Bio Home Ultimate - These test results may surprise you!
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- čas přidán 28. 08. 2020
- I ran a test with a fully packed FX6 for 5 months and the results are in on Bio Home Ultimate. As popular as this very expensive bio home media is, you may need a whole lot of it!
Its recommended to use about 12 lbs for an over stocked African Cichlid tank, but no average fish keeper is going to have 2-3 FX6 canister filters on a 75 gallon tank. Its just not realistic. In hopes of getting some Nitrate reduction I ran my test with a reasonable amount of bio-home (1 full FX6) , but the results may still surprise you...If you want an un-biased Bio home review then watch on...
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Have you shelled out the big bucks for some Bio-Home Ultimate? Did it work for you? Share your experience with us, we want to know!!
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Hey Kev.
You may of just missed the window dude as I've heard for this bacteria it takes 6 months 🤷♂️ you've done well to reduce flow / give the time to it ect.. to see if it starts reducing (thumbs up) but you may of just missed the window dude to find that holy grail of a fully cycled filter. But I wouldn't like to say my man. Keep the content coming my guy. Loving the content 👌
I have to say, I was getting impatient! lol I couldnt wait another month, also I was finding so many articles with extensive testing done saying they also were unable to achieve the full cycle. I wanted my flow rate back!! lol
I bought almost 8 pounds, I use it in all my tanks.. no prime or purigen. Its almost two years now.. Nitrates have gone down 25% ish .. it takes a TON of biohome .. but for me.. it is slowly working.
BrokenTexan Good info, thanks for that. The number one reason everyone saying it didn’t work for me is because I need a TON more 🤷🏼♂️
@@KaveManAquatics I think the exact term of measurement I had to use is .. "Shit load"
Thanks for producing this clearly explained, detailed video. I have the same water parameters as you when using the API test kit. I've learned not to be overconcerned as long as my community fish are active, eating, and otherwise appear healthy. I look forward to receiving your e-book on achieving crystal clear water. 👍👍👍
Thanks, glad you enjoyed the video! I agree with you 100% 😊
Great content Kev👍🏼 Look forward for the next video.. Let’s Goooo!
Thanks, glad you’re enjoying the channel! 😁
Thanks this is helpful .... There's a lot been written about some of the more complex water conditioners (like prime which I love and use) and chemical treatments like purigen that inhibit nitrate reducing bacteria . I wonder if your high tap nitrate levels impact anaerobic formation. Did you manage to get Nitrate reduction with the fluval rings. I still have a tray of them in my 407 and after watching this i will leave them in there.
Great video as always. I was looking forward to this new video. Keep up the good work
Thank yo bro, Glad you enjoyed it! I think next video is going to be on another level! 😊
Just subscribed. I’m new to the hobby. Been about a year now. I’ve watch the pond guru on how he pimps the different filters. Been thinking about getting that FX6. Very informative video. Thanks for sharing 💪🏼
Thanks, glad you enjoyed it! Yes pond guru is awesome, he taught me a thing or 2 back when I started as well. You will love the FX6, it is a beast!
Thanks for the heads up, I will set up 150 gallon tank with fx6 , will small amount of lava rocks work?
lava rocks are great bio media, and affordable too 👍
Nice video and very informative also. Just to check with you, the flow of water for fx6 is from side to bottom then raise back up to the tank right? Isnt it the sponge tray shld be bottom instead?
No, it starts from the bottom, goes up the sides, then back down through the middle, (so sponges on top tray) then back up to your tank...check it out here czcams.com/video/dllg-vSN-EU/video.html
KaveMan Aquatics thanks. Enjoying all your informative videos
Good work always appreciated your videos where did you get the decor
Thanks bro! I got lucky and found them at my local Pet Smart! 😊
Wow!!! This is the first time I seen your channel? Great review regarding the FX filters. Thank You 🙏🏻 for showing how you are loading yours. I load slightly different, but I use the regular Fluval Biomax. It’s proven to obviously work for me. It’s currently on a 75gl fresh tank, 1 Oscar, 1 Leopard & Snoball Pleco. Works flawlessly, and will be seeding and starting my 150 as well. New sub 🤙🏼
Thank you bro, Welcome aboard! 😊 Glad you enjoyed the video. Fluval biomax works great as well 👍
Hey kev
Hope your doing well. After i installed the sponge filter on my intake but now i noticed an inscreas in algea growth . Should i remove the sponge or how do i rid the algea?.
So you installed a pre filter on your intake? That wouldnt have anything to do with algae growth. there are many other reasons for that...My free ebook can help you out! check it out - bit.ly/H2O
Hi Kaveman, I got a 20 gallon aquarium after rescuing a baby slider turtle in my backyard. I also added a few small fish and some decor. I put about everything you recommended for clear water. Cascade filter,
,wave maker, and a sponge bubble filter. I don’t have the tank filled all the way due to the baby turtle. At first the water looked pretty clear now it’s cloudy especially towards the back of the tank. Oh and I also have the basking and UVB LIGHT that I turn on the turtle for a couple of hours. What do you recommend? I want crystal clear water.
You could be having bacterial bloom which is normal in new tank setups. Nothing to do there but be patient, it will go away on its own. After your bloom period if your water is still cloudy theres multiple things you can do, my free ebook has many tips that will be helpful, check it out here - bit.ly/H2O
Kev, do you use the sea chem Cichlid trace elements also?
I have, but sometimes I run out and don’t replenish right away. I do believe it’s beneficial for them though! 👍
Kevin, what do you think about FX6 set up that poundguru has? Do you think that theirs to much sponge in it and that the sponges that come with the FX6 is good enough? thanks
The sponges that come with the FX6 are good enough, I would just add an additional fine filter floss pad like pinky floss or poly-fil to the top tray, BUT Pond gurus hack of adding course and medium to the sides is definitely an upgrade. And you cant ever really have too much sponge. Remember not only is the sponge mechanically filtering but beneficial bacteria also grows on sponges, so more sponge also adds more bio-media as well. Hope this answers your question
@@KaveManAquatics Mahalo for the quick reply! i was also wondering if all the added sponges inhibit the flow rate, and noticed you just ran the stock FX6 sponges, and if that was your reason to not upgrade your sponge set up, thanks again for the tips!
