Re: Fluval 303

[john wheeler <jcwheel76 at yahoo_com>]

Hey gang,

Travis Kinney asked about what to stuff in his
compartment.....Canister filter compartment, that is.

Travis, I think you'll find that your maintenance will
greatly decrease if you reverse your order. If there
are 4 compartments, then the first 2 should be packed
with your foam to catch the big stuff.

Then packed floss to catch the smallest stuff before
the debris is able to reach, and therefore foul up,
your "bio-media".

We just had a lengthy discussion on "bio-media" so I
won't get into that, but you may be happier if you
sacrifice the Fluval ceramic stuff for another layer
of floss or foam.....Give the noodles to your friend
with a reef.


>>I just got a Fluval 303. The lowest stack has
ceramic biomedia in it. The top one will have two
layers of sponge. Anyone out there with a planted 
tank have suggestions for what I should put in the
center tray? My tank is 29-gallons, mostly planted
with a few fish. I'm trying to get the tank back
in shape but, would like to have the Fluval set-up
right and ready to go.

I've heard that I can layer multiple things in the
Fluval canister. Maybe some aquarium gravel, peat (my
water tends to be too alkaline) some sand and
more aquarium gravel? I don't know, what are others
thinking I should use?<<

I've tried gravel in the filter. It does the same job
as the Open Celled Foam, but not nearly as easy to
clean up. The one thing I'd like to try but haven't is
to see if something like Flourite would be usefull in
a canister....Much more surface area then quartz
gravel.  

Don't bother with the peat in the filter, but feel
free to stick a handfull in your substrate if you
think that'll help with buffering your water. Use CO2
to control your pH, of course.

I think you'll find that for our purposes a simple
filtration regime will give the best results. Heavy on
the mechanical end, and somewhat lighter on the "bio"
end. 


John Wheeler

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