Harpsandfish Posted December 3, 2020 Share Posted December 3, 2020 Today I swapped out the cartridge thingys that came in my HOB for stacks of coarse filter media. I did keep the bio rings, but less than before to make room for a fine polish filter on top. Do I need the bio rings? As always, thanks for the advice. This place is a treasure! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FlyingFishKeeper Posted December 3, 2020 Share Posted December 3, 2020 Bio-Rings are just ceramic rings that provide a home for the nitrifying bacteria. They aren't needed, but loosing them would reduce the amount of bioload your tank can handle. This soon after replacing the filter cartridge might also cause a crash since a large amount of bacteria that were processing fish waste are now gone so ammonia is likely to build up. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harpsandfish Posted December 3, 2020 Author Share Posted December 3, 2020 @FlyingFishKeeperAh, yes. I just added some Fritz 7 and I will keep a close eye on it. Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dandy Pearl Posted December 4, 2020 Share Posted December 4, 2020 As long as you replaced the bio rings with course filter media, you still have something for the bacteria to grow on. Some folks run filters with sponge only. Play around with it and find the sweet spot for your tank. If and when you do swap out media, only change out 1/2 of it at a time such that it will 'seed' the new media. Also, if you need to clean your media, try to only use tank water. If you use tap water with chlorine, or chloramine, you will kill the bacteria. Happy Fish Keeping!🐠 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harpsandfish Posted December 4, 2020 Author Share Posted December 4, 2020 @Dandy PearlThanks! I kept the bio rings, and I added some Fitz 7. I also have a sponge on the filter intake. I did a check this morning and all numbers were great but I will check daily for a few more times. And thanks for the reminder about tank water for cleaning the media. 👍🏼 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian P Posted December 4, 2020 Share Posted December 4, 2020 I have the bottom half of my hob filled with bio rings and the top half with sponge. Then co-op sponge on the filter intake. This keeps my water very clear and provides lots of area for bacteria. The rings and sponges are all easy to clean. I rinse them in aquarium water once a month. I check the hob water level pretty often to make sure it does not get clogged and overfill. Just my paranoia. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaveSamsell Posted December 4, 2020 Share Posted December 4, 2020 I hardly use bio-rings at all, but had great success with the CO-OP's coarse black sponge pads. The sponges were easily "cut-to-fit", for all my HOB's. My tanks are heavily stocked & don't recall any water parameter issues, because of surface area, etc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RyanR Posted December 4, 2020 Share Posted December 4, 2020 They don't hurt anything and something is better than nothing, in my opinion. I think that you should use any available space in your filter, whether it's with sponge or bio rings. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harpsandfish Posted December 4, 2020 Author Share Posted December 4, 2020 Thanks,all, for the thoughtful comments. They confirm what I was already thinking from all the research I’ve been doing. I think I will remove the remaining bio rings at the next water change and replace them with one more layer of coarse sponge; I should still have room for the polish sponge on top. My tank continues to have good numbers and healthy fish and plants, which I attribute largely to the great articles, blogs and vids from the Coop as well as advice here on the Forum and when I go on to the store. 🤗 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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