Floss in canister?

[freshfishies]

I have an Eheim Ecco Pro 80 and I don't find the white sponge is polishing the water the way floss would in my old Eheim 'piggy back' filter.
Is it possible (or worth while) to use floss in one of the compartments instead of the extra substratpro?

The set up top to bottom is currently:

pre filter basket with blue foam pad
white filter pad
3 baskets filled with substratpro

I was thinking of putting the floss in the top media basket under the white pad.

Any thoughts, concerns or recommendations?

[fischkopp]

Sure you can.Just make sure you change it often.

+1

You will need to clean these weekly. Personally, I prefer to keep only bio media in canister filters. Floss is added to HOBs (like Aquaclear), which can be maintained much easier.

[freshfishies]

Fischkopp-
should I be cleaning the white pad as well weekly? I've been doing it about every 2 weeks.
Another quick question...is it bad to do small water changes weekly? Say 10% of the water while 'pooper-scooping'? My big pleco leaves quite a mess within a week!   

[fischkopp]

Generally speaking, the more fine the sponge/floss the more dirt gets trapped, to the point where its fully clogged so that the water can't find a way though it anymore. If that happens then most of the water will bypass the floss and likely all the media coming later as well, and it will throttle the throughput. When this will happen depends on the produced waste, so you will have to keep an eye on it. Two weeks is a good starting point; if you find that the sponge/floss trapped already a lot of dirt than do it earlier.

Water changes are never bad, the bigger the better. In an established (not overstocked community-) tank you should aim for 1/4 to 1/3 weekly/biweekly. Bigger fish will produce more waste and may require more WC. I do 50-75% weekly in most of my tanks.

[freshfishies]

Wow! I didn't realize I could change so much so often. Thanks for the info:)

[ciaus]

Wow! I didn't realize I could change so much so often. Thanks for the info:)

freshfihies, Fishkopp is 100% accurate, but I think worth one word of caution....especially since the thread is about cleaning floss in a canister....I too do large volume weekly water changes(@50%), but I NEVER tinker with the canister media, on the same day as the water volume/column.  I read somewhere else where someone said the same thing; and in my experience, the risk, however slight, of crashing the tank biologically just ain't worth the risk of cleaning the Canister and water column at the same time, on the same day...

Just my two cents.

[Iceman]

Canisters are better known for their biological filtering rather than mechanical. Like fischkopp, I only use bio media in my canister. I only clean mine maybe three times a year.

I suggest the addition of a HOB if you desire polished water. I personally do not use one however I can barely see the fish through all the plants.

[freshfishies]

Well thanks to all the great advice my tank has cleared up again:)
My last question about this is what is the silky white-ish pieces that are caught in the first stage of my filter? Was it possibly a result of the bacterial infection I had? It's slowly going away though. Just wondering!