Plastic balls

Hi i also have an ex1200 on a 4 ft. I replaced the balls and ceramics with matrix. The bigger the tub of matrix the cheaper it gets. 1l =R330. Seachem claims it's enough for an 800 litre aquarium

My tray setup from bottom of each tray:

• bottom tray 500ml matrix + sponge
• next tray 500ml matrix + sponge
• then 2 sponges
• top tray sponge + purigen + felt

i clean my canister once every 3 months

canister tip:
i got my canister with a tank i bought and although i replaced all the seals it still leaked somewhere between the head and the hose connectors.
So one day i lost it, declared it a piece of @#$%, heated the hose tips in boiled water so it would go soft and easily re-shape and stuck them straight into the head unit. 4 Years later still no leaks. I should still insert irrigation valves for when i unplug to close the water flow before cleaning. Hoses go hard after a while so just be aware that if you follow my plan and move the canister, the hoses could jump out, just put them in the right position with no bending stress and leave the canister where it is untill the next cleanup.

Also on that head, after you clean before re-assembly, check that the plate holding the impeller is in place. It's at the centre bottom of the head. I have switched mine on and nothing happens. Immediately you think oh crap now the thing is broken and i have to fork out another 3k to replace this canister.. i'm done with canisters blah blah, but luckily it is just the plate that somehow turned loose and with no pressure from that plate the impeller will not turn and pump water.

Crystal clear aquarium water:
Check out these vids on the topic on youtube by Lou9294, Tazawa Tanks and Jay Wilson. They all have over stocked cichlid tanks so they are running huge bio loads.

The second pic: that little cheap plastic filter really polishes water. I am going to fill that whole thing up with floss. It doesn't look good but it works. Hide it behind rocks. Within an hour you will see a difference. If it's a show tank and you do not want to see sponges and filters and stuff, i would add another layer of felt in the canister. You can buy a replacement felt for the ex1200 or buy a sheet and cut it out. A sponge filter should also help. I would keep floss away from the impeller.

 

Thanks @hs72, I boaght 2x ex1200's and 2x fluval fx5's of gumtree 2 weeks ago I replaced all the seals on all of them and all is working 100% going to use the fx5 on my 4ft Malawi and keep the other one for spare. I still have to decide what I am going to do with the ex1200. I have to add the one ex1200 the botop part is brocken by one of the clips and missing the pipe connectors. But the head works fine

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Wow those fx5's will be awesome filtration! My smaller clip housing is also broken (the bottom ones that can be removed) but can still clip. just force in the pipes without the connectors like i explained with the hot water and see if it leaks. Maybe the clips connected to the lid will pull it tight enough that it doesn't leak

 

@Whoknows , When you start going into cichlids or other fish that produce heavy bioload, the secret in crystal clear water is thaat your filtration is actually enough to cope with said bioload
Sometimes we think in terms of... I have a big canister, its a bit bigger than the recommended size for the size of my tank.... instead, you need to think "for the fish in my tank" This is where the problem usually comes in

Secondly, your first tray or compartment if a sump, must have sponge ( i use batting) and your last compartment should have batting again

Now... here is another point.... with a sump, you can in 2 minutes either change or replace the batting once a week, meaning that the batting is working at its full capacity all the time therefore, crystal clear water
With a cannister, the batting is ok for the first 2 or three weeks, from there it starts getting very dirty.. ultimately some of the dirt starts going through to the media and the last sponge and eventually when that canister gets real dirty, some of the fine dirt will creep back into the tank although you might not see these minute particles that start finding their way back into the tank because they so tiny but its enough fr you to not have crystal clear water

Later tonight, when i feed my main tank, i will take a picture of what my water looks like which will horrify most of you
I will wait 15min and i will take another picture.. which a lot of people might think its not possible but.. for those that believe me.. ts my proof.
Some members have been to my house and I m sure they will vouch for the crystal clear water, I want to show you what it looks like after a feeding which happens twice a day
I dont have Purigen in any of our tanks... not even on the pup grow out tank where water quality is of the utmost importance

The other very important thing to remember especially when dealing with heavy bioload is that there is enough circulation in your tank in order that all debris gets pushed into the filters and you dont have dead spots where dirt sits and doesnt get sucked up into the filters
A wavemaker, in the correct position makes a huge difference to the effectiveness of your filters

 

Totally agree @MariaS, my Malawi tank does not have purigen and water is always cristal clear

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Nope, going to use a Fluval FX5. Currently have 2 internal canister filters. one has sponge filter and the other Seachem Matrix and batting.
My Malawi's are still very small so the internal filters are working for now. But hopefully after the weekend it will be running the FX5.

 

lol - done most of the work already, did the hard plumbing Yesterday and connected everything. will start up on Saturday morning
and hope no leaks

 

FX5 is an awesome filter and for now will do the job with your tank and fish.

As promised, this is what my tank looks like at feeding time on a good day as I have not fed meealworms, just fish
All the white particles you see is pieces of sardine everywhere as they chew the pieces you see on the floor








20 minute later, my tank looks like this... with no purigen






To show you the extent of bioload in this tank, this is what the top layer of my batting looks like 3 days after new batting was put in

 

@MariaS, hectic that is insane!

 

@JDV, this is why I decided to post these pictures. When I say that Purigen as a matter of routine is not necessary to have crystal clear water as long as your filtration is right, ... this is the proof

@Whoknows ... No one can tell you for sure how often you need to replace or wash batting in your tank, each tank is different
You have to start off by checking it say every two weeks and from there establish the needs of your tank
If its still clean, next time leave it 3 weeks.. if very dirty then you need to do it more often

The wavemaker must go on the opposite side of your filter intakes
From that position you will have to play around a bit depending on where you might have rocks or something else that will cause dead spots and adjust it accordingly
I usually switch off the wavemakers for about 15 minutes during feeding and switch back on afterwards

 

Have anyone tried those foot scrub cement type blocks that the guys in the street corners sell as filter media? I want to know if it’s safe. Beautiful tank and thanks for all your advice!

 

Thanks very much

I havent seen the blocks you mention being sold on street corners in our area

However, there are some media blocks which came in about.. 4 months ago maybe.. which are beige in color and very porous, maybe one and half times size of a cigarette box and you could say they remind you of pumice stone or as you describe foot scrub blocks but Im not sure if we talking about the same thing

This was something new that came in and I oly saw it being stocked at two LFS's in small quantities
@Cesar bought some at the time and has them in one of his sumps and is very happy with them
I will try get a picture of the blocks in his sump tomorrow