Upgrading to 75gal from 40gal Breeder, filter media questions!

[deeveeance]

Hi again!

Tatl and Tael are doing GREAT, and ever since making my own tank separators (made from plastic embroidery sheets and sliding binder bars), they have been thriving. No more eggs, less anxiety, and more playfulness, getting to the point where we can even pet them.

We ended up stumbling on a deal from our LFS the other day, they had a 75 Gallon (Aqueon) tank + Stand (the Aquatic Fundamentals one) + the remaining black sand substrate (two 25lb bags) for $180. Couldn't pass it up. It will fit perfectly in the wall section we have the current 40 Gal Breeder setup, and the enclosed stand will actually hold and hide everything nicely. Its a win-win.

Currently, we have a Fluval 307 running on about Half Flow that was purchased since my last post (about 7mo ago), and two filter sponges rated for 30 gallons each. Since the last time I had made a post, everything in tank has just been going swimmingly (hah), and we've even gotten some more plants to create a bit more shade.

I was told by LFS that 1/2 to 3/4 of flow from the canister filter wouldn't upset the Axolotl, plus having the added benefit of prolong the life of our filter media. This rang pretty true in my head because we also had not filled the 40 Gal Breeder tank to the top, meaning we were probably at around 35 gallons or less. Since we're upgrading, that'll have to be changed to full blast or near there. We are not going to fill the 75 Gal to the top as well, since it makes no sense for bottom-dwellers that only come out for food, or to show off.

My question here is- What kind of media should I get? It's about time for filter media to be changed out, and I have seen the prices, read other posts, and did some more Googling to find a wide array of answers that were varied due to different people having different setups, living things or goals- so why not just stick to asking the Axolotl specific forum?

Running on the included set that came with the Fluval 307 which seems to be:

• Bio-Foam Max
• Bio-Foam
• 70 g Carbon
• Quick-Clear
• Bio-Foam+
• Ceramic Media

Are there alternatives I should get?

Anything else that's specific to Axolotl or that I should avoid using?

Ideally, I want to be changing it all every 6mo (twice a year) but I know that some media may have different life expectancies.

Once the tank is fully transferred over, I will post pictures for everyone! Thanks in advance for all your help.

 

[minorhero]

If you are running filter floss then you need to get rid of it. But if you are just running sponge and ceramic rings then you never need to get rid of it and there is good reasons to keep using it. It's a home for bacteria, not an ablative surface. Anyway just rinse it in a bucket of old tank water and put it back in the filter.