Hi Kev, thank you for your videos, they are all very helpful. I think I may have watched all of them. I already have the MTS. I wish I would have known about the syndrome. I am working on my third tank that will be my Cichlids tank. I have the FX-4. How much the tank will turn over with the Fx-4?
Glad you like them! It depends on the size of your tank. Fluval says its pumps 450 GPH but its probably more like 350 after you add in the media...so divide 350 gallons by the size of your tank and you get how many times it'll turn over.
@@KaveManAquatics thank you, its a 75gallon tank. if my math is right it should turn over about 4x.
testing myself using stresscoat as my water treatment and not other chemicals... it did work. I was testing with a 10 gallon and 1 Kg of biogravel. I had to tear down the tank in prep for a move but I'll do it again at the new house. I plan to do a big sump with it for the tank my wife has planned too.
What do you recommend HOB or Canister right now I have 2 400 Emperor's on a 75 gallon
Im a canister type of guy 😁 kavemanaquatics.com/product-category/equipment/filters/
As always love your video and i trust your result! So do you think is it still good as a biological media? my fx6 flow rate is down too because of biohome ultimate. i have 75 gallon tank and i have fx6 and eheim 2217. after watching your video i am planning to transfer all bihome ultimate to eheim 2217 and for the fluval fx6 1st tray mechanical, 2nd tray seachem matrix, 3rd tray only chemipure blue/purigen, so my fluval fx6 can run better. whats your opinion?
That’s the perfect setup, very similar to mine after removing the biohome. Biohome is still great for producing beneficial bacteria, I had no problems with ammonia or nitrites. But it did not reduce any nitrates at all. Plus like you and I both noticed, packing so much biohome in reduces the flow, and that’s problematic in itself. I’d rather use cheaper bio-media that produces beneficial bacteria just the same as bio home and allows my flow rate to be at maximum levels 👍
@@KaveManAquatics thank you very much. always wait for your video and its worth it. keep up the good work.
@@mohammadopal682 Thanks bro, I appreciate that!
What made you decide not to add the crushed coral to the fx6?
It was slowing the flow down more than I wanted. With the bio home in it that was a good thing. Anaerobic bacteria need slow flowing water to grow. Since deciding to remove the bio home I wanted my faster flow rate back....so I just added the crushed coral to the substrate instead. 😊
Hey Kev
I bought some bio home for my tidal 55 HOV but I don’t know how many gel ball bacteria to put in, can you help? I have a 20 gallon.
Those are just bacteria boosters, you can use them all if you like. But honestly I think you spent more than you needed to. Bio-home works well to produce aerobic bacteria, but the over priced price tag is for its claims of reducing nitrates. And IF it actually can do that, you'd need a whole lot more than what your tidal 55 can hold.
Did you not place a bag of crushed coral this time around? If not, any specific reason why not?
I didnt, because I mixed in the crushed coral with my substrate.
Hello KaveMan... I'm relatively new to keeping African Cichlids. I inherited a 135g Cichlid aquarium in June 2020. I do 40 - 50g water changes weekly. I have a Fluval FX5 and a sponge filter. I've added 2 Current Wavemakers positioned as you recommended in another video and I test my water regularly. I just experienced a Nitrate Spike AFTER doing a water change. Should I add another filter to this aquarium? I'm in Phoenix AZ. Water is super hard and TDS is high. Any suggestions?
That is very strange. The only way to add nitrates to your tank after a water change is if it came from your tap. Test your tap water for nitrates and then retest your tank for comparison. And FYI adding another filter will not reduce nitrates. Only water changes can do that.
@@KaveManAquatics Thank you... Did a 50% water change, tested tap water beforehand (no nitrates), did a thorough vaccum too...Nitrates down, maybe an anomaly. Appreciate the advice.
Could also be test error, if the bottles arent shaken properly it can give a false reading. Glad it cleared up for you 💪
Great video, thanks for sharing! I am new to this too so found your video helpful. Trying to decided whether to try biohome. I thought pondguru said you need 1kg for every 100L of water in your tank. You mention you had 3.5 pounds for 75 gallons, which about 1.6kg for 283L. Seems you might have a bit more than half as much media as pondguru recommends to get the full cycle happening. Did I misunderstand something?
No you are correct, I ran my test purposely with only 1fx6 full of biohome. Many have claimed biohome to work with 1fx6. It didn’t work for me, but I also wouldn’t want to have 2 or 3 FX6 which is what the required amount would be. For an over stocked tank like mines I would need 2kg/100L
Don't waste your money, it's snake oil
@@KaveManAquatics i understand your reasons with the reduction in flow but without having enough bio home media its not really a ideal test? Thanks for all your videos 👍🇬🇧
Hey Kev!
First off i wana tell you how helpful your page is! I got 90 set up about 4 months ago and I've been trying to find a good page to use for info and this is the best one I've see for me!
So now to my question. I noticed you changed the set up of your bottom tray and you aren't using the crushed coral anymore. Is there a reason you changed it to what you have here? I've just done my first cleaning filter and your video has helped a lot. Now i wana change up my media!
Thanks in advance!
Mike
Thanks Mike, so glad to hear I was able to help! I removed the crush coral because due to that in combination with the bio-home it was drastically reducing my flow rate.
Since finishing my test of the bio-home (unfortunately didn’t work out for me) I wanted my flow rate back to what I know the FX6 is capable of. So I set up my media baskets with course media like the Fluval rings, only one basket of biohome just to preserve some of the bacteria already there. This way my FX6 Can turn the tank over more times than before.
But I also use my 407 filter as a polishing filter, with only fine sponges and some chemical media which would be much easier to remove and replace monthly than having to pop open the FX6.
