Poly filter question?

[RaeRae]

Can I put my poly filter in my sock? Can you run a poly filter and carbon or is that too much? And how long do you usually get out of your poly filter?

 

[zuri]

no carbon is needed wen you run poly it will turn dark brown when its done. how long it lasts will vary from tank to tank i chance mine out once a month on a 17g and a 60g

 

[RaeRae]

no carbon is needed wen you run poly it will turn dark brown when its done. how long it lasts will vary from tank to tank i chance mine out once a month on a 17g and a 60g

Can I put it in my sock?

 

[zuri]

you can imo put it anywhere where there is flow. but keep in mind it would be doing the socks job an most like get dirtier twice as fast. i use mine with a bit of reg floss to keep them free of excrement reg floss is cheap imo an good for this poly is best used for all the things it pulls from your water that shouldn't be in it and not nearly as cheap

 

[vetteguy53081]

I wouldnt place it with carbon. It is intended tyo act as a sponge for removal of many elements in the water. Carbon may even compete with it.

 

[Sebastiancrab]

I wouldnt place it with carbon. It is intended tyo act as a sponge for removal of many elements in the water. Carbon may even compete with it.

Where is the best place to put it?

 

[vetteguy53081]

Where is the best place to put it?

In path of running water. For me, I have it in sump as water enters sump from overflow

 

[Tastee]

I keep my Poly Filter in an area with some flow but not not inline with the water flow. Poly filter adsorbs chemicals and is not intended to be used as a physical filter. I keep mine after the filter socks. In my RSR 250 I keep it in the return chamber. In my RSR 525XL I keep it in the refugium section before the skimmer and return.

If you use it in areas with high flow before other filtration you will simply clog it up with detritus and have to change it more often.

 

[RaeRae]

How long does it take to change color if you have heavy metals in your tank?

 

[Tastee]

Not very long, likely a few hours at most, but it depends on the concentration of the element in question. It also depends on your eyesight as whilst one person may be able to detect a faint change in colour it may take longer for another person. For example a younger person could probably detect a change more quickly than I could with my 50+ year old eyes.

 

[KrisReef]

The Polyfilter has to make contact with (moving) water to efficiently adsorb heavy metals. It will work quicker if the water circulates through the pad rather than having the filter pad sitting passively in a corner of the tank.

The concentration of heavy metals, if it is low enough might not show up as a noticeable color change, at least in theory? I think the package used to say what metals turn what colors as they are adsorbed? The higher the concentration in the tank water the faster the pad can adsorb the metal and show that change in color.

I have put them in a sock, they can work there if that is the only place you have to place it. As long as the pad is in contact with moving water it will work well. As others have mentioned before, they can plug up with detritus as well as heavy metals so using them after a sock pre-filter or skimmer can improve contaminate metal removal activity.

I need to buy a new one, thanks for the remind!