I've seen lots of posts online about getting a big bag of poly-fil for a cheaper alternative to aquarium specific filter floss but when I went to the craft store they had several varieties. I grabbed a random low loft crib sheet and it has worked great to catch the sand particles I missed by not rinsing my sand (I almost overflowed my tank when I missed changing it out after stirring up my sand), but I'm wondering if the loft matters? Maybe high loft works better/differently for different needs. What do you other reefers use who buy this? Low loft? High Loft? Do you just put in one layer of it at a time or a few layers?
Which type of polyester batting (poly-fil) do you get for filter floss? High loft or Low loft? (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter miltonkl
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The loft is just the thickness of the floss mat otherwise they are the same. Low is thinner while high is thicker. What "loft" I would use depends on the manufacturer but I usually like it thick. If its too thin just double it up.
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My own experience: The poly stuff I bought was even cheaper. I bought the stuff that people would use as snow for Christmas decoration. I bought them after Christmas when they were at 75% off. So, they were $1 or less per bag. The thickness I use or how thick I want to pile up depends on how much stuff I want to filter out. I usually rinse them before use. If not, there is some sort of chemical that can cause the skimmer to foam up like crazy for a bit. No terrible ill effect I see so far for using these. I've used them for years.
Just a thought. Years back I bought some poly stuff from A-1 Foam in Bloomington. One thing you should ask before purchasing is much of it is made for furniture, pillow stuffing, decorations etc.. as such it is treated with a fire retardant, something worth checking before using.
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A lot of poly fill is also mildew resistant. That is a big No No in a reef tank as well.
As far as the loft goes, you are right that they can serve different functions, but they are both useful. The low loft has a more dense fiber structure. It will scrub a bit more from the water, but also can clog faster. The high loft is not as dense, clogging slightly less. But it lets more particulates and bubbles through and can shed fibers more readily.
When I run floss(which is rare), I will use a foam Fluval bio-foam block with a layer of low loft poly layer on the up flow side of it. I have found that leaving a small gap somewhere helps with flow backing up less through the sump when it starts getting clogged. No matter why you use, it will get impacted and require cleaning/changing.
As far as the loft goes, you are right that they can serve different functions, but they are both useful. The low loft has a more dense fiber structure. It will scrub a bit more from the water, but also can clog faster. The high loft is not as dense, clogging slightly less. But it lets more particulates and bubbles through and can shed fibers more readily.
When I run floss(which is rare), I will use a foam Fluval bio-foam block with a layer of low loft poly layer on the up flow side of it. I have found that leaving a small gap somewhere helps with flow backing up less through the sump when it starts getting clogged. No matter why you use, it will get impacted and require cleaning/changing.