Also, I probably could have left the crushed coral in the filter but I also have a lot in the tank mixed with my substrate helping to keep my water buffered and PH nice and high...so I just wanted to make sure I got maximum flow from FX6 and decided to remove it.
Hey Kev
Thanks for getting back so quickly and giving me some good info! I’ve got another question. I’ve seen mix reviews on purogen and was wondering if you’ve ever run into issues using it. And second I have a 407 on a 30gal with 2 goldfish for my wife. I’m about ready to do the first cleaning of it and I was wondering i should do anything differently with my set up or could I just fill it the same way you did in your other video!
Thanks again!
Mike
Mike Timpone hey Mike, you can fill your 407 same as I did and it’ll keep your tank nice and clean. I’ve never really heard anything negative about Purigen. It’s probably one of the best products in the hobby...but with that being said purigen is not necessary. It’s more of a personal preference if you want to use chemical media or not.
Do you use a Dechlorinator that treats ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate(like Seachem Prime)? I didn't hear you mention it. PondGuru has said that that will prevent a full cycle
@james Kerr if you wouldn't mind. Do you know of any easily obtained dechlorinators that match what your saying in the US. Just got biohome and want to make sure I'm not shooting myself in the foot.
@@lincolnhadalispbutnoneever2570 Hi, I’m not in the US so sorry don’t know specific brands, but basically what you want is a dechlorinator that only removes chlorine, chloramine, and heavy metals. No treating ammonia, nitrite, or nitrate
I too had issues but found leaving my filter for 6 months suddenly the nitrates started to drop i have have nitrates from the tap about 50ppm legal limit here so use a nitrate filter that gets it right down now after a week nitrates hit 10 to 15ppm so i water change but i have been really ill and the filter never got touched for a very long time flow had dropped and the water change was a month late when the water was tested it still only had 10ppm that's after a pal was over feeding ,,since then use it in everything i have with good results
@KaveMan Aquatics - have you recharged your Purigen with Bleach? As mentioned by Pong Guru that has potential to kill your beneficial bacteria. I also saw in your FX6 set up had a lot of wasted Canister space. Unfortunately your set up is significantly different compared to Pond Guru's reco. In my FX6 i am running about 10Ibs of Bio Home Ultimate.
I haven't recharged my purigen no. And it only looked like wasted space once I separated everything. When the media is in the bags and piled together the trays can only hold so much with the red trays being stacked on top. Trust me I packed that thing in. I could have gotten about a pound more if I used the bottom tray for media as well instead of crushed coral. With Pond guru's recommendation I would have had to have 4 FX6's full of biohome, I would never do that realistically on a 75 gallon. But I wanted to test others theories about achieving the full cycle with bio-home with far less media than pond guru recommends. Unfortunately it didn't work for me.
@@KaveManAquatics - Yeah unfortunately your set up is too different. I did follow the Pond Guru Video, and i am starting now to notice a reduction in Nitrate. I also did not use any of the FX6 red baskets and only filled the circular trays with Bio Home Media. My flow is terrible now, but i am getting on average a week longer between water changes on my 75G Discuss Tank.
Pooya Mozaffari That’s great! How many pounds of bio-home would you say is in your FX6?
@@KaveManAquatics - I got about 4.7KG, or amount 10.4 Ibs. I actually purchased the kit direct from Pond Guru, link below.
filterpro.co.uk/fx6--fx5-external-filter-freshwater-upgrade-kit-148-p.asp
I use a 407 right now but was planning on upgrading to the fx6 but I am now thinking I will use my 407 for chemical and polishing filter and keep it hooked up to my coralife turbo-twist 12x fish tank sterilizer and add the fx6 for the biological and debris but I believe I will stop using that filler and only use polishing pads... I would also use ammonia, nitrite, and phosphate pads in the mix in the fx6 cause I already use them in my 407 and they help some but I will try your purigen stuff for the chemical media for the smell as I been having a hard time lately with the smell that I didn't have before
Hey kev! How many fish do you have in the 75?
Had about 25 at on point
I have a Fx4 but this was still very helpful. Thank you!
Glad to hear it! My pleasure!
What about biohome in bags if your sup running on low flow ??? Would that work ??
If you have enough, it’s possible.
Which is better ceramic rings or bio max in filter
pretty much do the same thing and both get the job done
I have 180 gal African cichlid tank , I have a fluval Fx6 filtering it fill Bio home media and I had the same result as you testing my water before and after every water change weekly and my nitrates always was that 40 ppm. I'm not taking any sides here but the Fx6 canister just don't hold enough media, so I added two sun sun 304b to my setup. It wasn't until I added the other canisters with all that other media trays filled with bowel home media ,4 trays each. that I receive a full cycle. Now before a weekly water change it around 10ppm. I use the Api test kit too.which is hard to read. After getting the results that I did and all the money I spent on bio home it was not worth it! The only positive thing I can say is that I can go two weeks without a water change and my parameters won't reach over 40 ppm. I look forward to your videos good job.
Thanks for that great info! A lot of people have said that I needed more biohome, but I wanted to prove some theories that it worked with much less. Glad to know that it did work for you...but like you said, that’s a lot of money in bio home and extra filters just for 2 week water change over a weekly water change. Thanks for your input! 👍
The API test is not hard to read but you MUST do the reading in day light, not under a lamp or any other artificial lighting. I stand right in front of my screen door every time and can see the correct color very easy. Before doing this I was doing a lot of unnecessary water changes thinking the liquid was red under a lamp when it was really orange.
How many fish do you have in your tank?
Did you use prime for your water changes pond guru says not to use products that bind ammonia nitrite and nitrate
Yea, I've heard that will effect it too...but I've since given up on biohome completely. Too many studies and tests with negative results....way better test than I did.
@@KaveManAquatics Iv orderd bio home did it affect the sound of the filter? Make it louder
Why didn’t you put the crushed coral back in on the new set up?
Crushed coral in the filter reduces the flow, which is what I wanted with the bio home. Anaerobic bacteria growth needs slow moving, less oxygenated water. Since deciding to remove the bio-home I didn’t need the reduced flow. So I just added the crushed coral in the tank with the substrate.
