# Nylon Pot Scrubbers As Bio Media



## Inflade

Wondering if anyone on here uses nylon pot scrubbers as media. Before the upgrade there was a post comparing bio media, and pot scrubbers were at the top of the list. I have all my media trays in my fx5 crammed with them and I'm wondering if anyone else is using them, or has experiences to share about them as well.


----------



## JoeDizzleMPLS

Pot scrubbies are usually best suited for a wet/dry setup since they provide lots of surface area while still allowing plenty of room for air flow. I don't think they have as much surface area as some of the biomedia made especially for the anaerobic bacteria found inside canister filters. That being said, depending on your bio load, it could be a very cheap option for filling the filter.


----------



## Inflade

Zd gallon tank with 4 macs in it shouldn't be too crazy of a bioload that the scrubbies can't handle..


----------



## Gaijin987

I use nylon pot scrubbies in all my filters and I have done it for many years with zero problems.

according to some online sources about surface area....

the average pot scrubbie has around 370 m2 of surface area per cubic foot, while Bio balls have have around 160 m2/cu.ft. so Bioballs have less then half of the effective surface area and cost over 3 times as much as nylon pot scrubbies.


----------



## FEEFA

Biobals are not recomended for canisters because they also need room for airflow to work properly.


----------



## HGI

I have to agree with what whity and some of what Joe said, I feel nylon pot scrubbers and bio balls are meant more for tickle filters, I tried cramming my fx5 with pot scrubbers and it failed me big time.


----------



## ArttyFish

I can understand why some people would use pot scrubbers in stead of ceramic rings. Those rings are so damn expensive. But for canister filters ceramic rings is the best for biological filtration and scrubbies for wet dry situations. I am using about $300 worth of ceramic rings in my 560 gallon setup.


----------



## HGI

I feel your pain, I lost track of how many boxes of ceramic rings are in my fx5, wish i had a camera to take a photo for you. I swear the media is well worth more than the filter itself, though you get what you pay for.


----------



## Inflade

What brand ceramic rings do you use?


----------



## HGI

I use Bio MAX


----------



## Inflade

i noticed the new bio max isnt as porous as the old stuff. anyone else notice that?


----------



## jp80911

I use nylon pot scrubbers in my wet/dry, FX5s with zero issue.


----------



## Parsa

how often are we supposed to change ceramic rings?


----------



## JoeDizzleMPLS

Parsa said:


> how often are we supposed to change ceramic rings?


Shouldn't really have to change them, just rinse them off in tank water every few months.


----------



## Parsa

so i added one pack of them in my canister and i have 2 more packs, i thought we had to replace them so should i just dump them all in there?


----------



## Inflade

If u have room in the cannister pack that sucker full


----------



## JoeDizzleMPLS

Inflade said:


> If u have room in the cannister pack that sucker full


Agreed


----------



## CLUSTER ONE

Parsa said:


> so i added one pack of them in my canister and i have 2 more packs, i thought we had to replace them so should i just dump them all in there?


 You should replace them if they start falling totally apart. Good bio media will be fine for YEARS and mayby only have some dust wear off from rubbing together but in general unless you can tell they are starting to break (which i don't think ive ever even heard happening other then the odd solo ring breaking) they are fine.

I have some ceramic rings that are probably 3 years old and they are still like i got them yesterday and im sure could easily last 10 years.


----------

