coming tomorrow, can't handle the noise of the stock skimmer.added dry rock for my aquascape and cycled with ATM Conony will this be ok

 

[Trio91]

I use corse, medium, and fine filter sponges and chemi pure elite in the media rack. In the rear chamber I have a bag of matrix. I never used the stock skimmer as it's shape left me very limited, so I also use the 9001 skimmer

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[Whitey1973]

Thanks for that Trio.... how often do you change your chemi pure?

 

[Trio91]

Honestly, I'm pretty lazy about it....I was doing it monthly at one point but I've been pushing it to about every 2 months. I was using regular chemi pure but I noticed a significant difference in the clarity of the water

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[DaveK]

In a reef system you put in media that you actually need.

Because most systems have a skimmer and live rock, you do not need any biological media at all and you only need mechanical filter media to remove gross particulate matter.

Usually you'll use chemical media of some sort. Carbon is ok, but if you use it, make sure it's well washed first. Purigen is often preferred over carbon because you can regenerate it.

GFO can be used if you have a phosphate problem.

While many people like them, I'm not a fan of the various versions of Chemi Pure because of the price. Also they tend to mix multiple media together. This has some downsides. Your usually much better off just getting the bulk form of the media you need.

As you can see, many times you don't need much in the way of media. Don't fall into the trap of feeling "more is better". Adding more or different media usually will not hurt anything, but it can be expensive.

 

[Whitey1973]

In a reef system you put in media that you actually need.

Because most systems have a skimmer and live rock, you do not need any biological media at all and you only need mechanical filter media to remove gross particulate matter.

Usually you'll use chemical media of some sort. Carbon is ok, but if you use it, make sure it's well washed first. Purigen is often preferred over carbon because you can regenerate it.

GFO can be used if you have a phosphate problem.

While many people like them, I'm not a fan of the various versions of Chemi Pure because of the price. Also they tend to mix multiple media together. This has some downsides. Your usually much better off just getting the bulk form of the media you need.

As you can see, many times you don't need much in the way of media. Don't fall into the trap of feeling "more is better". Adding more or different media usually will not hurt anything, but it can be expensive.

T

In a reef system you put in media that you actually need.

Because most systems have a skimmer and live rock, you do not need any biological media at all and you only need mechanical filter media to remove gross particulate matter.

Usually you'll use chemical media of some sort. Carbon is ok, but if you use it, make sure it's well washed first. Purigen is often preferred over carbon because you can regenerate it.

GFO can be used if you have a phosphate problem.

While many people like them, I'm not a fan of the various versions of Chemi Pure because of the price. Also they tend to mix multiple media together. This has some downsides. Your usually much better off just getting the bulk form of the media you need.

As you can see, many times you don't need much in the way of media. Don't fall into the trap of feeling "more is better". Adding more or different media usually will not hurt anything, but it can be expensive.

t

In a reef system you put in media that you actually need.

Because most systems have a skimmer and live rock, you do not need any biological media at all and you only need mechanical filter media to remove gross particulate matter.

Usually you'll use chemical media of some sort. Carbon is ok, but if you use it, make sure it's well washed first. Purigen is often preferred over carbon because you can regenerate it.

GFO can be used if you have a phosphate problem.

While many people like them, I'm not a fan of the various versions of Chemi Pure because of the price. Also they tend to mix multiple media together. This has some downsides. Your usually much better off just getting the bulk form of the media you need.

As you can see, many times you don't need much in the way of media. Don't fall into the trap of feeling "more is better". Adding more or different media usually will not hurt anything, but it can be expensive.

Thank you for that, it's been 20 years the last time I kept marines, it's moved on a long way Got the bug back

 

[mr_tap_water]

Hi there
Although you've been given sound advice by DaveK that is just one version of doing things, as there are lMO many other successful ways as there are many of us out there that also use biological media alongside live rock to get the best of both worlds where if you only have Live rock over time it areas can become clogged and become not as efficient Plus they do need a good amount of flow for the rock to work at its best ,this is where the bio media comes into its own,

Purigen V Active carbon both very good products Purigen meant to help towards water clarity/No3 remover recharging it IMO can be a risky procedure knowing that you have to bleach it if not done properly and put back in your tank could cause all sorts of problems, as with active carbon you just replace it every so many weeks also which helps with water clarity/and impurities.


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[Trio91]

I originally was using purigen, but then added an algae scrubber and just ditched it completely

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[Whitey1973]

Hi there
Although you've been given sound advice by DaveK that is just one version of doing things, as there are lMO many other successful ways as there are many of us out there that also use biological media alongside live rock to get the best of both worlds where if you only have Live rock over time it areas can become clogged and become not as efficient Plus they do need a good amount of flow for the rock to work at its best ,this is where the bio media comes into its own,

Purigen V Active carbon both very good products Purigen meant to help towards water clarity/No3 remover recharging it IMO can be a risky procedure knowing that you have to bleach it if not done properly and put back in your tank could cause all sorts of problems, as with active carbon you just replace it every so many weeks also which helps with water clarity/and impurities.


