Filter Media

[foodchain]

Here's a question: What do you use as your media in your filter? And how do you use it? I have tried many many different materials. Some good, some not so good.
Some good in low pressure systems, others good in high pressure. Some good inactive systems vs active direct filtration.

So what do you do....how...and why?

[bsfman]

Here's a question: What do you use as your media in your filter? And how do you use it? I have tried many many different materials. Some good, some not so good.
Some good in low pressure systems, others good in high pressure. Some good inactive systems vs active direct filtration.

So what do you do....how...and why?

I use A/C filter pads and plastic window screen. The filter pads provide a coarse filter and the window screen a finer filter with massive surface area for bacteria to colonize. Cut a 4' roll of window screen into 4' strips 8 to 10 inches wide and tie each strip into a series of overhand knots. You'll wind up with a knotted ball of window screen about the size of a kitchen scrubby. Pack your filter full of them. One 100 foot roll of window screen gives you the same surface area as 5.22 cubic feet of pea gravel. (I did an excel spreadsheet to help me with the arithmetic on that!)

[foodchain]

Can you provide a pic? It's early, brain is in neutral. I have used quilt batting with great success, and have even used it to filter out the green algae water (pea green soup). But I have used lava rock, gravel, plastic bio media, green scrubbies used for dishes, sand...

[Eleven11]

I'll give that a try. Thanks for the tip.

[keith_r]

the a/c filter pads i used were "natural" and degraded quite a bit..
i'd like to try some matala mat stuff, but i haven't priced it out yet.. the local big box hardware store has the pads for floor machines i was thinking of trying (several densities)
one of the problems with doing stuff "on the cheap" is finding some of these materials in a more reasonable price range.. nylon scrub pads work great, but add up quick..
when i put my swirl filters in and had them running for a few weeks i added some red wigglers.. the filters have been running since last spring and when i just cleaned them out i couldn't believe how fat the worms were.. they didn't reproduce but they sure ate a lot