@@KaveManAquatics What about the PH level? And forgive me, for the questions, I’m new to this and was just wondering after hearing you talk about Cichlids needing a little higher PH level.
want to ask, how long can bacteria live inside a media filter that doesn't drown in water. Usually when changing the mechanical filter media the pump will be turned off and the biological filter medium is not temporarily submerged
Great question. I dont know the exact number but it's not long. If you're going to do extended maintenance its best to remove the media and place it in your tank temporarily until you're done.
@@KaveManAquatics You're also the best bro. I often see the video of this channel and I think it greatly increases my understanding. Ok, because I think when mechanical capacity is inadequate we will often wash or change those media and definitely impact other media. Well, thank you for your answer 🙏
I've always had doubts about this thing,now everything is" Cristal Clear" like your tank.
Great work man love form India .
Wow that’s awesome! Glad I could help!! Make sure you share the video in India!! 😊😊😊
In India people have been running aquariums on just foams for years. Foam is much much efficient that any cintered glass or ceramic media or matrix. The rate for 1 kg of biohome I got quoted in Mumbai was 1800 rupees for 1 kg.
@@DeepikaAditya Believe me, im hearing this more and more everyday. I am planning to gradually switch over myself!
@@DeepikaAditya I use two types of sponges and some lava rocks because the prices of common bio medias(lava rock, ceramic ring,nano tero balls) are very cheap at my location ,you can get 1kg of lava rock at Rs 130-150($2) max.
@@ManishDey20 I had also got cheap garden Pumice but I am replacing them with nylon pot scrubbers
I’m looking into making a sump, I’m curious sumps vs canisters
If the bio home blocked the fx6 flow, can you imagine the seachem matrix how much more would block? That white pad needs changing maximum 2 weeks.
Hi Kevin, Have you tried the anoxic filtration as advocated by Dr Kevin Novak?
No I havent...got a link where I can do some research?
@@KaveManAquatics Yes you could check out Dr Kevin Novak's CZcams channel. He explains it in details with all the scientific research that he has done. I hope it helps.
czcams.com/channels/06AbbfqomU3MvOB4HE64uQ.html
Have you considered a few cichlid friendly plants in your tank to reduce nitrate. (Anubias, Java fern, Cryptocorne, Vallis) Also Pothos plant in top of tank like aquaponics is good at reducing nitrate. Great vids by the way. Keep up the good work!!
I wouldn't consider those cichlid friendly, my guys would just tear them all up lol. I have tried pothos above the tank in my previous tank which worked well for a bit. I wish I could keep more plants with these pigs 🤣
@@KaveManAquatics I've got a way I've figured out how to keep pothos in my cichlid tank if you're interested. My cichlids destroyed all my plants until now.
My experience is that bags will reduce flow significantly in a FX6. I use Marine Pure Spheres with no bags and the flow still stays high. The poly fill will clog quickly. You have a great tank!!! I also use a 407 for my polishing and chemical filtration. The 407 is so easy to maintenance every couple of weeks.
I agree with you, I've been planning a big project and things will get moved around including filters and media...Tune in next week and you'll see what I mean. Using the 407 as polishing and chemical only filter is a great idea as its easy to access and change that stuff out more frequently than you would crack open an fx6. great tip!
Bingo, again water flow across the media, and the amount of media are keys.
I have 2 tanks that use biohome and same for me, did not cut down on the nitrates.
I know bro...apparently you need to use a truck load, supposedly
I have personally tried a lot of different media's except bio home media, I found over the years nothing beats a hamburg matten filter with at least 50mm/5cm/2inches thick and correct water flow to create an excellent anaerobic filter. Plus the fact I only clean the hamburg matten filters maybe once a year, the more mulm at the back of the filter the better...
Just a few questions,
1.Is it confirmed that BIOHOME Ultimate tints the tank water?
2. Would you consider MarinePure Superior to BIOHOME?
3.Is there actually any bio media that do provide a full cycle?
Sorry for the bombardment of questions, up until now thought BIOHOME Ultimate was the best thing since sliced bread. Having little experience in the hobby just trying to do the best for my African cichlids. Thanks in advance, love your work
1- I dont think it tints tank water, didnt happen to me.
2- When you say superior theres a whole nother conversation we have to have about bio-media to consider one superior to another.
3- Not in my opinion. I dont bother with trying to reduce nitrate levels because im always going to do the best thing for my fish anyway, which is water change, no matter if I get nitrate reduction or not.
So I use Pot Scrubbers for bio-media. Before you knock it, watch this 😊- czcams.com/video/WlKVa0qzjwg/video.html
I don't understand the doubt with biohome. It works excellent for me. Keep it after mechanical filtration and only use regular dechlorinator.
Are you not supposed to use prime though or any products that detoxify ammonia and nitrites
I have heard that..."excuse" How accurate it is...who knows 🤷♂️
@@KaveManAquatics I don’t know bud. I’m 3 weeks into an Oase Biomaster 600 full of the stuff. Takes a few months apparently. Making sure not to use Prime which is weird. Keep the videos coming Kev 👊
Good luck...hit me with an update after 6-8 months! Looking forward to it.
Seeing your tank makes me feel a bit better about what I hope to put in my 75 gal- 11 rummynose tetra, 7 denison barbs, 7 dwarf rainbowdish, 6 boseman's rainbowfish, 6 blue rainbowfish. What do you think? Too much, or OK? It'll be heavily planted.
Fantastic topic🙌🏼
Thanks! 😊
How u test ur water befoe n aftr water change
I don’t understand the question...you can test your water at anytime.
