substitution for filter padding?

S

Satyr

Reefing newb
i need some filter media, specifically something along the lines of that white sponge like stuff that can be used for particle filtering. but i dont want to pay $18 for a peice that isnt even 1 square foot. is there anything i can use thats cheaper?
 
Personally I would try and do away with the filter padding and try and go with a filter sock.

As for cheap padding try fabric stores or something? Or see if you can get it cheaper online/ebay.
 
filter sock? whats a filter sock? fabric store is a good idea, in fact i thought of that but was unsure of whether or not certain materials were not suitable for the aquarium... like maybe they have toxic dyes or something. do you know of anything that is positively safe?
 
Filter socks are just large socks with very small holes (micron rating) that you filter your water through. As they get more full they will start to overflow and then you change them. If you get the nylon ones you can clean and reuse them.

A lot of people dont like them though because you have to change them every couple days and sometimes even sooner.
 
Just run down to your local wally world and pick a cheap pair of womens panty hose.Just remember to clean them out every couple of days.
 
Lol, I guess thats one way to do it... Personally, I say spring for the nylon ones. You dont need to many and depending on the size they are only 5-7 a sock. :)
 
thats ok... i learned what a filter sock is lol. so thanks for your help anyway :) and no, i dont like the idea of changing something like that that often. sounds tiresome. it seems like i saw some filter pad sheets for a few bucks at a lfs, but that one is a good drive away and i dont feel like going on an adventure to another side of town for something like this... although i do need to go see the owner since he owes me store credit for some fish i dropped off there and he keeps skirting the subject when i call and ask how much im getting. its getting really annoying, i loved those fish and of all the places i could have given them up to i chose his store since i thought he would take good care of them, he might take good care of them but he should still understand that it was tough giving them up and i want some damn compensation for them particularly when im a loyal customer and he knows it. ahem, rant over.
 
oo and i just saw there are 2 new posts since i started typing that last one lol. nylons huh? the thing is wanted something a bit more like a sponge. watch yall think??
 
The main reason I would stay away from pads (because I dont think I said so before) is they tend to collect to much detruis and add nitrates to your system. People just dont change them out enouph. Thats why I like socks... you know when to change them ;) It can be a hassle though. Thats why I went with a nice big one... so I wouldnt have to change it out to often. :)

sucks about that store
 
thanks, i just needed to rant for a second. and dont hate me but this is actually for a freshwater tank, you see i was at walmart today and i saw this peacock eel there. it was so dejected and mis-cared for. laying halfway on its side, lethargic, it was continuously being bitten by some large tetra looking fish as though it was dead and perceived as potential food. these eels need sand substrates and with nothing to hide in it just loafed itself over in the corner of the bare bottom tank. i had to rescue it. it just would have broken my heart to leave it there. i would have had it it in the back of my mind all day, and tomorrow, and the next day, knowing that i could have done something about it but i didnt. so i brought it home and set up my 20G long and have it all running properly except for the fact that i have no filter media to properly develop a bacterial filter. oh, and i think my old heater has a hairline crack in it so its left out too but the room temp isnt that bad so im not too worried about it. so i need to get this QT tank of mine finished. iv tried getting mature filter media from a couple of places but no one will spare any. i can t take any form my own tanks either. so im kinda stuck.
 
i didnt either, but then one of my friends came over and was like you should go to walmart and buy a shark. i just had to drop my head in shame for him
 
well i wouldnt say they "carry fish", its more like a prison for fish. and not one of those nice prisons with TV and toilet paper either. a number of them will be dead in the bottom on a regular basis. if i didnt have limited resources and i didnt know better i probably would rescue buy all of them in the area. peacock eels are a personal favorite of mine though and i just couldnt stand to see this one go to waste.
 
In our town we just got a petco. Its only been up for a couple weeks and their saltwater tanks already look like trash :(
 
Satyr said:
well i wouldnt say they "carry fish", its more like a prison for fish. and not one of those nice prisons with TV and toilet paper either. a number of them will be dead in the bottom on a regular basis. if i didnt have limited resources and i didnt know better i probably would rescue buy all of them in the area. peacock eels are a personal favorite of mine though and i just couldnt stand to see this one go to waste.
Click to expand...

if you buy from them just to rescue them, your just giving them money to buy more, it will do more if you take your money elsewhere
 
I had never been in a petco before. Just heard things. I had hoped that with building a completely new place they would have something nice.
 

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