FilterPro / Biohome Q&A

[@pondguru]

www.filterpro.co.uk/qa-24-w.asp (best viewed on a tablet or laptop) A quick video to say that I have added lots more questions and answers to the Q&A page of the FilterPro website. If you're interested in learning about filtration, how the Biohome works or why it is important to set a tank (and filter) up properly you will surely find something useful on the FilterPro Q&A page. Let me know what you think of the page in the comment section of this video and if there are any specific questions which haven't already been answered on the Q&A page I will make sure to add them to the page - just post your questions in the comment section. Thanks for watching and thanks (on behalf of your fish) for setting your tanks up properly with suitably sized filters and Biohome filter media. Link to scientific study showing how much nitrate is processed by Biohome filter media: kzbin.infoUgkxtEkJp-Ot-sr43DtEwMtd6ReLzSK2yQD6 Link to a post on my channel with some great Full Cycle Filtration reports (see comments): kzbin.infoUgkxFdgRRt6GxA1o3ffDzsF5dbOaB5xAuoFX

[@aengusfoley6694]

Thank you for clearing that up for me

[@pondguru]

@@aengusfoley6694 No worries, any time.

[@TheAppleAid]

Fantastic, mindblowing product. All three of our planted tanks now run for months without hardly any nitrate and the water looks stunning.

[@pondguru]

That is great to hear and I thank you for the report.

[@timbo2clark823]

Excellent comprehensive qa well done ps your pond looks amazing and I loved those vids when yoh were setting huge filtration of it was amazing

[@pondguru]

Thanks for checking the Q&A page out - yes, it is an important resource for information and I will add much more to it as time goes on. The filter seems to be working very well as the water in the pond is clearer and definitely healthy judging by the amount of life in it. However, I will be getting all the carp and sturgeon removed and relocated before the end of the year so after that it should be crystal clear. The amount of water flowing through the pond has also been increased since the farmer has extended the drainage in the fields behind my house and linked it to the pond feed.

[@jasoncarty2175]

The pond is looking grand Richard!👌

[@pondguru]

Yes, for the first time ever I didn't cut anything back last year so all the foliage around the sides has gone mad. There is now more water flowing through the pond and the filter is constantly sending invertebrates into the pond to help feed the fish - it's all going well. However, the carp and sturgeon are being fished out and relocated before the end of the year. When they are removed the water will likely revert to being crystal clear.

[@tghodosko7259]

I use your product in my FX4 and I love it!

[@pondguru]

Nice one - thanks for the feedback and best of luck with the tank.

[@Raitis.F]

Thank you for my 3KG package about a month ago. Finally, have my first Bio-home in my filter... Took a long time for me to get this :)

[@pondguru]

Thanks for the comment and best of luck with the tank.

[@brockg6194]

Great product 👍

[@pondguru]

I'm glad you appreciate what the Biohome can do and feel free to post your results and information about how the filter is set up.

[@karinaabad5347]

Hello. I watched your video on pimping the filter that comes with bioorb, but Im nervous to go there. I am helping my son care for his betta in a small acrylic 2gal (ish) tank. The product you recommend, biohome filter media, can that be used in a small stand alone tank? It is set up with a little heater and ai just purchased a small air bubble thing for it that I plan to add. Our tank has no sort of filter other than mom changing the water every week… any help is appreciated as I know this is a very very modest fish set up.. thank you!

[@pondguru]

For smaller tanks I'd generally recommend the Biogravel since it can easily fit into smaller filter scenarios. If you have a 2 gallon tank it would be better to go with a bigger tank since smaller tanks are a much less stable environment when compared to a bigger tank. More water = more stability.

[@pondguru]

If the tank is only 2 gallons I'd advise buying a larger tank and setting up a more suitable environment for the fish. The larger a body of water is the more stable the water conditions will be. For small filtering scenarios I'd advise using the Biogravel since it is small and can fit into small filter compartments.

