filter media alternatives?
 

HI,

I have a 1.5 gallon tank using a small hang-on filter. It was a filter from another small tank i got at a petco and i no longer have any filter media for it. Can i substitute with fluval ceramic media? I am seeking mostly biological filtration and i feel that stuffing my filter with foam or floss will impede the filter motor.

I don't see why not. Try it out and see how the water flows through.
I hardly ever buy any of the original filter media for my filters.

At my LFS I saw a package that sold basically a big sheet of media like 2'x1'. The package said you could cut it to the size you needed. Is that what you mean or is that something different?

i have not seen anything like that. I have already switched my media to the ceramic bio-max cylindrical things fluval has but it looks like waters flowing over it and it doesn't look like its doing any mechanical filtration.

I have that material. It's a blue and white mat rolled up in a pillow and sold in a plastic bag. Works great.

The rings aren't going to mechanically filter the water except for the very largest pieces.

yea.... i will look into the big sheet of fitler media.. but this is a tiny filter. I need about...2 inches wide and 3 inches tall... hahaha i feel like a giant mat may be a little excessive, especially when one piece of foam will last me 3 months at least with regular rinsing

The pad cost like $3, which is cheaper than you can buy one of those little foam blocks for an aquaclear.

yea but storage will be a problem, as i have lots of space limitations, room is way too small. Ill see if i cant find a friend who has this or something similar. The other thing is ive tried another type of foam before and it would get caught in the impeller of the filter... this thing is packed tight right?

Doesn't have to be. You just want to make sure the water goes through the filter material instead of around it.