*NOTE - No need to watch this if you have seen the 206 video as set up is exactly the same. Fluval 306 Filter: geni.us/t2b4du Foams and Biohome Ultimate: www.filterpro.co.uk (FilterPro site has links to suppliers in other countries) The Fluval 306 is a good canister filter which is well designed, has excellent mechanical filtration and decent provision for biological filtration. Since it holds around 2kg of biohome ultimate it is really suited to normally stocked tanks of up to 200 litres (52 US gallons) or heavily stocked tanks of up to 100 litres (26 US gallons) if you want to achieve a full cycle. A full cycle is completed by bacteria - the aerobic part of biological filtration which processes ammonia to nitrite and nitrite to nitrate followed by an anaerobic part which processes nitrate into soluble nitrogen which bubbles off to the atmosphere. Therefore it requires a suitable amount of excellent quality filter media to be able to provide the environment for both aerobic AND anaerobic bacteria - that is what Biohome ultimate does perfectly but even with such good media there are limitations and we recommend the following amounts for different stocking scenarios: (1 US Gallon = 3.8 litres) (1kg = 2.2 lbs) Average community tropical aquarium = 1kg per 100 litres Average coldwater aquarium = 1kg - 1.5kg per 100 litres Predator aquarium = 1.5kg - 2kg per 100 litres Large cichlid aquarium = 1.5kg - 2kg per 100 litres Malawi / Tanganyikan aquarium = 1.5kg - 2kg per 100 litres Marine aquarium = 1.5kg - 2kg per 100 litres Average mixed fish pond = 1kg per 200 litres Average koi pond = 1kg per 150 litres You may be disagreeing with the above figures but remember that they are for a FULL CYCLE not half a job - achieving 0 ammonia and 0 nitrite is quite easy since aerobic bacteria grows freely on any surface but the anaerobic bacteria responsible for COMPLETING the cycle needs more a specialized habitat. Size a filter properly, set it up sensibly and you will have perfect water - it's that simple....and your filter won't be the dreaded 'Nitrate factory'.....you'll spend less money on treatments too......basically the filter is the foundation of a successful aquarium. This series of videos is all about trying to squeeze more efficiency out of internal and external aquarium filters which generally have a limited filtering capacity - If you have a filter you'd like me to feature in a video then please contact me on: sales@filterpro.co.uk 07772848730 (Richard) Anyone who sends a filter (UK only at present) will have it upgraded and returned to them for free and the only cost you will pay is how much it costs to ship it to me - I'm helping to boost your filter and the resulting videos will hopefully be useful to viewers all over the world so it's a win/win. The following videos will be useful to anyone interested in learning more about filtration, bacteria and making the conditions for your fish as good as possible: Sizing a canister properly and filter set up: goo.gl/om19un Looking INSIDE different filter media: goo.gl/hZWS6c Bacteria and filter media: goo.gl/123gAF How to clean an aquarium: goo.gl/bPMhvh Aquarium tips / filtration playlist: goo.gl/pXgqVj Check out my channel for hundreds of videos on a wide range of my hobbies - many of the videos have educational content so if you have enjoyed any give them the thumbs up and share. This channel is purely a hobby for me so I will never ask viewers to donate money for any of my projects or charge anyone for information - information should be shared freely and I certainly don't consider myself an 'expert' in anything I pursue as a hobby so please do your own research, never accept anything as 'fact', reject anyone claiming to be some sort of authority or 'expert' and make your own minds up about anything you wish to study. We all are on a long path of learning......... RECOMMENDED PRODUCTS ON AMAZON: goo.gl/jMaBWy INSTAGRAM: instagram.com/pondguru_outdoors/ FILMING EQUIPMENT: Panasonic HC-VX870 HD camcorder geni.us/3UwE +Rode stereo microphone: geni.us/4OL +Rode 'deadcat' mic cover: geni.us/1pmn JVC Everio quad proof HD camcorder: geni.us/e09e +Rode 'deadcat' mic cover (opened up and held between tripod and camera base) geni.us/dee24 Zomei Z666 tripod: geni.us/1a1af3 Manfrotto MTPIXI-B PIXI mini tripod: geni.us/87f7 If you've enjoyed this video please check out the playlists on my channel for hundreds more - on a variety of subjects. Feel free to share or link any of my videos on facebook, twitter, forums etc. for the benefit of anyone you think may also enjoy watching. See you next time. Pondguru
All the media I had from my 306 fit into the Tidal 110. It was Matrix that shipped with it and an existing mix of 1/3 Matrix and 2/3 Fluval Bio Max. (2 Baskets in the 306) I put a layer of Marineland very coarse foam I had kicking around, the foam that came with it, sort of a medium, a single layer of Seapora Filter Floss, then the bag of media. When these catch on Aquaclear will have to scramble to keep market share.
