Tweaking AC 500 Filter Media

[RD.]

Here's how my AC 500's are set up. I use one large sponge, three thin blue/white filter pads (sandwiched together) made by Marineland, topped off with an AC media bag full of Bio-Max rings.

I get superb mechanical filtration out of the large sponge, the

blue/white filter media helps catch the finer material, and the Bio-Max

rings give me top notch biological filtration. The only media that has

to be changed every 12-24 months is some of the Bio-Max rings (if/when

they get clogged), the other filter material simply gets rinsed once a

month in clean treated tap water.

My water is always crystal clear & with weekly water changes my nitrates

have never exceeded 10 PPM. Not that I would recommend doing this on a heavily stocked tank, but I've cleaned all of the filter media in both filters, on the same day, and never had any sign of ammonia or nitrites.

The bio-max rings alone hold enough bacteria to handle the bio load in my tank.

[freshmike]

That is quite the idea! Thanks for sharing, I am going to have to try that too. :P

[Toirtis]

Pretty much identical to how most of my ACs are set up....works a treat.

[Smokey]

Excellant method, RD.

The A/C style filters are very versitile and have the room for plenty of filtering media.

After all, you can never ""over-filter"" a tank.

[Smokey]

I thought I bump this articel by RD, up.

An excellant method.

Smokey

[Garhan]

I do the same also except I use 300 and 200. Sometimes I replace the Bio-Max with a nylon stocking stuffed with Amrid. Same cleaning schedule 3-4 weeks on filters. Another good polisher is the fine synthetic sand paper sheets. i was looking at the Blue/White filter media at Rona for 3 sheets at 7.99. Is this a good deal?

Cheers,

Garhan :ml:

[Vallisneria]

Sometimes I replace the Bio-Max with a nylon stocking stuffed with Amrid

Why do you replace teh bio rings with the amrid?