replacing filter floss

[Overawed]

Ugh, Marineland filter floss does not last long. After a few power washes from the garden hose the floss falls to pieces. I have heard that Aquaclear media never wears out.

What could I put in place of that cheap floss Marineland uses? I have thought about pillow batting but I think that would be too delicate.

Has anyone made their own floss for these filters? If so, could you please share your technique?

Much appreciation in advance. :)

[NyassaeMan]

I have used the pillow batting in a media net pouch in place of name brand floss and it works great. The media bag just helps keep things together and slows and distributes the water alittle more effectively IMO. With a sump application you can attach the bag to a PVC fitting and then hang it from the inlet tube in the sump (this gives you a longer distance the water has to travel through the media and therefore traps more particles and works more effectively on the bio load.

. Also when it needs a good wash you can take a few gallons from a water change and just "squeeze" it clean..unless you don't need the bacteria , then you could just hose it down or replace it.

[merlyn2221]

OA: you can buy a box of the stuff for like $3 at a Rag Shop, or Wal-Mart. This stuff is indestructable. I use it in sick tanks and leave some in the other tanks in case I can't use the carbon or other media. It's the same stuff as the other, just not packaged that way.

NM: nice touch, sticking it in the filter bag. I'll try it next time. Must make it way easier to pull out to clean. :D

Wish I had thought of that! :rolleyes:

P.S. the foam filter blocks in the AC's last virtually forever. Have a few on hand and once in a while bleach a really used one then reuse it later.

[ReesaPie]

just don't use real cotton balls....
*laughs* tryed that in my ten gallon when i was younger instead of pillow stuffing.... it rots and disintegrates in your tank, even after just a few days.

[chc]

In applications with Emperors, you can utilize the media containers in many ways. Have you tried puting them upstream and filling them with batting?

Alternatively, you can rubber band batting or cut to fit pads (or even 3/4" sheets of sponge) on the upstream side (not inside) the containers.

I've even experimented with siliconing velcro to the frames to make attaching and replacing easy.

[chc]

..... by the way......... 3/4" sponge sheets are available from Big Al's. I haven't quite decided what I think of them in use yet though. I almost prefer just throwing away all my mechanical filtration material since its just quicker and cleaner than sqeezing sponges all day!