Hi Richard I am looking to pimp my 306 and am wondering why you didn't suggest removing the red holder and replacing it with layers of foam ,coarse to fine then using the bottom tray for biohome ? Is this not a good idea? I've seen it suggested elsewhere on RU-vid.
By far the most knowledgeable guy when it comes to aquarium filtration. Love this series. You should do videos of reviewing different bio medias like seachum matrix and lava rock and fluval bio rings. Looking forward to more videos!
I recently did a video which does compare lots of different types of media including a better form of pumice than matrix, cheap chinese media, biohome, lava rock etc. etc. - It is called 'Looking inside filter media'. Hopefully you will find that useful as it really highlights what makes for a good media and how very limited some are (e.g. red lava rock) which are often bigged up by people online.
Top tip for anyone setting up one of these. After you add the media and the little gel balls of bacteria they give you; do remember to add the cover onto the top tray before reinstalling and switching on the filter. My tank is now filled with chopped up gel sacks. Luckily I put half of them in the middle tray so I've still got a fair few where they belong.
Hi I have a fluval 406 and had it set up with the media that came with it but I wasn’t happy with the results. Since then I have purchased the biohome ultimate and foams from you and I’ve got to say the results are outstanding. My water is absolutely crystal clear. I set it up exactly as you demonstrated. You sir are a genius. Thankyou
Too bad he wasn't based in the U.S. he would have gotten mine many months ago! However mine is set up nearly identical to this based off the 206 video he did a while back. Love these vids...
I followed his advice several moths ago and set up 2 4 tray canister filters exactly as he recommended. I got the media from Great wave. After patiently waiting for the anaerobic bacteria to colonize I am down to one 15% water change per month on the 180 gallon S. American tank. Nitrates after 30 days are less than 10ppm. Doing it his way really works!
That sounds good to me and it looks like you have a full cycle there - it makes me laugh when I see people in the hobby saying that is impossible just by swapping the media to biohome, lol I have had loads more filters than I have featured in the series so far and I still have about 14 more videos shot which need editing down and uploading so I have been inundated with them for sure.
Great....I really enjoy watching them. You get several filters there that we see only rarely in the USA. BTW...How is the "stealth filter" going? Any updates?
I was only able to fit 1.5 kg total of Biohome ultimate in my fluval 307, and that was neatly packed in the 2 trays while the 3rd bottom tray was set up the same way as you had shown.
Brilliant media. My water quality is fantastic. I have a really heavily stocked Malawi Cichlid Aquarium of 450 ltr's. And since changing to the Biohome ultimate my water quality has improved so very much. So a big thank you
One thing you didn't mention was the intake. As most of you know, you can find an "O" shaped foam and sleeve it over the intake to prevent small fish and other tiny friends from being sucked into the filter. I currently use the 306 for my red eared slider tank, and this guy snips at anything that he can get his scales on. With that in mind, I took apart the plastic intake. The slotted bottom part looks like a cup, the upper part with the check ball looks like a tiny top hat. I cut some coarse foam into 1 inch squares, snipped the corners to make an octagon shape and placed it in the lower part of the strainer before reassembling. It's a great method of pre- filtering and prevent clogging. And to all of you fluval canister owners, don't forget to use silicone lubricant on the o-ring before reassembling. It will save you the headache of a leaking filter down the road. Love the channel. Greetings from Sunny California 🌞🐢🌴
No worries and I'm glad you find the videos useful - many in this series will be very similar but they're up for people searching for specific information on different filters.
Great video! I've been using the Biohome Ultimate in a Fluval Flex for just over a year and have had no issues at all, it's been superb! I'm now upgrading to an AquaOne Horizon 182 with a Fluval 306 so have just bought another KG of media to add to the KG from the Flex. This video has pointed me in the right direction for setting up the filter completely and correctly, so nice one for that. Keep up the great work and informative videos, they're spot on!
