DIY Media for a Saltwater Filter

All aquariums require a filter to keep the aquarium water clean and maintain biological cultures in the water that are vital to ensuring the fish remain healthy. This culture grows within the media inside the filter, which must be replaced periodically to maintain hygiene within the tank. Replacement filter media can be expensive to purchase, but you can make it easily at home.

Things You'll Need

  • Paper towels
  • Scissors
  • Polymer pad
  • Filter carbon
  • Filter wool
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Instructions

    • 1

      Open the filter so that you can see the filter media. It is important that you put your new media in the same location as the old media so the filter can work effectively.

    • 2

      Remove the filter media and place onto paper towels.

    • 3

      Cut the polymer pad to same size as the existing filter-media location.

    • 4

      Insert the pad into the filter-media holder. This should fit the gap, but not fill the empty space entirely.

    • 5

      Cut the filter carbon and wool. These should be cut to fill the space left in the filter-media holder, which should be filled with about ¾ carbon and ¼ wool.

    • 6

      Press the carbon into the media holder, compressing it slightly.

    • 7

      Place the filter wool on top of the carbon.

    • 8

      Reassemble the filter and run tank water through the filter.