HeyNow;4596379; said:
I put one of the blue pads in each media basket (resting on the bottom of the basket of course), and I had carbon/bio media in the top, less carbon and more bio media in the middle, and all bio media on the bottom.
I think the top basket pad was the problem- it was absolutely caked solid w muck- the other ones were gross too, just not as bad as that top one.
Correct me if I am wrong but the way the water flows through the canister it hits top basket first. Maybe my mistake was adding a pad to the top basket.
Here is your Problem.
You don't put the pads at the bottom of the basket !
The pads go on the top of the basket over the media.
don't overfill the baskets which have the filter pad. Allow 3/4" above the media for the pad to rest. This will ensure proper fit between the baskets to alleviate bypass, and help protect the bio media from being clogged.
Hope this helps.
You also don't need to put a pads over every basket. Just one pad over the top basket is sufficient. You can put an additional pad over the middle basket if you like, but generally it's not necessary.
Water flow in the fx5 comes down the intake tube to the bottom of the unit, then up through the outer sponges, then back down through the center of the baskets, then back up the outlet tube to the tank.
I would advice the against the use of carbon in such a filter as generally the media will expire before a service interval is due, and carbon is not necessary for sustained long term use in keeping the aquarium optimal. I would only use efficient bio media such seachem matrix or similar in all the baskets.