Papa hedge, I have a fluval flex 57 any chance you could run me through your set up of how you did it and whether you added or replaced any of the foams at the rear please, cheers, jez
@@jezedwards190 The first chamber I had Medium and Fine foams, the middle chamber I had 1kg of Biohome Ultimate and in the 3rd chamber I had the return pump and heater. I also switched out the original pump for a smaller one as the original was way too strong for my needs.
I just bought a used 306 Fluval filter today from a garage sale for cheap. I will set up my filter as you suggested. I have a 55 gallon tank and I will also put my HOB filter along with this one to get maximum filtration.
In my 307 I got have the Biohome mini in the top tray and 2 PolyFilter pads on top. I got rid of the carbon altogether. My water is crystal clear and my water parameters are so much better than they were.
hi Pondguru me an my wife are about to start our tropical fish tank and im just asking if you can give us some more help and advice about if what we about to buy is good enough for the set up we want. so the tank is a fluval roma 240. the filter is a.. AQUARIUM FISH TANK EXTERNAL FILTER EFX+ 2000L/H 9W UV STERILISER the booster.. EF-2 EXTERNAL FILTER BOOSTER SUPPLIMENTARY CANISTER 2.3L the media for the filter...FRESHWATER 3KG EXTERNAL FILTER UPGRADE KIT for £56.99 and the amount of fish would be around 40 to 45 tropical fish. thank you and great videos
I have a fluval 406 with an all pond solutions booster pre filter, this allows me to fill all 4 media trays with bio home, and since all the mech filtration is done in the pre filter, I removed the fluval sponge tray and just filled it with a mixture of my old ceramic rings, and a kilo of bio gravel. Now my 406 has 5KG of bio home media, and about 1kg of ceramic rings so around 6kg of media in a tiny box! I have this filter running on a 200 litre aquarium which is being used to raise Koi carp fry for ponds and fishing lakes, I normally have upto 10 fry, allowing them to grow to around 4-6 inch before moving them on, so you could imagine the bio load is astronomical! Theres been a noticable decline in fish stress since running the bio home media, before they were very skittish and now seem alot calmer, I don't have a fully cycle YET but im sure its going to come.
@@pondguru Love you channel! Im a complete newbie, but Im getting a Fluval 406, after setting it up exactly the way you showed will I still need to dechlorinate my tap water?
@@yellagirl937 Yes the water used for water changes will still need to be made safe using an ordinary dechlorinator - avoid using the type which claims to detoxify or bind ammonia, nitrite and nitrate as that will cause starvation of the bacteria you are trying to cultivate in the filter.
@@pondguru Awesome. I already ordered Seachem Prime which detoxifies. DrTims Freshwater One and Only says it Nitrify bacteria, so I guess I'll order a couple bottles of that.
@@yellagirl937 the prime will make achieving a full cycle difficult. That effectively starves bacteria since its one which binds the 'food' bacteria needs. An ordinary dechlorinator like API stress coat will make water safe for life without starving bacteria.
Great job on all your reviews. Cost wise, you can’t beat a 2 L plastic bottle filled with K1 inverted on top of a sponge filter. Mechanical and biological. Might not look pretty but works just as well as any of these fancy canister filters that try and sell you replacement sponges that cost a fortune.
Yes as far as the first part of the biological filtration goes (aerobic) you'll be hard pushed to find something as hard working or effective as a moving bed. The big problem is that most people won't give it time to set up properly with bacteria which can take many months.
As others have commented, if you look at the Fluval videos touting its new x07 series, it’s clear that someone at Fluval agrees with the Pondguru. They’re now using convoluted foam in the vertical prefilter and they’re putting the fine polishing pad in the bottom tray. I have my 206 and 306 set up that way, consistent with Pondguru’s recommendations, although I confess that I’m using MarinePure spheres and not Biohome.
i got my self fluval 07 series and the filter is so easy to maintain . had another filter system from a well know aquatic store and my trays got stuck ended up breaking the stupid thing . your bio home is the way to go .
I was having significant troubles with a 75G turtle aquarium, even with the Fluval 306. Adding the Biohome Ultimate changed everything. One week in & water is crystal clear. Turtle is far more active & noticeably happier too. I highly recommend, worth every penny!
Great video as always. I bought 5 kilo of bio home ultimate last July for my fx6,African cichlid tank,my water parameters are perfect after setting up filter how you did it.Very knowledgeable man.Chris from surrey.
