# Whats The Best Filter Media For The Fx5



## Co. Caines

i just purchased a brand new fluval fx5 off ebay and it should arrive by monday the latest. it was a package setup with a 2 boxes of the fluval bio media n fine pads. i assumed based on the size of this filter that it would require a lot more media than that which bio media brand and model will be the most effective in the filter. i would like to purchase the media by friday so i will be able to get it up and running asap to help take some of the load off my two 2217 on my 180g


----------



## banshee42096

the bio max media that is coming with it should work depending on box size the trays take 1 box each so 3 boxes needed total one filter pad and the around the basket filters work great also.good luck i have nothing but great words to speak of the fx5 keeps my 180 crystal clear.


----------



## Co. Caines

It comes with one box of pre-filter, one box of bio media max, and one box of fine pads. So does that mean I need two more boxes of media. Can I mix n match different types of media brand.


----------



## jp80911

yes, you can mix match different types of media brand. bio media is just a media that provides a lot of surface area to let bacteria to live on.


----------



## MFNRyan

I just got my new FX5 yesterday. I put three boxes of the bio-cubes fluval. None of the pre bio stuff. All three trays one box in each tray. Then the foam around the outside. I don't like the pre bio stuff cause it doesn't do much for you and doesn't last as long. I bought mine without the media. It came with just foam pads. Watch out if you have small fish in there lol they will get stuck to the pick up tube ha ha


----------



## Co. Caines

How often should one change the foams on the side. It seems like all those foam pads if they require monthly changes can get very expensive.


----------



## MFNRyan

I hear every 6 months you can rinse them in old tank water an use them for a year to a year an a half. Since this is the first one I have bought I'm not 100% on that but that was my plan lol


----------



## jp80911

you don't have to replace those foam pad, just take them out every few months to clean them up. you can wash them in tank water or tap water, doesn't matter too much, as long as you don't was those bio media under tap water you will be ok.
only replace the foam when they cannot be cleaned. I don't think mine were every that dirty and its been few years already.
lfs want you to replace them so they can make money off you.


----------



## Co. Caines

Thank god. Because I just did the math assuming that they needed to be replaced as much as the filter floss I currently have in my two eheims 2217. Which is about every 2 weeks. I would of have to sell some fish to reduce the cost.


----------



## welsher7

I use seachem matrix in all my filters. I love the stuff. It stays clean and holds a ton of BB.


----------



## HGI

No one probably cares but here's how I've had my fx5 set up for a few years and it works wonders,

Intake (mechanical)


























Baskets (Bio)










Outtake










The intake sponge gets cleaned under hot tap water once a week and I open the actual filter once a year to rinse the media with tank water. The less you actually open the filter the better and longer the filter will last and work before any problems occur.


----------



## BanditBrother

LOL Whenever I did my cleaning on my canister filter it was always done in water from the tank and I only thoroghly cleaned half the media at a time to enable bacteria to still exist!! Just rinse the large crap out and clean the otherhalf well!! Worked all the time for me no problems ever with levels!!!


----------



## MFNRyan

HGI. What tank do you have that filter on an how many fish an at what size? I just got an FX5. Put it on my 125g with 7 pygo's. How many boxes of bio-cubes did that take and how long did it take to cycle the filter an tank? Just curious because I thought about doing this to my filter. Instead went with just the three baskets full of bio an left the foam on the side alone.


----------



## HGI

It's on a 170g with 7 rbp, that are about 6" to 8".

I can't remember how many boxes it took but if I had to take a rough guess, 30~ maybe.

I seeded the filter and the rbp's were dime size when I 1st got them.


----------



## MFNRyan

Wow.. that's a ton of boxes at 16 bucks a piece! Is it the only filter on the tank? How does it handle the bio load?


----------



## HGI

Yea, it wasn't cheap that's for sure.

I started off with 4 boxes and put them in all the trays + a local member gave me about 2 boxes that were seeded for free, then every payday (ever two weeks) I'd go buy 2 boxes till it was full.

Handles the bio fine, haven't had a problem yet anyways *knocks on wood*, and the flow seemed like it increased slightly once the foam is all out.


----------



## MFNRyan

I've got 3 boxes in mine, plus the foam. Maybe I should add more to it. What made you decide to stop adding the boxes and why did you keep adding them lol


----------



## Piranha_man

Wouldn't be a bad idea to fill one of the chambers with peat.


----------



## MFNRyan

What does peat do? I filled each tray with a box of biomax by fluval. I thought that helped induce breeding? I don't want that for sure.


