Equipment Review and Discussion :: how dumb

[KatieSmeltzer]

i finally got my rena xp3 filter today. it comes with one bio-chem zorb bag, about 12 "stars," micro-filtration, and 4 sponges. as i read the set-up directions, it shows a picture of what to put in the filter. it suggests micro-filtration and 4 bio-chem bags in the top basket, 2 bio-chem bags and 35 "stars" in the middle basket, and the 4 sponges in the bottom basket.

now, my issue is... if you're supposed to have that much media in it, WHY DIDN'T THE FILTER COME WITH ALL OF THE REQUIRED MEDIA???!!!

my question is, does it matter what brand of media i buy? does it have to all be the api bio-chem zorb and rena stars? it's freakin' expensive!

[steve]

It shouldn't matter what kind/brand you get, except for the mechanical media (sponges). Well, you can probably use another brand but will have to cut it to fit. It didn't come with all the media because there are a lot of choices and serious aquarium keepers have their own preferences. Oh, and they make more money that way

[VeipaCray]

This is interesting. I've been working on a canister filter comparison. I know the FX5 takes about $60-80 worth of media to fill it up. I just assumed the XP3/4 came with enough media. I need to go re-caculate the filter costs now.

For your media, use the sponges that came with the filter... there should be enough of those there. Use a cheap media filter bag with activated carbon or Purigen (the purigen is renewable and reusable, the carbon is a monthly throw away) and fill the rest of the filter up with bio media. You can get more stars, you can get fluval rings, you can get eheim substrat pro, the marineland (not my favorite company recently) rings, the azoo rings or generic. Bio media is expensive, but it's really a one time purchase. it never really goes bad...just needs to be rinsed monthly.

[KatieSmeltzer]

i've been shopping around and it seems like it's going to cost me another $40-50 to fill up the baskets. ugh. lol, i guess nobody said that owning a turtle was cheap!!

[VeipaCray]

Let me see if I can help any...

Here's the least expensive yet workable bio media that I know of... $7 for 1L (get 2):
http://www.aquatraders.com/Odyssea-Super-Porus-Bio-Glass-p/46013.htm

Here's a really good price on Purigen. Get the pre-bagged Purigen for $7. It takes the place of carbon and you can regenerate and re-use it over and over.
http://www.amazon.com/Seachem-Purigen-100-Milliliter/dp/B001EUE65A


You'll need the smallest bottle of Seachem Prime to regenerate the purigen. The small bottle should last you a few years. It's about $5 at your local Petsmart or Petco.

Summary
-----------
2 containers of bio media - $14
1 bag of purigen $8
1 bottle of Prime $5
TOTAL = $27 plus shipping. This is using all renewable media. The only thing you'll really need to replace is the $5 bottle of Prime when it runs out. You'll use about 2 tablespoons each month, so the $5 bottle will last you a few years.

If you go the activated carbon route, it costs about $10 each month as the media is disposable.

To setup your filter... use the foam that came with. Next in the water path put the bag of purigen and the Rena stars that came with your filter in one basket. Put one container of the $7 bio media in each of the two remaining baskets. Done.

[VeipaCray]

I forgot to mention you'll also need some household bleach to regenerate the purigen. I didn't count that because odds are you already have some. If not a gallon of generic bleach is $1.50 anywhere, grocery store, hardware store, walmart.

[KatieSmeltzer]

i think i'm just confused because the user guide that came with my rena xp3 suggests the following: fill the bottom basket with the foam (2 pads of 20 ppi, and 2 pads of 30 ppi), the second basket should have 35 pieces of the bio-chem stars and 2 types of chemical filtration, and the top basket should have four types of chemical filtration and the micro-filtration pad. or you can use the bio-chem stars (or other ceramic rings) in place of all the chemical media. i guess it comes down to: how much chemical media do i really need? do i need the 6 pouches of chemical media that the user guide is suggesting?

[VeipaCray]

no. the guide is giving you a setup for fish that makes you buy a lot of media.

for you bottom basket foam. middle basket stars + purigen. top basket bio rings.

You may only need to buy one container of bio rings. I forgot how the xp3 filter is setup... I thought the foam was on the side and you had all three baskets for media.

The ONLY chemical filtration you need is the single reusable pouch of purigen i suggested above.

[Jaysea]

I only had to buy one pouch of stars to add more bio to mine. I also use the 4 sponges in the bottom rack, the bio stars in the middle rack and 1 pack of bio-chem zorb and a finishing pad in the top rack. Most people i know run theirs this way, i've never had any issues with my tank or water with mine set up this way. The amount you posted in the first post is simply overkill, and must be something new they are suggesting because i don't remember reading that in my instructions.