Tell me about it - I've been getting emails regularly from people who I upgraded filters for weeks or months ago asking when the video on their filter is coming out. I may take a day off, get them all edited and bang them out on RU-vid machine gun style, lol
Hi Richard I am looking to pimp my 306 and am wondering why you didn't suggest removing the red holder and replacing it with layers of foam ,coarse to fine then using the bottom tray for biohome ? Is this not a good idea? I've seen it suggested elsewhere on RU-vid.
I have all the white trays full of corse/medium gravel and medium filter pads this was an emergency fill and I’ve just opened it up and that’s been nearly a year not opened up . I had a reef one 1050 and it was not opened for about 3 years
Great video I've learned a lot thank you. I'm waiting for this canister to arrive, now i know how to set it up, my first canister filter. I thinking of using old under ground filter set up in reverse I'd love to hear your comment on the use of a Reverse flow under gravel filter.
I’ve set mine up slightly similar to what you’ve done with the 306 just used the existing sponges and got polishing pad broken in half in the bottom and your media in the other 2 my polishing pad was a lot thicker than the one on the video but am loving the bio Home for porosity
I bought the 206 and set it like you showed.....except I used the given matrix mixed with hand picked lava rocks under a one pound of biohome ultimate tray. The bottom tray is the 3 different foams. I'm still setting things up.....
I just acquired a 75 gallon setup from a friend who got out of the hobby. Has a Fluval FX4 and Fluval 306. Any recommendations as to how I should set the filters up?
Hello mate, got a 306 coming in a few days so this is an awesome video, thanks for making it. Can I ask why you don't use activated carbon when you pimp your filters? Cheers
Hi Richard, thanks for some great informative videos, I’ve had my 306 set up for about 3yrs as you described and my water is spot on 👍🏼. What I’m wondering is do I have to change the Biohome ultimate media after a certain period of time?? Cheers
It should last for many more years and we normally say that you should get between 6-10 years at high efficiency from it but it will last structurally well beyond that. If you have enough for a full cycle and are seeing close to zero nitrate then you can tell when efficiency decreases as nitrate will increase. If nothing chemical (e.g. prime, purigen, chemipure etc.) has retarded the bacteria then a full cycle should be achieved when enough media is used for the stocking scenario.
Always fun to see how you upgrade the filters people send you :-) Any News on when the episode on Eheim Biopower will be out? Thank you again for your excellent content!
I have a 306 with a side filter which holds my sponges so every tray has 1kg meda. So all together there 3kg of meda. So how much water can it filter as my tank is 260 liter tank
Hi PondGuru, great educational video. I have this 306 canister filter on my 200L Fluval Roma tank. The filter is set up with coarse foam in the red holder, medium and fine foam in the bottom basket, 1kg of fluval biomax in the middle basket and the top basket has filter floss in. After seeing your video I will be adding another kg of the biomax to the top basket. You mentioned a tank being heavily stocked and said having goldfish is considered heavily stocked. So my question is, in a 200L tank, would you consider having 3 fancy goldfish (3 oranda) being heavily stocked. And with me now putting 2kg of biomax in, would that be sufficient filtration for a full cycle? Or would you advice upgrading to a Fluval 407 for example? I'd appreciate your input. Cheers 👍
Hi there, please can you tell where I can get the sponge and white filter medium in large pieces so I can cut my own. Also I have the fluval 106 do you have a video of how it should be setup please.
You will always need to maintain the tank and filter and as a consequence of that some water will be removed from the tank and be replaced with fresh water - that will freshen the tank up once a week but you don't need to change a set amount of water, just enough to replace what has been lost during the maintenance with gravel cleaner.
Brilliant video. I went with a fine sponge in my second tray. Waters gin clear but wont achieve a full cycle like this. My question is how do I go about changing the sponges and current bio media without any issue to the current cycle. Many thanks
As long as you upgrade the mature filter over a few weeks it will be fine. A full cycle will only be achieved if there is enough media in the filter for the size of tank and stock. From the FilterPro website: IS THERE A MINIMUM AMOUNT OF BIOHOME REQUIRED TO ACHIEVE FULL CYCLE FILTRATION? Yes - Using 500g in a huge filter on a 500 litre tank will not reduce nitrate if all the other media is producing nitrate. When a sensible amount of Biohome is used the results are outstanding. Through years of Biohome being used in all sorts of aquariums and ponds the recommended amounts of Biohome needed to see a good reduction in nitrate (full cycle filtration) are as follows: (100 litres is approx. 26 US gallons and 1kg = 2.2 lbs) Average community tropical aquarium = 1kg per 100 litres Average coldwater aquarium = 1kg - 1.5kg per 100 litres Goldfish aquarium = 1.5kg - 2kg per 100 litres Predator aquarium = 1.5kg - 2kg per 100 litres Large cichlid aquarium = 1.5kg - 2kg per 100 litres Malawi / Tanganyikan aquarium = 1.5kg - 2kg per 100 litres Marine aquarium = 1.5kg - 2kg per 100 litres Average mixed fish pond = 1kg per 200 litres Average koi pond = 1kg per 150 litres Ammonia and nitrite will be reduced at much lower amounts but full cycle filtration is the only 'proper' filtration therefore the figures above are for the filtration job to be done properly resulting in less water changes being required. REMEMBER - It is always better to over-filter than under-filter as a filter with a larger capacity will react more quickly to any pollution incidents and process waste before levels rise above safe amounts.