[@RealMenHaveCats]

Your recommendations for how much Biohome media to use are given by weight. Perhaps you could tell us how much volume a kg of media occupies in liters. If I know I have space in my filter for, e.g., two liters of media, I could then calculate how many kg of Biohome would fit and apply your recommendations.

[@pondguru]

(Real men do indeed have cats). The different sizes of Biohome take up different volumes but approximate volumes when placed randomly would be as follows: Biogravel 0.8 litres per kg Ultimate / Mini Ultra / Ultimate Marine 1.2 litres per kg Standard / Plus 1.1 litres per kg Ultra / Maxi Ultimate / Maxi Ultimate Marine 1.3 litres per kg If you pack the filter media into a filter neatly it will take up less volume than the figures above. I made the 'Pimp My Filter' series of videos to show a more exact reflection of how much media will fit into different types of filter trays since none of them are the same. Most types of canister filters have been covered in that series.

[@aengusfoley6694]

Is there anything being developed for BIohome to be suitable in pond filters Richard. Thanks

[@pondguru]

The Biohome Ultra and Maxi Ultimate have been used in pond filters for years but we only recommend it for shower filters where it is a much cleaner environment compared to standard pond / koi filters. Ideally the shower filter would be the last stage of filtration so the media was kept clean (and effective) and it would be maintenance free.

[@adalwolf8328]

What would be your response against the argument that the pores in sintered glass media (biohome, matrix, substratpro etc.) are too small for bacteria to colonize and just get clogged up? I have heard so much conflicting information about the subject. (Some hobbyist swear by K1 and other plastic media.)

[@pondguru]

You asked me this question a few weeks ago and I wrote a massive long reply? If not then this is word-for-word the same question from someone else.

[@adalwolf8328]

@@pondguru Hmm, I don't believe I did. Just coincidence I guess. Could you link to the video with your reply, would be interesting to read it.

[@pondguru]

​@@adalwolf8328 I have over 1000 videos on KZbin so have no chance of finding that reply or comment without spending hours looking for it. If you are using a conditioner which starves bacteria (e.g. prime) it really doesn't matter what media you use since there will be so little bacteria in the system that the nitrate will always be high. I made a video on such treatments which may be of interest here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/Z4qmpYCPj7afn8k and I did a long post on the 'community' part of my channel which explains why most people unfortunately trust the 'experts' who just want to sell product: kzbin.infoUgkxQR8CbpF8GxMbWmhjBk88kKKngpvo6d3G I hope that helps and best of luck with your tank. With regard to pore size I made a video a few years ago which shows different types of media at a sensible magnification and the pictures don't lie: kzbin.info/www/bejne/h4XXcoiPh5tqe8k Unfortunately nobody claiming that media gets clogged or pot scrubbers are better than proper filter media has bothered to make a similar video but that is no surprise. Too many people confuse bacterial slime with bacteria and that is a huge problem as that sort of ignorance is confusing for people who are just looking to get a good filter media which will support bacteria. Plastic (K1, cheap plastic balls etc.) is a hostile environment for bacteria to colonize so it has to build up a slime when successive populations of bacteria live (and rapidly die) on that surface. When looked at under a microscope it is claimed to be bacteria but that is nonsense. Unless you use an electron microscope you will never see individual bacterium. The more suitable a surface is for bacteria to colonize the less slime it will build up so for the likes of Biohome (which is perfect for bacteria) there is no slime build up and therefore to anyone cracking it open after 10+ years there will be no 'bacteria' (slime) inside it - the bacteria doesn't need to build up slime when a surface is suitable for colonization. I hope that makes sense but if not then feel free to ring me any time on 07772848730 no worries. There is so much fake information online that I'm never surprised when people are confused - if a (sponsored) channel with 200K+ subscribers is saying something it must be true, right? ... lol

[@adalwolf8328]

@@pondguru Agree this hobby is full of anecdotal information. Thanks for clarifying.

