# alternate eheim filter media ?



## surpera1 (Feb 18, 2009)

i cleaned my filter today - the course sponge is fine for reusing many times - but the fine filter is crap - hahahahahaahah - it survived this cleaning - but i doubt it will take another - soooooo- i am wondering about alternates to use ? i really dont need all that surface area for biological filtration as the tank is heavily planted and established - i just want good mechanical filtration as i have a soil substrate thats only about a month old and not all secured with roots yet - so what do you guys use ? i sure aint gonna buy eheim - too expensive


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## Newt (Apr 1, 2004)

You can get Eheih stuff for good prices at www.thatfishplace.com ; www.drsfostersmith.com and www.bigalsonline.com

You can also buy bulk filter material in large pieces and cut out the shape you need from any of those three places.


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## rich815 (Jun 27, 2007)

I used to buy the "bulk" pads and floss and cut my own until I discovered this guy:

http://cgi.ebay.com/6-sets-of-Filter-Pads-Eheim-2026-2028-2126-2128_W0QQitemZ280320550409

I loaded up and have not looked back. They fit perfectly and I think do a better job than using the bulk self-cut stuff, not really worth the small savings....

That said though, the white filter is for mechincal fine filtration not biological. The biological is the sintered glass balls or chips. Is that what you want alternatives for, or the white filter pads?


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## surpera1 (Feb 18, 2009)

i want to set it up as mechanical filtration only - for a long time i didnt even have a filter on my tank - so for me its just to circulate the co2 and keep the water clear if someone kicks up some mulm - i have a soil substrate - so i am thinking a lot of course filter pads and one fine pad maybe ? all of that biological media would be great for a fish only tank


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## rich815 (Jun 27, 2007)

surpera1 said:


> i want to set it up as mechanical filtration only - for a long time i didnt even have a filter on my tank - so for me its just to circulate the co2 and keep the water clear if someone kicks up some mulm - i have a soil substrate - so i am thinking a lot of course filter pads and one fine pad maybe ? all of that biological media would be great for a fish only tank


Sure, that could work, but if you got the baskets and are using the eheim might as well throw in some kind of biological chips or balls of some sort. Does not have to be expensive Eheim super sintered glass bio cocoa puffs or nothing. There are a lot of cheaper materials. Not sure if all that talk about huge amount of surface area harboring tons of benficial bacteria is a bunch of hooey or not but it seems to make sense. And I'd think having such colonies in the filter would help to better control any small ammonia spikes you might get from time to time. I know when I move some plants with big root systems (crypts, swords, etc.) sometimes so much substrate comes up and with clouds of poop and debris and detritus that having more bacteria to "eat up" the ammonia cannot be a bad thing, eh?


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## surpera1 (Feb 18, 2009)

i think the plants will consume ammonia as a nutrient - but all that biological filtration just isnt needed in planted tanks - at least thats my interpretation of it - but yeah - the eheim is really set up to do some bio filtration


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## brownietrout (Feb 5, 2009)

I was told that you can buy the batting they sell at walmart for making quilts and cut it to fit. It is cheap. I have not tried that yet but a couple of people here have. Hopefully they will put in their 2 cents worth


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## surpera1 (Feb 18, 2009)

i figured out what i am gonna try - upon re-reading the oh so user friendly - hahahahahahaah - eheim manual - it will take 5 stacked coarse pads with one fine pad on the top - so i ordered me some from big als - that should give me really good mechanical filtration and the blue sponge pads are reusable many times - funny how your hobby evolves over time as you tinker with the variables - but i'm about sick of this soil substrate - doubt i will do that again - my next tank will be high tech all the way


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## rich815 (Jun 27, 2007)

For eheim pads this is where I go:

http://cgi.ebay.com/6-sets-of-Filter-Pads-Eheim-2026-2028-2126-2128_W0QQitemZ280320550409


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## catfishbi (Sep 4, 2008)

you can find some cheap media from Ebay. very good price.


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