Thanks again Mr Pondguru. I have currently 2 of these F306 and have ordered 2 prefilter canisters ( for my mechanical filtration). I use your Biohome Ultra. Do I have to put any pads in the F306 at all w the canisters? I have the top tray filled w Montmorillonite stones ( last Nitrate picker upper before entering back into tank) My current tank is 65gal w African Cichlids, but I don't consider it heavy stocked, but they are getting big. ( They are in a month or so getting moved to a 125 gal tank, but I am making sure I have everything in place and cycled before I do so).
If you're using the pre-filters which are the external ones then that should free up all the trays in the canisters plus the foam cartridge down the side. Most people still leave the foams down the side of the fluval filters but removing them in favor of more media is an option if you need to do that and you're using pre-filters.
I have a 306 in a 45 gallon curved front tank with 2 boesemani rainbows full-sized and 6 Giant danios, 2 small panda corys, 3 modified goldfish and a albino pleco. 1 I transferred the fish into my tank about 3 weeks ago and nitrates are through the roof as you said
Idea for you. What would you do with the filters on the Fluval Flex/Spec/Evo/etc, without cutting the dividers out and doing away with the filter compartment entirely?
Great video Thanks. Can I plum two or three canister filters so I only have one pipe running down from the aquarium and one running back up to the aquarium?
In theory that should work although I wouldn't be sure that all 3 motors would last well if they were used in sequence like that - ideally you'd have one filter which was big enough for the tank and stock operating independently or two filters operating separately.
i would pay to have a new filter shipped to you and then id pay you to ship it to the us would u be able to do that? sense im paying for the shipping both ways
Hi , I have fluval 306 but I have put bio home ultra media in all 3 trays and put bio pad on red tray also filled with fine sponge on bottom side ... my tank is Cichlids 180l . Have around 17 fishes ..., is this set up ok?
The set up of the filter sounds fine but ideally a cichlid tank would have around 2kg per 100 litres to achieve a full cycle - it may fully cycle with less but that seems to be the average amount required for a heavily stocked tank. Therefore the set up of 1 x 306 is fine for a normally stocked 180 litre tank but about half what you need for a 180 litre cichlid tank to achieve a full cycle. Half a cycle (0 ammonia and 0 nitrite) should easily be achieved with the set up you have so half the cycle should be no problem.
I want to upgrade my currently active 306 with this media.. will add polishing pads on top of the medium fluval sponges in the bottom tray first then fill top tray with biohome ultimate.. if i do this how long should i wait for the first tray of biohome to be well populated with bacteria so i can then ditch the standard ceramic rings from the middle tray and replace that with the other half of the biohome? cheers!
Learned a lot from your videos.. beginner here.. i already got a tank 40 gals, and would like to pu a flower horn.. and base on others review, fluval 306 is the way to go. If i wan't to put a charcoal on my setup, where will i position it? Thanks
If you've just got a single fish in a 40 (US?) gallon tank then the 306 should be fine and charcoal or carbon would go in top tray so it was last thing water hit before leaving the tank.
(my other channel) The main US supplier of Biohome is www.greatwaveeng.com but if that link does not work here just click the US flag on the FilterPro site linked in the video description and pinned comment - I've got all the main suppliers listed there (flags are direct links to main distributors). www.filterpro.co.uk With regard to the foams I don't think that the bumpy foams are available from anyone in the US - it is really strange since in Europe they are in every store selling pond products. If you're sourcing foams from the US you nay have to go with flat foams but if you're prepared to order from Amazon you will find bumpy foam of varying size and quality (from China) if you search 'replacement pond foams. I send orders worldwide but shipping from the UK to US can be relatively expensive.
sorry if this has been asked before, to achieve a full cycle can the media (BioHome) be split in two canisters or must all the media be in one canister?