[@ta420nk5]

biohome works.. im not at zero nitrate but i keep overstocked african cichlid tanks.. anyways i can attest to its ability to drastically reduce them.. when the proper amount is used and in the wright way.. my .02

[@pondguru]

That sounds good to me - thanks for the report. Out of interest where is the nitrate usually at a week after a partial water change? Also, I'm assuming that you don't use Prime?

[@ta420nk5]

@@pondguru I do bi weekly changes and I typically got around 80-90 ish ppm nitrate BEFORE using the media.. after it’s between 20 and 40.. hard to tell on the API kit.. and I’m on a well so I don’t use anything UNLESS I’m doing a fish in cycle, then I do use prime but only for a week or two. So that’s a nice drop.. I’ll take it. I don’t have it in my pond or other tanks but I will eventually

[@pondguru]

@@ta420nk5 Considering that you're only changing some water once every 2 weeks that is a great drop and if you did a partial water change weekly it would come way down - bear in mind that any uneaten food and fish waste sitting in the tank / filter is a source of ammonia which in turn is a source of nitrite which then becomes nitrate so removing that once a week will make a heck of a difference.

[@DiscusRussell]

Richard we haven't seen eye to eye over the years but I use your gravel in my hob filters as you can get lots in. In my sump I use quality white pomice. I bet you are surprised I bought biohome lol. Having used it for about a year I honestly don't think its any better than white pomice of the same size but biohome is a regular shape so will fit more.The cost factor is what worries me as its very expensive for what it is. My honest opinion

[@pondguru]

Thanks for the report and I'm glad that you consider the Biogravel to be suitable for the HOB filters - It would be great to know how much are you using, what the volume of the tank is and whether you use seachem prime since those factors are critical in the success or failure to achieve a full cycle. Thank you in advance for that information.

[@DiscusRussell]

@@pondguru Hi Richard, I use Aquaclear 50s on my 20 gallon tanks and have pimped them as your pimp vid. I never use Straight tap water and use RODI with Seachem buffers to achieve water parameters suitable for my discus. Here we come to the nitty gritty. Yes it (I dont believe I'm going to say this) does work as you say but quality White pumice which I have tried in the hob filters as well works to. I think If you could lower the price it would be more popular but as you know quality white pumice can be sourced very cheap. I applaud your work with fillers and media and the help which you freely give to anyone who asks but we will have to beg to differ on the is pumice as good as Biohome

[@pondguru]

@@DiscusRussell Thanks for that but how much of the Biogravel are you using for each of the 20 (US?) gallon discus tanks? Also have you got a full cycle (v. low nitrate)? I featured the Aquaclear 70 on a previous video so unfortunately I don't know how much media will fit into the Aquaclear 50, hence asking the question again. Since the 70 holds approx. 1kg of Biogravel that makes it suitable for a discus tank of around 13 US gallons (assuming the goal is to achieve a full cycle) so for a 20 US gallon tank I'm assuming that you have 2 x Aquaclear 50 filters (holding approx. 1.5kg biogravel between them?) on each 20 US gallon discus tank (if you have a full cycle). If you've only got 1 x Aquaclear 50 on each 20 gallon tank that will be roughly half what is normally needed to achieve a full cycle so I'd be surprised if the nitrate wasn't high in that situation. Some more useful information would be appreciated. There can never be too much information as it leads to a greater understanding.

[@DiscusRussell]

@@pondguru I will ring you

[@pondguru]

@@DiscusRussell You're in the UK? That makes everything I worked out above incorrect as I was working in US gallons (1 US gallon = 3.8 litres) and not UK gallons (1 UK gallon = 4.54 litres). Each 20 UK gallon tank would need nearer 2kg of Biogravel for a full cycle and not 1.5kg as previously worked for 20 US gallons. It would really help to know how much media and how many filters you have operating on each tank and also how the water tests regarding the nitrate level a week after a partial water change.