[Jeanv]

Hi,

I recieved my main filter today. It is a Dophin 1600 and can cycle a 1000l/hr. I opened it up to see whats inside and "discovered" 5 baskets; 1 with sponge, 1 with carbon and 1 with round thingies. The top two are empty. What is that for? Must I get something to put in there?

2 days before the tank is delivered!

Regards
Jean

 

[conor]

If they are the top two then I would imagine they are for a fine filter floss - basically to remove the finest of particles before the water goes back to the tank. It's meant to give you that extra crystal clear water. IMO not essential, like carbon. I would be inclined to have more "round thingies", which I'm guessing is your biological filtration. Ceramic rings perhaps?

 

[Jerseyfish]

I'd agree with conor. Another set of ceramic rings or other similair media for biological filtering would make good in the 4th slot up, and the top slot is good for a polishing media/filter floss. I'm not familiar with your exact filter, but make sure its easy to access and clean if you want to use the floss, since it does need to be rinsed out somewhat regularly, or it might impede your filter flow. If you don't like that idea, I'd say throw another set of bio media (more ceramic rings probally), or you could throw something else into the middle.

The general idea with canisters seems to be that you should stack mechanical->chemical->bio media, from bottom to top, with floss at the top for polishing if you so desire. While you probally could leave them empty, I would at least throw some more ceramic rings in, since those don't need to be changed out for a long time, and the more biological filtering the better.