Great vid Kev! I appreciate your work and the experiment on the filtration. You've saved me time and money several times in the short while I've been watching your channel. I tell everyone I know in the hobby to check you out bro. Welcome to all the new subs, better late than never
Thanks bro! I appreciate the positive word of mouth! Goes a long way! 💪😊
No worries man, I hate to see people so quick to jump on you when you're doing so many of a favor so we don't have to drop all that cash on biohome to do our own experiments if no one ever tried the lower amount we'd be stuck taking the manufacturer recommended amount which everyone knows is always gonna be the most amount you can stuff in a filter. Have a great weekend Kev, you are needed and appreciated
EXCACTLY!! My exact reason for attempting this with a normal amount of bio-home...the average fish keeper doest have 3 FX6's with 20lbs of media 😂
Where is the link? I can’t find it.
Which link are you looking for?
Your thoughts on the bio balls?
Not really that efficient for a canister. Bio-balls are better when they can move. But they still work just as good as any other bio-media
Do you think the bag’s hurt the performance of the bio home ?
No, I doubt it. Media in bags is commonly used.
@@KaveManAquatics the media bag mesh becomes a mechanical filter and will limit flow when dirty.
In a perfect filter (there is none, lol) No dirt should ever reach your bio-media or the bags they're kept in. If the bags are mechanically trapping dirt and clogging your media you've got bigger problems in your filter than the mesh bags 🤷♂️
@@KaveManAquatics depends on the mesh size. I see it all the time in hob filters. Especially the tidal 110 with the high by pass rate it has .
I been using Bio home for a few years and it didnt really start to work untill I mixed bio gravel into my substrate, then it really started working properly.
And bare in mind that bio home will not work if you run purigen in your filter as you did in the test.
Yea Ive heard that, and the use of prime as well
I’m using Biohome on my 407 and still can’t get tank to cycle. My Aps filter flooded and I put on my 407 but lost all bacteria. Now trying to do fish in cycle. 240 litres with 3 little goldfish. Been running for 6 weeks
Try seachem stability, it'll help boost your cycle and have it ready in about a week. Follow the dosage on the bottle - check it out here - amzn.to/3l4Cccq
Ok il give t a go. Thanks for replying
I found that the biohome ultimate has to be kickstarted with their bacteria starter jel balls. When i did this the biohome worked wonderfully. Its been two years and the biohome is keeping all the levels where i want them. Once a month water changes.
What dechlorinator do you use?
Prime
Great video. As a biologist and fish keeper for 55 years I have been saying Biohome is a scam for years. Simple science contradicts the Pond Gurus's product claims and enough experienced aquarists are finally revealing the fact that it does not reduce nitrates. Lava rock, pot scrubbies and foam are far superior at a small fraction of the cost to support the nitrogen cycle. Unfortunately, new and inexperienced aquarists fall for the Biohome marketing hype and all they are getting is "their pockets picked"
I believe you are 100% correct. No matter how much bio-home I would have used, the results would have been the same. Thank you for your insight!
Dammit I just ordered 2kg of it before reading this 😆
I can confirm this from my own painful experience. Biohome is simply expensive nonsense.
I'm using lava rock from now on. Thank you for saving me money.
@@aaronm.bermudez7440 also very abrasive like Biohome. Make sure you have very fine filter media to catch any lava rock abrasive particles before they get into any magnetic drive pumps you might have.
Confused, you said you got 3.5 pounds in the fx6. He put over 11 in the pimp my fx6. So I wouldn't call it stuffed because you could have put 3x that amount. Granted I know it hurts to buy it cuz it's high as hell. But you gonna need a whole lot more than 3.5 lbs with that beautiful tank.
It happens to me too.. even i stuff full 3 middle tray of biohome, with just a single asia arowana in tank, nitrate still climbing up.. maybe fx6 flow too strong for it i guess.
I believe that has a lot to do with it! Too much flow and too much oxygen. FX6 is designed for maximum flow, we need the opposite for anaerobic bacteria 🤷🏼♂️
Seachem matrix is supposedly the better one for high flow. Seachem denitrate and biohome need a flow rate of under 50 gallons per hour. That would be cool to try matrix in the fx6 to see if it will work.
Dude what size tank is that lol of coarse it won't enough you would need 2 fx6 filters both with 5 pounds in each to work with many fish that are that big lol
Lol 🤣
Thanks Kev. I was thinking about adding Biohome Utlimate in the third tray of my Fluval 407.I think that I will just leave the Matrix in the third and fourth tray.
I think that’ll be the best bet 💪💪
I too did this experiment a couple years ago. I filled 3 fX6s with 12lbs of Biohome Ultimate and let it run for 2yrs on a 125gal aquarium. The same as you I noticed no reduction in nitrates. I still had to do the same amount of waterchanges to control nitrates as before. I have since moved on and use no "bio" media at all. Nothing but sponges in my filtration systems to house beneficial bacteria. Sponge always has and always will be sufficient for housing all the BB you need.
I agree with you 100% David! And we actually had this conversation on Facebook a few weeks ago. Lol (But I was using my personal account lol) Glad you found my video, I’ll update our convo on Facebook as well 👍
David Reno same here
Hey David, I’m curious. During your 2 year experiment. Did you use prime or purigen? The consensus Im hearing is if you use any of that it won’t allow the growth of anaerobic bacteria.
@@KaveManAquatics yes I used prime during waterchanges. Where Im at its necessary to use a dechlorinator for my watersource. I don't have the available space to store enough water to naturally gas off to do my waterchanges. Anaerobic bacteria is relatively fragile compared to aerobic bacteria. Cleaning alone can destroy anaerobic bacteria. You really need an undisturbed low flow, no oxygen environment for it to thrive. Think about the bottom of a lake. That is the kind of environment anaerobic bacteria can thrive in.
Thats quite interesting. Ive never heard that dechlorinators are also antibiotics🤔
I always enjoy your videos bro. Try putting some plants in your tank, I was very surprised at the nitrate reduction level when I added some into my tank. 👍 (tap water is around 40ppm but measuring 5ppm at the mo)
Thanks bro, plants will absolutely help reducing nitrate levels. The big problem with keeping african cichlids though is that they eat them! 🤦🏼♂️🤣
I use pathos growing in and out of the tank successfully with africans. The plants you use cannot be in the substrate. The africans hate anything that gets in the way of digging...lol.