----------



## HGI

Peat lowers the pH and GH "soften the hardness of water" just like driftwood can. If you have high pH that is harming your fish then I would do something about it *BUT* if your pH is not a problem then I wouldn't alter or add anything unnecessary to the water.

It is also said that peat can help with triggering breeding but there's no way to prove it.

To answer your question,

-I started adding more because at the time I had nylon pot scrubbers in the filter and they failed me big time so they needed to be replace, not to add the fish are quite a bio load themselves so more I can fit the better.

-I stopped adding because I ran out of room








I guess I could take two trays out then fill the sucker right to the top with media but that'd probably mess with the water flow in the filter.


----------



## MFNRyan

Ok I got ya, so you didn't keep adding cause your param's where off? Trust me I know all about the bio load, I have 4 reds and 3 cariba in my shoal. LOL


----------



## Piranha_man

MFNRyan said:


> What does peat do? I filled each tray with a box of biomax by fluval. I thought that helped induce breeding? I don't want that for sure.


HGI answered it well.
IMO, it's also one of the easiest and most effective ways to simulate your fishs' natural environment- if they're a blackwater species.


----------



## MFNRyan

I have a pygo shoal in my tank with my FX. I checked my pH today and its at the lowest reading on my test kit. 6.0 I checked it at the tap and it is 7.4 there. I dunno what is dropping my pH but I don't think I should add anything to lower it more. I also don't know how to keep it higher and since a steady pH is best I try not to mess with it.


----------



## HGI

Sounds like you don't have much calcium in your tap water or better said the GH is low, the flex from 6(or lower) up to 7.4 then back down is probably stressful on your fish during water changes. Also low minerals (KH) in your water can lead to a pH crash/tank crash, so personally it might be a good idea to test it if you have the kits, or bring some of your tap water and tank water into a fish store that will do those test for you.

I dunno what you have in your tank or your actual tap water readings so it's hard to give you any input on this... Not to add I'm not the smartest fish in the shoal but I'll try my best to help you as much as I can. If it's what I think it is (low minerals) a simple $0.99 cuttle bone (from the bird section of the pet store) into the tank will do the trick.


----------



## MFNRyan

Yeah, I don't have a kit to test KH or GH, I can only test pH levels. Which like I said are rather low in all my tanks. I don't want it to fluctuate much or fight it rising an lowiering all the time. The small amount of water I change probably doesn't change my tanks overall pH at all. Someone said crushed coral in the filter helps keep it up and that's all I have heard. but again will that stop boosting the pH in the tank and cause a slow drop after time.. so something you would have to replace often or will it work forever? Does the bone work forever and how do you know what size to get? Can you add it to the filter so you don't have to look at it lol. Sorry so full of questions. I'm trying to get better at the water param thing.


----------



## HGI

I'm going to step back as I don't actually know a whole lot in this department as I've never had to counter this problem. Though I do have a cuttle bone in my snail tank mainly for extra minerals to help with their shell growth as my pH is around mid to high 6. Hopefully someone who is more knowledgeable in this department can step in and help you, then again your fish might just be fine the way things are, I'm just thinking the pH would flex up then back down when you do your water changes... P's require a big water change to keep their water prams in check so if your doing less than 50% a week you might want to reconsider your tank maintenance. Right now I do a 50% change and vac every week but I'm considering doing a quick 50% biweekly w/c just to keep the water more in check.


----------



## MFNRyan

No way man.. I do 10-20% water changes most the time. 50 is way to much you throw the water params off more with that. I do a gravel vac once a month an filter maintenance once ever 4-6 months. Water params stay good. This is what I was told by 98% of the member on here back when I first joined. I'ev done some research on the pH thing but none of it is as good as someone who has been there done that and know for sure what works an how to do it. i don't like experimenting with hundreds of dollars worth of fish in my tank.


----------



## Inflade

the mechanical sponge on the intake is a great idea. it keeps the flow in the canister at optimum levels.

this is especially imporant in set ups with sand as a substrate.

in most sand bottom tank set ups, cannisters are the best bet as a filter type. the sand if entering the canister goes in the intake and usually settles at the bottom of the canister before going through the impeller and out the output.

the fx5 is at a disadvantage that way because the pump component of the filter is at the bottom of the canister, allowing sand etc to get to the impeller, damaging the motor.

the use of a sponge blocks sand from entering the filter, as well as prefiltering water entering the canister.

this frees up the rest of the baskets to be used for biological filtration.

hope that adds some more information to the topic.


----------

