Fluval 305 Urgent Help

robedadam

Hey guys

I purchased a 2nd hand 305 with media. Filled my tank 72 hours ago, wanted to give the old media a chance to boost my cycling and bacteria, began using the filter and used media 72 hours ago also.

After a vist to my LFS today he said rip the media out, as after it has been out of water for 6 hours, it's dead (filter was out of water 24 hours).

Luckily I had a fluval extra value pack, which I mistakenly thought contained everything for my filter! I got home today to open my filter to find a foam filter which I thought was the "polishing pad" on the left (sorry I was dumb), this is obviously a filter not a polishing pad.

I was going to get new filter pads (x4) tomorrow and put in tomorrow. I gave them a clean (in tank water) tonight and put them back in, but I figure I should start with new filter pads.

Where I am confused the trays had the following in,which I couldn't see as a standard fluval 305 setup:
Top tray: small pea sized balls
Middle tray: cylindrical tubes
Bottom tray: cylindrical tubes

I now have put in:
Top tray: polishing pads (one either side of the tray, but looks like I could fit x2 in easy, so 4 in total In the top tray)
Middle tray: ammonia remover
Bottom tray: cylindrical tubes that were in there previously

Didn't use any of the carbon in as wasn't sure exactly which order to put things in! Can't figure out if the cylindrical tubes were biomax or pre filter.

Questions:
- the fluval instructions that were I the box with the water polishing pads reads "place the pad in the last chamber, below the bio max basket" is this a typo??
- is my media tray selection ok? Should I replace the cylindrical tubes in the bottom tray with news ones?
- as I am fairly early onion the cycling stage, should I replace all 4 filter pads (not polishing pads) tomorrow
- should I use the carbon that came with extra value pack?

Complete confused by this as on the side of the fluval extra value pack I have it reads:
Suggested media placement:
-water polishing pad
-carbon
-ammonia remover

No where does it refer to bio max or pre-filter.

Thanks in advance

Byron

I can't comment on the filter as I'm not familiar with the Fluvals, but you might find something online. There are some "how to" videos on various filters I've seen, some put up by the manufacturer, so one for your filter model should help.

AbbeysDad

It's really pretty simple when you view it in terms of water flow - you do mechanical, chemical, biological. I believe that the fluval filters siphon water to the bottom and pump back to the tank from the top so flow would be bottom to top in the canister.
You do mechanical first, most often open cell foam, then chemical like activated carbon (although most don't use carbon), then bio-media like bio-max, Matrix, de*nitrate. Now if you have polishing pads (or polyester filter floss) it can go after the sponge. The idea is to 'decrud' the water before the bio-media.
If you choose not to use carbon, you can fill that chamber with a polishing pad or floss and bio-media.
Note: I would not bother with an ammonia scavenger resin (remover) or others unless you have some special need. I've experimented with Purigen and have had to use phosphate and nitrate removers...but these a special products for special situations.

The bottom line is that you need to do mechanical, course to fine and then chemical (optional) then biological.

boxercrazy156

I have the 405 which has 4 baskets I have the charcoal in the bottom 2 baskets and the ceramic holes in the top 2 the polishing pads you don't keep in all the time only when you need them and the foam pads in mine are at the side you can rinse and reuse them but I would start of with new

pop

Salutations Folks:


I have a used fluval 305 and the way I set it up:
Bottom tray has the foam pads
Middle tray has the bio-max (iam not sure what this does collect bacteria??)
Top tray has 2 polishing pads.
I suspect this is one of many way to do it and maybe not the best solution.
though I think this works and every few weeks I open the canister and squeeze out the water from the polishing pads and foam only and then fire the pup up.

pop