Canister filter help

[jroescher]

I won the Odyssea CFS4 canister filter at the las MAAST meeting. Thanks go to The Hobby Palace for thier support.

Unfortunately I've never used one before and this one didn't come with any documentation. I don't have a clue.

There are two types of filter media that I don't know what are. One is pellets, about an inch in size with hole in the middle, like a spool, and the other is small pellets about 1/8 in size that are white and off-white. They are in nylon bags that are sewn shut.

Are these bio-balls that I've always heard about? If not what are they, are they reusable, how do I know when they're used up or need to be cleaned, How do you clean them?

Also, can the coarse filter pads be reused? Seems like I remember reading that I can. How do you clean them?

[jroescher]

I've found that they are Biological Filter media. The smaller ones are sintered glass. I've read that they can be rinsed in warm water and reused. These are in bags that are sewn shut though.

What if I just want to use the filter occassionally? How does this affect the bacteria colony that forms on the media. Surely it dies off, but wouln't it rot?

With a DSB, skimmer and refugium, I'm guessing I don't want to use them at all. Nothing says that I have to use all the filtering media. Just the carbon and fine filter pads when needed. Right?

[GaryP]

You can replace the filter media with carbon and phosphate absorber. That's how I would use it with a system like your's. Some old panty hose can be cut up and used as media bags or you can go buy them at an LFS.

You can put the filter on a timer to use it part-time. Bacteria won't die if they are left wet. They just basically shut down and wait for fresh food. I would recommend using a filter floss as a pre-filter. This needs to be cleaned or replaced at least weekly. This will help polish the water as well as prevent solids from getting into the filter media.

The ceramic rings work like bioballs. If your ammonia and nitrites are OK I wouldn't bother with them. I have no idea what the glass is for except just to add more surface area for bacterial growth. This is a curious choice for bio material because it lacks much porosity.

HTH

[jroescher]

I'm guessing on the glass part based on the looks. That is what Ehiem descibes thier substate as.

I doubt I'll use them, I just want to use it to polish the water.

[GaryP]

I found something on this. Its "ammonia remover."

http://www.aquatraders.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=137

[Richard]

Probably zeolite, which you would not want to use in saltwater.