@@migueleespinosa2632 I can agree with that 👍 But Ive never had any pothos survive in the tank...how do you do it man??
KaveMan Aquatics the success I have in general is to just have the roots in the tank. It sucks the nutrients out and they grow huge. Some like 10ft vines!!! My wife cuts and starts new plants all the time . She uses tank water to water her plants, especially when I clean the filters.
James Lord my water is 40 ppm nitrate out the tap too ugh you wouldn’t happen to be in Texas?
Love seeing Gordo do some chasing! Love blood parrots
Lol He’s always showing them he has nothing to do with their hierarchy lol
Do you do like this with everything? Let's say Seachem recomend a dosage of 10 ml something per gallon of tank you dose 2 ml and says, yeah, that did not work...?
Lets say Seachem said I needed 3 canisters worth of Matrix for it to work....yea no thanks!
I've had good luck with the fluval bio max never bought into the biohome but everyone has their preferences
Agreed!
Shame, i have some aswell but in a less populated south American tank, but like yourself the flow was an issue, interesting to see a comparable result from your new media in the future. Thanks for the video
It’s a double edge sword, trying to achieve the full cycle you lose the flow rate needed to properly filtrate...but I believe even with this reduced flow rate it still isn’t reduced enough. And as much as we oxygenate our tanks, that doesn’t help anaerobic bacteria grow...🤷🏼♂️
Nice video my friend😊😊😊
Thank you 🤗
Honestly all you need is plants. I have a 75 gallon with a regular hang on the back filter. I don't change the water weekly. Mbuna tank is overstocked and never had any spikes with none of my levels. Anubias, swords, vallisneria, and duckweed and no worries🌿
Sorry to hear those results. I have 4 40g breeders that allow me to only do top offs but thats from deep substrate and some plants. I was hoping this stuff was as advertised because my 75g mbuna tank doesn't have a chance in the world at keeping plants. Nice video.
Same with my peacocks and Haps, no plants allowed. So Im stuck with big frequent water changes. I am about to start a new experiment with Seachem Matrix. Many have said it does help in reducing nitrates...I plan to find out for myself 😁
but what water conditioner have you uses and if your using carbon thw bacteria don't take as good to the biohome
Yea yea, bla bla, cant use carbon, cant use prime, cant use purigen, cant use water...cant cant cant.....all the things you CANT do ....🙄
@@KaveManAquatics wow your rude ain't you see why your country is such a mess when people act like you do it's the best media I have ever used I don't use nothing straight tap water that's it and it's done amazing but I forget you Americans can't even drink out your taps can you that why you all buy bottled water to drink
You can use carbon but it should be the last thing in the system that the water touches so it don't interact with the bacteria I do half a water charge and rinse sponges once a month without biohome I used to clean every 2 weeks
Not much video on the Fluval Biomax for the Nitrates..
Anyone??
I prefer Seachem Matrix 😁
@@KaveManAquatics The proof is in the Results.
Nitrates that low in that tank is amazing!
I don't mind giving Seachem a pat on the back! 🐠
Its good to know that unbiased reviews still exists. Would you please let me know the fishes in the tank behind you please. I was able to locate:- Parrot,Acei,OB, is there Venustus as well? I believe its a mix of peacocks & haps?
Thanks and looking forward to the ebook. May the force be with you 👍👍
And also with you! Lol
Too many different species to name them all, but you’re right it’s a mixed tank of peacocks and haps. And 1 big parrot holding onto the boss spot lol
I don’t see the link for the “eBook,” Crystal Clear Water.
It’s in the videos description...but here you go - bit.ly/H2O
From your water changes I feel you may be removing the food for those bacteria stopping them growing. I have the same scenario as you on am fx 4 and my nitrates saw a significant reduction in speed of building
Thats possible. I am removing tons of nitrates during every water change…
@@KaveManAquatics if you want to really test it accurately. Get 2 filters of the same model, put them each on theor own tank. Stock one filter with basic media and stock one with the sintered glass.
Cycle both tanks and put something like a fishhead in each tank. That way no animals will be harmed and the science will reign supreme.
Make sure whatever you use to rot is again identical.
Leave them both for 6 months or something testing the water. If it works one tank will have lower nitrate than the other
I would love to have the space and the patience to conduct tests like this lol
You're right Kevin I haven't found a biomedia yet that can truly reduce nitrates pot scrubbers are great but even they don't reduce nitrates nitrate reduction is complicated and even when it is done the nitrates can go up and down in sequence I have even use expensive marinepure bio media and let me tell you it does not work either but what does work if you have enough of them is yes plain old aquarium plants or a lot of golden pothos great video keep it real
Yup, Plants is the only true answer for nitrate reduction, IMO. But I dont worry about that anymore, Im doing weekly water changes regardless of nitrate levels 😁
Of course Marine Pure does not work a purchased, but it can work in the right situation.
It's similar to lava rock but not as good for Nitrate removal because it crumbles easier and us more porous.
You have to get the big 12x12x4 blocks, put it in a center chamber of a wet dry and cover it with fiberglass screen. Then cover that with gravel, not sand, but fine gravel.
After 6 months, undisturbed you will see results.
I've done it, so I speak from tested experience.
The cubes, balls and thin versions are not effective fir Nitrates, great for other aerobic bacteria tho. Only downside is they crumble easy and can get in your impeller.
You werent using the pondgurus sponges configuration. That may have uplifted youy flow if you did his setup
How about a review with pond matrix?
Thanks for the tip, I’ll look into it. Matrix is a great bio media!
would like to see this also, joe h navy seabee
I feel like more media is needed also changing the water every week lowers the amount of nitrates that the bacteria need to grow in number
Why do u buy bio home at the 1st place?
Good Review
Thanks! 😊
I've always used a mix if lava rock and ceramic rings, not trying to reduce nitrates, I just accept water changes as a necessary evil. I have always had good results.