Using it in multiple filters is no problem as long as plenty of used for the tank size and stocking situation (and none of the harmful chemical treatments are holding bacteria back) you should develop a full cycle. There is a guide and more information on the Q&A page of the FilterPro website here: www.filterpro.co.uk
Hello and thank you for sharing ALL your great knowledge and experience. I have questions for my set up and I was hoping that you can help me. Have a 40gl Fluval Profile tank along with this particular canister filter. I set up my filter EXACTLY as described in your video. I have a heavily planted aquarium with live stock (only passive small breeds..IE:danios, neons..etc). I was wondering if you can share some good advice because I can't find answers to my questions anywhere. Would a hang on protein skimmer such as Hydor Slim Skim (or similar) be in order? Also, would having a stand alone biofilter charged only with Seachem Purigen (in a narrow profile hang on filter) be a good idea? Thank you for your time and knowledge. Rick.
It sometimes goes up, sometimes goes down - that is part of the reason I am making this series of videos on filters to show which direction the water goes for loads of different filters.
Like the pimp my filter videos man, got a question tho I have the 406 an was wondering what I should put in the 4th holding box. I have the bottom and the next two like yours but what would be best on the top box? I'm going salt water if that makes any differences. Keep up the good info an thanks.
We do a saltwater version of the biohome ultimate (biohome ultimate marine) so the 3 upper trays would be filled with that (or any other media you chose to use)
No it should make no difference to plant growth and the media will not draw in or negate any effects of plant food additives either. In fact some plant food may help to improve the bacterial growth in the filter media (if they contain liquid carbon)
I've just order myself a Fluval 307 to replace the Fluval U4 on my Roma 200. I always thought my filter was achieving a full cycle am I missing something? If I follow this guide will it do something different or reduce my maintenance, water changes etc? I'm open to try anything that will make my life easier and make the fish happier. I was quite excited to be getting an upgrade but after watching this I'm wondering if I should be doing something different. I don't test my water unless I have any issues and I haven't had any losses in quite some time but I'm keen to learn new ideas.
You will need quality media to obtain a full cycle .I have my 307 filled with bio gravel .Creates a better cycle but will slightly slow the flow rate as it is more compact ( less spaces between media).my canister is on a 90litre heavily stocked tank and I have no problems .Assuming you are using a good quality media this 307 filter should just about do your 200litre tank .
Good morning can you sterilize bio home ultra after it's gotten contaminated and dirty? I've been using you're creation for years! Thank you you're the best! Bruce Campbell
Just got a 306 today and doing exactly how your setup is. Do I just go ahead and do your setup with the bio and hook it up to the tank immediately and let it rip?
Happy Days, I have the newer version of this filter Richard, the 307, is there any way of having the 3rd tray as biohome media? as I have this filter for my 300L (just over) tank and would be pretty cool if I could squeeze 3kg of biohome ultimate inside it cheers aaron
Hi, I have a fluval 306 and after seeing this I would like to pimp it too,can you let me know how to do it myself?,do I swap original media 1tray at a time with a few weeks in between to allow for the bacteria to cultivate? Many thanks Neil
I have the 306 and after seeing this I have placed an order from you for the Biohome Ultimate to replace the ceramic rings.............just wanted to ask how often do the Biohome sticks need to be cleaned.............many thanks
Thanks for the order and with regard to looking after the media just treat it like any other media - as long as it is working in clean water (after the foams and fine pad) it should hardly ever look like it needs cleaning but any fine muck can be washed off in water you've drained from the tank, just as you would with any other type of media so no worries there. Some people never bother cleaning / washing their media but it depends on how the filter is set up as to how often the media will look like it needs cleaning. A bit of fine muck on media won't affect performance but prolonged exposure to a nation of muck (i.e. if fine pad was in top of top tray concentrating muck in media) would definitely cause premature clogging of any media by forcing muck into the media pores.
Many thanks for your reply.........I have just read your Q&A on your website and wanted to ask if I am ok to continue using Seachem Prime or should I switch to API stress coat.....thanks again
@@XtremeReedy Try to avoid and treatments which detoxify or bind ammonia, nitrite and nitrate as they will starve bacteria - they are fine for a real emergency but when a filter is properly sized and set up properly there will be no such emergencies with water quality - best to use a straight dechlorinator like the API stress coat for sure.