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I've been looking at purigen and I think I fancy trying it... but totally agree with you on not regening it myself, im not experienced enough and don't fancy taking the chance, thanks for the advice

 

[nanoreefing4fun]

to ReefSanctuary, a real Sanctuary of reef forums, with lots of very nice members

Start a tank thread & share your tank with us so we can follow along, we love pics

 

[DaveK]

Hi there
Although you've been given sound advice by DaveK that is just one version of doing things, as there are lMO many other successful ways as there are many of us out there that also use biological media alongside live rock to get the best of both worlds where if you only have Live rock over time it areas can become clogged and become not as efficient Plus they do need a good amount of flow for the rock to work at its best ,this is where the bio media comes into its own,

Purigen V Active carbon both very good products Purigen meant to help towards water clarity/No3 remover recharging it IMO can be a risky procedure knowing that you have to bleach it if not done properly and put back in your tank could cause all sorts of problems, as with active carbon you just replace it every so many weeks also which helps with water clarity/and impurities.


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Yes, there are people that use bio media. There are also a lot of people that remove it, especially from all in one systems. Part of this is because it tends to become a dirt trap. Part of this is because it can become a big oxygen consumer. If your lucky to have an ORP probe on a controller, you'll often see a rise in redox when you remove the bio media. I saw this first hand, when I removed the bio balls from my trickle filter. I would only recommend bio media if for some reason you can not have enough live rock in the tank. BTW, no cheating and skimping on live rock just because you are using bio media.

It is possible for live rock to have dead spots where there is not enough flow. This is often caused by the rock being piled up in a heap that is just too packed. You can solve this by creating internal structures to support the rock and by making sure you have enough circulation in the tank. It does take some more time to do this. One way I support live rock is to use short lengths of PVC pipe to raise the rock off the sandbed.

I fail to see how using bleach to recharge Purigen is any sort of a risky procedure. Follow the manufacturers suggestions and if you want to be extra careful, add some Prime to the last batch of FW you soak it in. Bleach is actually very safe to use as long as you soak what ever your using it on in 2 to 3 changes of FW after the bleach. I used it for years to clean filter cartridges and never had a problem. Many others use it to clean filter socks. A simple rule is that if you can smell bleach on the item, you need an additional FW soak will keep you out of trouble.

 

[DaveK]

I've been looking at purigen and I think I fancy trying it... but totally agree with you on not regening it myself, im not experienced enough and don't fancy taking the chance, thanks for the advice

Recharging Purigen is actually very easy. Don't toss a fairly expensive media because you scared of the recharging. Even FW aquarium people can do it (grin, just teasing).

 

[mr_tap_water]

Yes, there are people that use bio media. There are also a lot of people that remove it, especially from all in one systems. Part of this is because it tends to become a dirt trap. Part of this is because it can become a big oxygen consumer. If your lucky to have an ORP probe on a controller, you'll often see a rise in redox when you remove the bio media. I saw this first hand, when I removed the bio balls from my trickle filter. I would only recommend bio media if for some reason you can not have enough live rock in the tank. BTW, no cheating and skimping on live rock just because you are using bio media.

It is possible for live rock to have dead spots where there is not enough flow. This is often caused by the rock being piled up in a heap that is just too packed. You can solve this by creating internal structures to support the rock and by making sure you have enough circulation in the tank. It does take some more time to do this. One way I support live rock is to use short lengths of PVC pipe to raise the rock off the sandbed.

I fail to see how using bleach to recharge Purigen is any sort of a risky procedure. Follow the manufacturers suggestions and if you want to be extra careful, add some Prime to the last batch of FW you soak it in. Bleach is actually very safe to use as long as you soak what ever your using it on in 2 to 3 changes of FW after the bleach. I used it for years to clean filter cartridges and never had a problem. Many others use it to clean filter socks. A simple rule is that if you can smell bleach on the item, you need an additional FW soak will keep you out of trouble.

There are a number of ways running a successful tank yours and mine are only just two of them none are better than the other in IMO are you believe you only need live rock and I believe that depends on what you have in your tank having too much rock in your tank can cause problems Dead spots and waste and less space for your fish to swim around so are using a bio media alongside live rock can eliminate all this again this is just my opinion based on my own experience and I'm not saying your way is wrong I'm just trying to say there are many other ways to skin a cat, as for the purigen you have experience in cleaning this product which I agree is a good product that can come with risk if you try recharging especially those that are new to the product again just my opinion.[emoji846]


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