Lava rocks are a great and cheap bio media, works awesome! 👍
I'm no expert, but is that tank over stocked? Seems like a lot of fish in a small area
It is overstocked, but in an African Cichlid tank its done by design. Check this out to learn more about African Cichlids - kavemanaquatics.com/kac-relaunch
Nice video Kev, I had similar experience, I since have moved on to mostly sponges especially in my Sump. I have a 240 with 2fx6 and a small 45G sump with a thick sand bed. By far I’ve experienced healthier cichlids and a slower rate of Nitrate since the switch.
I am definitely wanting to switch over to more sponge usage! I am hearing more and more success stories with just using good o'll sponges!
I have a 45g tank and a SUNSUN 3000 which I can variable flow rate. I substituted biohome for 2 trays of 4 with lava rock. Tank is clear with course medium and fine pads on the bottom tray, next two the lava rock packed full. Last tray has charcoal and bag of purigen ( soak purigen in 1/2 water 1/2 bleach to bring back to life, rinse then soak in container water with chlorine remover) all my levels are perfect and going on 4 years with same 4-5 “ goldfish x 11
Thank you for this video. When I first saw your videos on Biohome ultimate, I was ready to go buy some. Glad I didn’t, thanks to this video of yours. Btw, Biohome ultimate is half the price of Amazon, if you buy it directly from the manufacturer.
Link to buy directly manufacter please :0)
i went with eheim substrate pro, because you can fit so much more due to their small size
2 fx6s and didnt work for me
You didn't read the instructions provided if you purchased Biohome from Great Wave Engeneering, the US distributor. It says that if you are using Purigen you will almost certainly never achieve nitrate reduction.
I did hear about this Purigen theory as well as the Prime theory after running the experiment. If I ever try it again I will keep these in mind, thanks.
I have used it with and without Purigen. No difference. Biohome does not reduce nitrate. At least not more or less than filter materials such as Sera Siporax.
Hi kev is matrix ah good product for fx6 btw love your video i learn ahlot
Matrix is great bio-media 👍
I also just use fluval bio max ceramic rings. Best media in my opinion... 5.99 for a 500 gram box,that and sponges have never done me wrong! I've tried adding matrix and other media's and have never noticed any difference. Water changes and plants are the best way to get rid of nitrates unless you wanna spend some serious money
Totally agree! 👍
@@KaveManAquatics my problem with plants is a few of my bigger fish seem to like to keep pulling them up as soon as I get them down so I have gotten to the point of not doing plants any longer and the couple times I ordered plants for the tank online a couple came to me in little plastic pots and I wasn't sure if I was suppose to cut the pot off and plant them or plant the pot and plant together so I took them out of the pot and planted them but they didn't last long
80 per cent change a week not good for producing the bacteria also how long did you run it for by the looks of the filter not long was not really dirty at all
6 months, big water changes has nothing to do with beneficial bacteria production or loss.
I’ve been using bio homme for years and it keeps my tank in great shape, I don’t use bags because it clogs with gunk and keeps the water from flowing freely through the media and yes I have the FX6 and a Oddyssea 700 filter.
It takes at least 4-6 months for that to happen and using the the smaller fx4 nozzles and I've got same 4lbs in mine and it works for me bin in for 6 months and almost no issue 2months no water change with heavily stocked tank
Joey stephens That’s great news, what did you do differently then I did, besides the smaller hoses? Do you have live plants in your tank? What’s your nítrate levels currently?
About 10-20ppm
I have 2 java ferns
Small ones like 5 stems each
Good to know.😊👍
Thanks 😊
How can it remove the nitrate when nitrate is the end result of cycle
Water change! I highly suggest you check out my playlist for beginners. It'll be very helpful for you 😁 - czcams.com/play/PLP5OXTIIDO8NYvhUHAmwAd54WFmS4d8er.html
@@KaveManAquatics I’m referring to bio home media .
Go back to the Cave
You are a very informed man Kev, love your videos. Have you spoken to Pondguru about the failure of your Biohome? I reckon he will say you didnt leave it long enough and you didnt have enough quantity of it. I am planning on getting a fluval 307 filter for my 200L tank which has 4 goldfish in it, apparently I would need 4kg of biohome but the filter can only carry 2kg with the bottom tray having sponges in. I am undecided about whether to invest in it or not.
I havent spoken to him but Im sure he would say I did something wrong. 4 months was the minimum amount of time required, but I was told several times it wouldnt work with the amount I used. According to Pond Guru for my 75 gallon I would need 2-3 FX6's full of biohome, thats unrealistic IMO. I wanted to test others theories of biohome working for them with much less than what he recommends. Unfortunately it didnt work for me. Bio-home is very expensive, and needing that much makes it more expensive. I wouldnt attempt to try it again with that amount, just not economically worth it to me.
@@KaveManAquatics Thank you for reply, yes I am undecided about it, I have never even had an external filter before but because of all the raving about Biohome I have been reading up and will give it a try. Could you offer me some advice on cycling my new tank if you get time?
I have 4 smallish fantail goldfish that I bred in my small pond, they are about 4 years old. I want to bring them inside so I can actually see them and give them more attention/care. They have a pond pump but it would be difficult to run it in an aquarium due to its funny shape and probably very noisy!
I am planning to buy a 200L tank and run a fluval 307 with 2 trays of biohome and the bottom tray with foams of different thicknesses. It also has foams down the side which I can replace with ridged ones. How would you do the transition if you were too do it?
Hope it was ok to ask!
2 trays of bio-home isn't going to accomplish the purpose of bio-home, which is to reduce nitrates. It will however accomplish completing your cycle, but most other bio-media will do the same at a fraction of the price.
This video is about Ammonia spikes but the technique would be the same to cycle your new tank, check it out - czcams.com/video/gt6bP4_p7iA/video.html
@@KaveManAquatics According to his videos, 1 tray equals 1kg of biohome and 1kg per 100L is what is required. So 2kg would cover a 200L tank but he mentioned that messy fish like goldfish would need 2kg per 100L which I obvsiously cant fit in a fluval 307. I would have to run 2 fluval 307s and pay over £60 for that much biohome.