Thanks for the advice.........I have switched to the stress coat and have set up my 306 with your Biohome Ultimate although I will need to order another kilo from you in order to fill both trays....just one more thing.......I use API salt to help with the PH...........is this going to be compatible with your Biohome..........thanks again
@@XtremeReedy It's not so much of a case of salt and other treatments affecting biohome as biohome is simply a vessel for bacteria. Bacteria (living on / in any media) is affected by salt as salt is a natural anti-bacterial and anti-fungal - it is fine at a background 'tonic' level but if it is being used at greater concentration it needs to be tested as it will soon become harmful to freshwater bacteria, plants and fish. What are looking to achieve with salt regarding the pH?
What are your thoughts in Carbon? Should it be added separately through a media filter or is biohome good enough to take care of needed carbon filtration?
Biohome is a biological media (long term support of bacteria) and carbon is a chemical media (temporary removal of heavy metals etc. until it is clogged, generally in 7-8 weeks) so there is no problem using carbon to 'polish' the water after the biological media - it will draw in residual fish treatments and staining from water safely and effectively but the job it does is very different to the biological part of the filtration.
Nice video,.. i really wish i would've found this prior to my recent purchase of SunSun704b($65) canister filter,.. Although Fluval306($170) is a lil over double in price, i do feel it would do a better job all around.Maybe just me but i like placement of sponge & media as well. However, for the price i paid i can't really complain. I just hope it measures up to my expectations,.. if not i can always get a Fluval i'm not crazy about the price though. I would like to do/see a comparison of the two canisters( over 6mo period) in same size tank, same amount of fish,media,etc,.. just to see if there's any variations Thx for the vids,.. very informative.. actually one of a few that i can stand to listen/watch more than a few min. ; also interesting so again i thank u for posting. Keep on doin what u do ;)
You have way more filtering capacity from the SunSun since it can hold around 5kg of media compared to only 2kg in the 306 as used in this video so I'd stick with the SunSun if you already have it. If you check out the video called 'Why your filter is too small and not cycled' I set up the 704 in that video (it is called an APS EF2000 in the UK). I'm glad you find the videos useful - thanks for watching.
Thank you for your video @pondguru So, i'm very close to buying one Fluval 306 for my 180 litre tank. But would it be ok to fill the two trays with ceramic rings instead of that reddish media that you used?
Sure you can use whatever media you have in there. I just set the filters up with biohome as I'm aiming to achieve a full cycle and give some guidance as to the size of tanks and stock the filters will be suitable for when upgraded but if you're not concerned about the nitrate level then ceramic rings, lava rock or plastic balls should keep ammonia and nitrite at zero quite easily if the filter is correctly sized for the tank.
I would say no ,depending on your stocking .if very light and the correct media then that will be fine .heavily stocked even with the correct media wouldnt create a full cycle on a tank that size .I have mine on a 90litre tank heavily stocked
Alfagrog has a great external surface area but isn't really porous .best keeping to biohome or maybe some white lava pumice if your wanting different media in the trays
Sry to bug you.. love your videos ty very much.. im trying to do the conversion to US lbs from kilos on how much biohome ultimate I would need for 3 trays on a fluval 406.its a bit pricey and i don’t want to but too much at one time. Thanks
It should only delay the set-up by 2-3 days as the chlorinates in tap water break down quickly in an aquarium (or in filter media). It's always best to rinse in treated tap (treated with a normal dechlorinator) water drained from your tank but an initial rinse in tap water won't affect the media or its ability to hold bacteria long term.
I see it's been TWO years lol but if you haven't gotten help....Go over to Kaveman Aquatics Chanel, he's got the same video tutorial but he's adding purigen and filter floss etc.... He has two videos one where you actually set it up and then one where you clean the one when you clean it it actually shows him using the Purigen on the top tray because it’s the last thing the water hits before entering the tank you don’t wanna at the bottom getting stuck with all the detritus and all your medium and your course sponge
The 306 is a good filter the only thing you need to be careful with The Aqua Stop Valve when you try to turn up or down the water flow you might get a small drip when you adjust the flow hold the Aqua Stop Valve down.
I want to buy a Fluval 406, I have a booster filter with all my mechanical filtration so won't have a need for mechanical in the Fluval. I currently have 3kg of BioHome Ultimate and a 233ltr tank. If I remove the mechanical filtration inside the Fluval, What would you recommend I put in the space left behind? I don't want to open it once it is setup.
