Mini canister filter question

Question

Hello I am making this for my 2.5 gallon betta tank And I have all the stuff to make it. Here it is: http://www.petfish.net/kb/entry/351/

The guy who posted this recomended zeolite for a media. I want to use as much as i have on hand rather than buying anything so I was wondering if I could crack open one of my Penn Plax Small World Replacement Filtration Units http://www.petco.com/product/7401/Penn-Plax-Small-World-Replacement-Filtration-Units.aspx

and take out the black stuff and use it for media. Since it is zeolites I think it woul be ok but I wanna make sure cause it also has carbon.

Oh and they are brand new cartriges if that matters. My brothers frind gave me a whole pack of them.

Answer 1

I don't think you're thinking of the same zeolite...  The zeolite in the article was similar to pool filter sand, where the purpose is to create a massive surface area for bacteria to colonize.  The zeolite you're thinking of is simply chemical filtration, which alone will not lead to a healthy tank.  Really, even going to a nearby park and getting a bit of sand from a sand box, rinsing it WELL, and popping that into the filter would work better, and would have a very high surface area.