Has anyone used this as bio filter material?

[randythawkins]

At Home Depot last night in the tool rental section I saw these floor buffing pads.

They had different coarse ones - some finer and some not so much. $6 for 17" material...cut up into chunks and thrown in a mesh bag. Seems to me to be a good deal for material. Anyone tried it?


- Randy

 

[addy1]

I haven't, but have seen others post that they have and they work great.

 

[dieselplower]

I feel like that would be better for mechanical filtration than bio filtration.

 

[DOUBBLE TAP]

I use it a mechanical filter and it does a good job. I use bio balls for the bio filter but Im sure that the mats have some bio on them as well. There is a lot of surface area so I would think that it would work ok as a bio material.

 

[sissy]

I have and it comes in fine medium and course

 

[randythawkins]

I feel like that would be better for mechanical filtration than bio filtration.

I am curious...what makes you say "better for mechanical than bio"? What consideration makes you say that?

 

[dieselplower]

I am curious...what makes you say "better for mechanical than bio"? What consideration makes you say that?

I can only go off the picture but it looks like it would do a good job of filtering out debris as water passes through it. That is mechanical filtration. Biofiltration is performed by "biobugs" that grow on surfaces in a pond and its filter. They need clean media with lots of oxygen. The bacteria may begin to flourish in these pads but as the pads become covered in debris like poop and dead plant matter, their effectiveness will greatly decrease. Biofiltration is the process where these bugs "eat" and convert ammonia and nitrite into nitrate. I think if I were going to use that material for biofiltration, I would use them after I had already mechanically filtered the water, and I would cut it up into one inch square pieces, to increase the surface area.
Sorry, I am a moron. I just reread your original post and realized your intent was to cut it up and put it into mesh bags. Sounds like a good idea. I would still try to stick them after some sort of mechanical filter.

 

[randythawkins]

I can only go off the picture but it looks like it would do a good job of filtering out debris as water passes through it. That is mechanical filtration. Biofiltration is performed by "biobugs" that grow on surfaces in a pond and its filter. They need clean media with lots of oxygen. The bacteria may begin to flourish in these pads but as the pads become covered in debris like poop and dead plant matter, their effectiveness will greatly decrease. Biofiltration is the process where these bugs "eat" and convert ammonia and nitrite into nitrate. I think if I were going to use that material for biofiltration, I would use them after I had already mechanically filtered the water, and I would cut it up into one inch square pieces, to increase the surface area.
Sorry, I am a moron. I just reread your original post and realized your intent was to cut it up and put it into mesh bags. Sounds like a good idea. I would still try to stick them after some sort of mechanical filter.

OK, gotcha. To rephrase...it would work good as either mechanical or bio but the difference is where it is placed in the system and if it is forced to act as mechanical then by doing that job it looses it effectiveness as a bio. Would that be a correct restatement?

In my case I will already have mechanical filtration in place and would place these in my biofalls. But if I ever need to replace my mechanical material this would also be a good candidate.

thanks!

 

[TekWarren]

Looks like I need to take a trip to home depot. My biofalls filter pads could use replacing although my basin is pretty large and square.

 

[randythawkins]

Looks like I need to take a trip to home depot. My biofalls filter pads could use replacing although my basin is pretty large and square.

I was back at another HD last night and in their tool rental area they had, I believe, square ones along with the round ones. I could be mistaken as I did look to see what they had but didn't bother to pick anything off the shelf.

 

[dieselplower]

OK, gotcha. To rephrase...it would work good as either mechanical or bio but the difference is where it is placed in the system and if it is forced to act as mechanical then by doing that job it looses it effectiveness as a bio. Would that be a correct restatement?

In my case I will already have mechanical filtration in place and would place these in my biofalls. But if I ever need to replace my mechanical material this would also be a good candidate.

thanks!

Yes sir it seems you have a good understanding! If I were going to use them as mechanical filtration, I would use them as full pieces, rather than chunks in a bag. Good find!

 

[sissy]

you can buy them at equipment rental places also .Lowes carries them also and you can get them online and also on e-bay

 

[dachmom]

We used them this year in our Bio filter. They worked great, just cut them up into 8 pieces. We initially threw them in whole and they weren't working so well. But once we cut them up the pond cleared in days. It was awesome, good luck

 

[sissy]

the medium and course work better if i remember one is red and the other is blue

 

[randythawkins]

Cool and thanks everyone.

 

[Dave 54]

Yes sir it seems you have a good understanding! If I were going to use them as mechanical filtration, I would use them as full pieces, rather than chunks in a bag. Good find!

They look to be on a par with Jap matting which to buy can be quite expersive, I'm going to check out our local B&Q here in Plymouth UK probably going to save us a packet .
Have you thought about using either K1 or K3 along with your bio balls DOUBBLETAP ?

rgrds

Dave

 

[Fishylove]

Before I put the bog in, I used scrubby pads, (the rectangled green ones you use to scrub dishes with) in my bio filter, worked great!
I could get a large package of them at the Dollar Tree here for 1$. They are much thinner than what you showed there, but for a buck, I could fill up the bottom portion of my bio setting them on there sides and packing them in there for 5-6$ Had the same ones for 4 years till I built the bog, very durable. If you get lucky, I've also seen them sold at Flea Markets, in the booths where they sell things for 1$ or 2$, they had twice as many in the package.

 

[kougs]

I cut them into 4 inch squares and placed in a barrel. don't know if you can see them in the picture or not. I did go away from these as was hard to clean and went with the birdman sand and gravel filter. more efficient and super easy to clean. You can see the sand and gravel filter just behind. I've got two now set up.

take a look

 

[TekWarren]

I wasn't able to find floor scrubber pads at my local Home Depot or Menards :/ I need to clean my pads again and I really want to replace them but I can get by for now and hopefully source something for next spring.

 

[randythawkins]

I wasn't able to find floor scrubber pads at my local Home Depot or Menards :/ I need to clean my pads again and I really want to replace them but I can get by for now and hopefully source something for next spring.

Did you look in the tool rental section? That is where I saw them along with the floor sanders.