Seachem Matrix Bio Media 1 Liter

So I havent yet put this media to work in my aquariums yet and will update later with progress. Today I decided to at least get the media started in one of my aquariums inside a nylon bag, but as I was sifting through the media I noticed some black glossy pieces and other rocks in it. I rubbed away the grime on them discovered two chunks of obsidian and some other rock. Im no expert but I dont think obsidian is the kind of porous material you want for filter media as its pretty much nonporous glass. Update: so there were only 4 pieces of obsidian in the whole bottle, so its not a big deal. The media is really dirty though and youll need to wash it thoroughly before use.

Ive only had 2 liters of this in my reef tank for 2 months so chemically I can not say if its working but stability with moderate bio-load has been good. Only a few dark pieces found in each container. Im not convinced these are harmful but I took them out for a quarantine tank. Will purchase additional.

I purchased these in hopes of helping reduce my high tap water nitrate problem for my 75G. I used it for a good while but found that Id need more then I had space for. In order for it to properly remove nitrates. It ended up just being a good place for bacteria to live but not much more. This stuff has an expiration date becuase after awhile the pores that are supposed to help in the stone become clogged. Once they become clogged its not as efficient as it should be. Overall, Id recommend these to help lower nitrates but only if you have alot of it.

I use this in my fluval fx4 and it’s great

the 1L bottle was the perfect amount to fill up two baskets in my fluval 307. never have problems with amonia or nitrites in my tank so matrix gives ample area for beneficial bacteria

Very good bio stabilization and helps create surface area for beneficial bacteria production.

The Matrix Bio Media is a product I found to keep my fish tank optimal at all times. I found great value in this product price wise. I will be buying this again.

This product is well known for being excellent at providing a place for beneficial bacteria to grow and flourish. It is not overly expensive so I got some and added it to one tray in my cannister filter. It, along with a tray that has a bioball/ceramic ring combo makes up the bulk of my biological filtration with a large coarse sponge pre-filter helping also. This should be more than enough to handle my 75 gallon tank. I also have some sponge media for mechanical filtration but I like to rinse these with tap water so that the bacteria multiplies where I want it and not on the sponge that will eventually get replaced. The only issues I have are 1. There is at least half of this that is very dense like a rock. It is not all porous. That is not a deal breaker because I want bacteria growing in different ways and hopefully I will attract different types. 2. This really does need a bag to hold it. It will work in the cannister but the smaller pieces move and get wedged under the tray handles preventing it all from stacking correctly. I fit this into two media bags and this just makes it easier to clean but you will need to purchase a bag. Overall, based on reputation alone this is worth having in a tray. There is enough porous rock to justify the cost and now I have a nice diverse set of media in my filter working 24 hours a day.

These works great at removing ammonia and nitrite. Remember the end product is nitrate at the end of the nitrogen cycle which is actually not broken down by beneficial bacteria but by plants. Ammonia - toxic to fish Nitrite - toxic to fish Nitrate - tolerable by fish even at semi high levels If you have plants in your aquarium and use sachem matrix it would greatly reduce water changes. I actually change water 6 months- 1 year in my 135 gallon tank and only 20-30% as a result of not chemical buildup but by mineral deposits left by water evaporation. These makes water crystal clear. Make sure to test your water every 2-4 weeks to make sure your water parameters are good. Petco has free aquarium water testing Take a look at the nitrogen cycle here: [...]

I have an adult RES male who if Im being honest didnt have a proper setup for a VERY long time. Ive been chipping away at investing in a better remainder of his life for him and this was a very nice thing to have! Ive been using it for about a year now and its really helped grow the bacteria needed to keep his water level stable and healthy. I havent needed to use much of it either, although I will probably be adding more soon!