1 tray of a fluval 307 equals 1kg of biohome? Are you sure he's using a 307?
I ordered biohome ultimate for one of my FX6. I’m glad I ordered it from great wave engineering directly so I’m not out as much as people using amazon. Sucks to find out it’s hype
I have 4.5 pounds of biohome in my tetra ex600 that I use on a 90 litre tropical tank. I run the Tetra full with biohome, no other media at all but I connected a Sun Sun filter booster on the intake of the Tetra that I filled with coarse, medium and fine foams for mechanical filtration and to further reduce flow. My nitrate levels are at 10 ppm before 10% weekly water change. My tap water tests like yours at about 20 ppm nitrate. I used to have 80 ppm nitrate like you (because my tank is overstocked) before 50% weekly water change. It took around 7 months to start seeing drops but after around a year with biohome, my weekly cleaning routine takes me about 10 minutes, from 1 hour that it used to. I only open the Tetra for cleaning every 3 months or so. I do biweekly cleaning on the filter booster as my flow comes down considerably. Your tank is awesome but would need a lot more biohome and a lot more filters to put it in for it to actually make a difference. So probably, like you say, in big tanks, not realistic.
P.s. You should probably try finer mechanical media as well, maybe a pre-filter. Your media looks all clogged and it's reducing the colonisation capability. The biohome in my canister is cleaner after 3 months than yours after what, 1 week? Good luck and keep up the good videos.
It was 3 months, and I let it run long purposely as to not disturb any anaerobic bacteria growth. My issue is, there’s no way I’m loading 3 FX6 full of expensive bio home on a 75...that’s just ridiculous. I’d rather replace 80% of the water weekly anyway, regardless of the nitrate levels. The fresh water has many more benefits than leaving the same old nutrient-less water in the tank just to cut down on my maintenance time 🤷🏼♂️ to each is own bro
As I can see from the vid and read in some comments, you don't have plants so unless your tap water has vitamin C in it your fish don't really depend on nutrients from tap water. They get it from their food. Bb's eat their poop so again, no need for nutrients from tap water. Also, my tap water has mostly residual heavy metals which affect greatly a closed ecosystem like an aquarium, it's quite scarce in nutrients. So for me, adding less tap water weekly is a blessing. But it all depends on many variables so it might work for some, might not for others. In my case, I consider a 30 euro investment (that's how much the biohome ultimate cost me) definitely worth it as my fish are thriving (and I have 48 of them in a 90 litre tank, and they're not the size of neon tetras). ✌
@@ionut-alexandrubunescu9698 Ok, you lost me at “they don’t depend on nutrients from tap water” are you suggesting that if your biohome and/or plants reduces nitrates to 0 you would never need a water change? That’s ridiculous. New fresh tap water has minerals and adds those minerals back into the tank. Magnesium, calcium and potassium are used up by your fish and a nice big water change not only removes unwanted nitrates but also re-introduces those minerals that have been depleted.
So again, my 55 adult sized African Cichlids in my 210 gallon tank are truly thriving because I remove and replace their water by 80% weekly. Not just to remove nitrates, but also to remineralize. Which I highly suggest you stop worrying about reducing your maintenance schedule and focus more on what’s beneficial for the fish.
@@KaveManAquatics my tap water is soft so it hardly has any calcium or magnesium. That's what fish food is for, for them to get their minerals from. Otherwise, the fish wouldn't have the need to eat, would they? The plants consume whatever nutrients are in the fish poop and whatever decomposes in the aquarium, it doesn't all go to the beneficial bacteria. Closed ecosystems have a habit of balancing themselves based on the amount of nutrients present. The ultimate goal of any aquarist is to spend less time cleaning their tank and equipment and more time enjoying their fish. Maybe you enjoy spending hours weekly removing that much water, but that's just something that again, depends from case to case. I prefer looking at and breeding my fish more, and cleaning less. If my nitrate reaches 0, I will definitely do water changes less often probably not doing them at all will make the water cloudy at some point. But that's not even remotely "ridiculous". There are thousands of people out there that aim to do just that. I think you are one of those guys with a "think like me or don't think at all" mentality. Shame as your vids are quite entertaining. But I would say do a bit more research on the heavy metals that your tap water contains and what it does to the lifespan and growth of your fish. Oh, and my fish are thriving and spawning regularly. They wouldn't do that if the way I care for them wouldn't be optimal, but I presume that's something that you won't agree with... fine with me and my fish though. Take care, my friend.
A guy's me and my friends had the same thing happen ,we emailed bio home support and was told not to use prime with bio home, not using prime and all is good ,hope this helps,,,,thanks kaveman nice videos
I did read that somewhere as well but couldn't find conformation that prime would be a problem. It's very possible though, thanks for the info 👍
Interesting! Did they say what you should use instead of Prime?
I watch a pondguru video about filter setups. He mentioned that the water treatments that are supposed to detoxify the water seem to cause problems with the anaerobic bacteria growing. And in order to get the media to work properly as grow the bacteria you should only use a dechlorinator for water treatment.
I haven’t tried biohome media yet, was looking into it a little. So no first hand experience of this.
What should we use instead of prime any idea?
@@lostmangos Any water conditioner that does not 'remove / detoxify or bind' ammonia, nitrite and nitrate. A water conditioner which is a straight dechlorinator (e.g. API Stress Coat or Tetra Aqua Safe).
I can fully confirm your experience. I have been using almost 8 kilos of Biohome in a 400 litre discus aquarium for over a year. Compared to my previous (much cheaper) filter medium, absolutely nothing has changed.
It’s unfortunate, I feel your pain!
Thank you. That's very important information. So I won't feel guilty adding Purigen to my Biohome filled canister.
What else do you use in the filter
@@wardraven8755 I only have three sponges in the first box - arranged from coarse to fine. Otherwise only Biohome. But as I said: no difference to Siporax or similar filter media: After one week approx. 25mg nitrate.
What kind of dechlorinator do you use?