Equipment Review and Discussion :: FX5 Media set up

[pickerbp22]

as im shopping for media. there is so many different kinds to choose from. can anyone suggest media setups for my fx5. which media you suggest for which basket etc.. thanks!

[BullDog]

Mine:

Top: fluval prefilter (not recommended) + coarse filter pads
Middle: Carbon + bioballs + a bit of biomax
Bottom: biomax

[TheComputerGremlin]

I have a Rena XP3, so my order is a little different, but I have:

Top: Rena prefilter thingy/BioChem Zorb/BioStars/Fluval ceramic rings
Middle: Rena coarse black filter pads
Bottom: Fluval ceramic rings

You'll get different opinions from everyone on the board, so the key is knowing what your tank needs. My tank, for instance, benefits from the BioChem Zorb and keeps the smell at bay. Other people don't use any carbon without ill effect. Also, I still use the white prefilter pad, but a lot of people have problems with it clogging up their system.

I think you can freely swap out a lot of the components of the Rena and Fluval, like the ceramic rings or the BioStars, don't know about the Haagen filters though.

[imderanged]

I have biological filtration in the top (biomax or what ever)
Carbon in the middle
And another layer of biological filtration on the bottom

[Chrisbarnett]

Just make sure you get a good biomedia with lots of surface area. fluval biomax, eheim ehfisubstrat, ehfisubstrat pro, bio bale( a great and cheap media!) etc all will do a great job.

[pickerbp22]

can i use the fluval foam blocks for the top media basket? they sent me a 6 pack of them. i know it goes around the media baskets... but what if i like cut it up and put it in the top media basket covering the whole bottom. would that be good? or should i have biomax on the bottom and just take the water polishing pad and put that on the top. cuz i have biomax and a water polishing pad on the bottom basket...

[BullDog]

If you cut them up, then put them in the basket, that's really just making things hard for yourself. The idea is to have many different sizes of filtration. The water first goes through the 6 foam blocks that are around the basket, then goes through the baskets top to bottom. I would leave the polishing pad in the bottom, since the cleanest water will got through that, and then you can put lots of biomax in the other baskets, or a different sized filter pad, or whatever works for you. I find it's best to experiment a bit and find what works for your tank.

[imderanged]

LOL maybe THATS why my polishing pad got dirty so fast...I had it on the top, not the bottom!!

[BullDog]

Lol, yeah. The FX5 is backwards (or upside-down?) to the other fluval canister filters. I've put mine in backwards once, but remembered before too long

[pickerbp22]

wait im so confused so for the fx5 when they say put in the top media basket it means bottom?

[BullDog]

Lol, just follow what it says in the manual. That's easiest.

Here's the best I can explain it:
First, the water goes from the tank to the BOTTOM of the canister. Then it is pumped up around the outside of the baskets through the foam. Then, it goes through the media in the top basket, then middle basket, and finally the bottom basket, and from the bottom basket the water gets pumped back into the tank.

[pickerbp22]

ok that works thank you

[pickerbp22]

what are pros/cons of prefilter. a lot of people tell me its good alot of people tell me its bad. whats the deal?

[BullDog]

The fluval prefilter is supposed to take out the big chunks of stuff that get missed by the foam. But the problem is that the holes are too big for anything to get trapped. Everything just goes right through the prefilter and gunks up your next layer of media.

I've got it in mine because I bought it thinking it would work, but it doesn't really. I just left it in, because it can provide a bit of extra space for bacteria to grow, but it's not even great for that

[pickerbp22]

hm ... i got prefilter top, zeocarb middle, biomax/water polishing pad bottom, what do you suggest bulldog?