Reefing Art Ceramic Bio Filter Rings

Reefing Art Ceramic Bio Filter Rings are porous ceramic media for biological filtration. Each 1lb pack holds about 180 rings and comes with a free mesh bag with a plastic zipper. The brand rates a pound for 20-40 gal tanks and lists a total of 5400 ft of surface area thanks to the porous internal structure. Larger 2lb, 4lb and 8lb packs are also sold.

What bio media does

Fish waste turns into ammonia, which is toxic. Nitrifying bacteria convert ammonia into nitrite and then into less harmful nitrate. Those bacteria need a surface to live on, and porous ceramic gives them a lot of it in a small space. That is why bio rings sit at the heart of most canister and sump setups.

Where to put them

Place the rings after mechanical media, such as sponge or floss. Clean water keeps the pores from clogging with sludge. In a canister, they usually fill a middle tray. In a hang-on-back filter, use the included bag and set it behind the sponge.

How many you need

Use the brand rating as a starting point: one pound for a 20-40 gal tank. Heavily stocked tanks, messy eaters and saltwater fish-only systems can use more. Extra media does no harm as long as water still flows freely through it.

Material

The rings are 100% aquarium safe, non-metallic ceramic, so they are suitable for reef tanks as well as freshwater.

Care

Never scrub or boil bio rings in an established filter. If they get coated with gunk, swish them gently in a bucket of tank water. Replace only part of the media at a time if you ever need to, so the bacteria colony survives. For other options, compare Seachem Matrix and SUKH ceramic rings.

Bagged rings are also easy to move. When you set up a new tank, you can lift a seasoned bag out of an established filter and drop it into the new one to give it a head start.