If you're using a booster for the mechanical filtration you could fill all the trays with media and also the side where the vertical foams would usually be in the 406. If you used media in mesh bags you could probably get 3kg-4kg in each side of the filter. Best media would be biohome ultimate and you'd get good flow through / around it.
There is lots of important information regarding the media, amounts to use and what helps / hinders bacteria on the Q&A page of the FilterPro website here: www.filterpro.co.uk but if you're in the UK just ring me on 07772848730 any time no worries - there is always a reason why a cycle won't complete and it's usually simple.
@@pondguru oh OK and yes I'm from the UK I'll order some stuff off the website when I can I watch most of your videos you know what you're talking about and it helps me 👍👍
Hi Richard ,great videos by the way.i currently have a 180 litre planted tank running 2 fluval 405’s.I am going to be setting up and transferring everything into a 350 litre tank and would like to fully service and redo the 2 filters ,question is how much and which Biohome media would i need in total for the 2 filters. I. Would only do one at a time to allow the other one to get a chance to get up to speed , many thanks Martin
405 takes 1kg biohome ultimate per tray. Best to do one tray per week or so if you're running 2 filters so the total change over will take 6-8 weeks - that ensures that there is always plenty of biological action while the new media matures.
JAYANTA MANNA hi there I have a Dophin 1600 managed to fit 3.4kg bio home in the 4 trays the bottom tray is set up with coarse/ medium foam and filter pad. I'm sure you can get more in if you pack in nearly.
Richard do you sell the 306 with your 'pimp kit'? 🤦♂️ Could you give me an idea of cost please (I'm in Gosforth). Also another topic i'd love you to cover is how something like an ikea led strip(s) hack compares to the fluval led upgrade. Keep up the great work.
Hi Richard just purchased a few weeks ago a fluval 306.. currently running similar setup to this one on the video. Setup is bottom tray black foam with polishing pads . Middle tray fluval media not 100% full but i did add some fluval biomax to top this up abit... and the top tray has carbon bag either side and a polishing pad... is this ok and if i were to add any additional bio media hows r The best way of doing thia as they need washing according to the box. Look forward to hearing from you. Arron
Having a polishing pad in top tray just concentrates fine muck in the media tray but other than that the set up is correct. If media looks dirty just give that tray a gentle shake in water you have drained off during maintenance to clean it
@@pondguru Thanks mate. Just trying to polish the water as the outlet is producing alot of micro air bubbles and also looks like fine particals even with the filter setup as mentioned. Grrr
I just purchased the 306 can you tell me how many pounds does a canister hold of biohome ultimate. I’d like to know before I make a purchase online. And make sure I have enough to get started . Thank you
He states in the video that each tray holds 1kg of biohome, 2.2lb ... there are 3 trays but uses the bottom tray for mechanical filters ie foam sponges... so that leaves 2 trays left .. so that would be 2kg or 4.4lb of biohome if I'm correct
My question to you is if you are going run a canister filter on one of your personal tanks which brand would you prefer/trust the most? I have been partial to Eheim as they really haven't given me a reason not to yet. Also what is your opinion on Hamburg matten filters? I have always thought about a sump with several of those for a filtration option. Thanks for all you do for this hobby/industry, Im sure many people have become more successful in there endeavors because of your insights.
I haven't had any tanks with fish since I closed the shop a couple of years ago but the best filters I have had for this series would be the Aquis 1250 from Aqua One (much better than the new 'Ocellaris' range) and the Hydor 600 which is an excellent alternative to the FX6 and actually holds a bit more media (5.2kg). Eheim pro2 and pro3 are good but the newer filters are gradually getting made with plastic which seems more brittle - I'm not too keen on the pro4 range as there are way too many fiddly little plastic bits which are easily snapped off. Fluval are consistently good quality and the quality of fittings seems to be getting better whereas Eheim seem to be getting worse so I'd favor Fluval over Eheim but they are both market leaders and either is a good choice. I recently designed a new variant of the FX range of filters which I will do some more work on then give it to Fluval to see what they think as I'd like to see it hold more media which it could do quite easily - a container the size of the FX6 could possibly hold around 8kg (instead of 5kg) and still have loads of space for foams too. HMF filters can work very well and they do best if neglected as anaerobic zones build up in clogged foams. If they are cleaned too often they are nitrate factories just like most plastic based filters but if treated right they can be good. I'm glad you enjoy the videos - thanks for watching.
