The Puffer Forum

Dinsdale wrote:What kind of filter are you using on his tank now? It sounded like before you were using a Whisper 20 on a 39g tank, which is much too small. Especially for puffers, you'll want to make sure you have plenty of overfiltration. A good bet is to have twice the filtration called for - so if it's a 30 gallon tank, you should have filtration suitable for atleast a 60 gallon tank.

ok this sounds good, anout often do I need to change the bio-bags. I know on my 10 gallon it was only about 3 weeks before it got so clogged that i had to open it and clean it out...then replace it the next day. Is it normal for them to not last very long?

Ideally you want to use a multi-stage filter with seperate types of filter media in each phase so that you never have to throw all of it away.

In a canister, there is a coarse sponge in the first stage to trap debris. This can be rinsed out under tap water and reused.

For the next stage I like to use filter floss to remove smaller particles. The floss will clog after awhile just like the bio-bags. Same material. It can be rinced a few times, but eventually it should be discarded. How often depends on how must waste is produced.

For the last stage I use bio-max style media. It's basically hard ceramic cylinders that provide a surface for bacteria to attach. This media will last forever and only needs to be lightly rinsed in tank water every few months if you have the previous stages filter out all the debris.

The problem with the bio-bags and any single stage filtration system is that it is disposible rather than reusable. This costs you money, and means that every time you change the filter media, you throw away 90% of your bacteria.

There are multi-stage HOB filters like the marineland filters with a bio-wheel for biological, or the aquaclears which have large media baskets you can stack with whatever kind of media you want.

As you can see, filtration requires a lot of planning and consideration. Good filtration is the backbone of a successful tank.

Oh filtration is def. a must. I have a 5 gallon tank with a very small "elite" filter...it consists only of a sponge media, the water gets cloudy in a week. The bio bag also had a sponge in front of it...where can i get the bio max ceramics from?

Most pet stores with a fish section should carry it, especially if they sell canister filters. You could also find it online.