hw® special filter media for marine aquarium
As the aquarium only looks good and healthy, when even the water is crystal clear, the filtration of the aquarium water is one of the points with elementary importance.
The filtration and cleaning of the aquarium is a lot more than only removing visible suspended particles and sediments. The main challenge of a really god working filtration is to remove all the solved organic and an-organic harmful substances out of the aquarium water.
The best prerequisites to meeting this task demands are special pre-conditioned, high capacity active carbons. When designing the hw® filter media we always use and rely as base, on a ultraclean, high capacity active carbon as also on minerals and semi-synthetically carrier materials. This chosen materials would be than specially conditioned and combined so that they focused particularly on the pollutants to be removed.
hw® filter media sets their main focus specially on the point, where normal filter material (filter floss and fleece, filter foam blocks, clay tubes, ceramic parts, etc.) meets their absolute limits. With the hw® filter media we have designed and realized filtrating materials for special assignments. hw® filter media realize the neutralization and binding of, in the aquarium water solved, noxious and harmful substances which in other way would very difficult to capture.
hw® ActivCarbon
is a high capacity active carbon, which has been specially designed for the ultra purity water treatment. Due to its special specifications hw® ActivCarbon fulfills even the highest requirements regardless if used in marine or fresh water.
hw® ActivCarbon main characteristics:
- pH value-neutral in marine water and freshwater
- Free of phosphates and subjected to constant quality assurance inspections
- Extremely high absorption capacity
- Reliably removes pollutants from aquarium water
- Reliably removes all types of water discolorations
- Ideal for neutralizing active medication residues after completing a treatment cycle
hw® ActivCarbon utilizes the polar structure of many molecules by attracting the harmful substances like a magnet and reliably removes them safely from the water circulation. Moreover, many toxic substances chemically bond with the surface structure of hw® ActivCarbon and are thus safely retained.
hw® ActivCarbon binds and removes almost all organic and inorganic toxins from the aquarium water, including urea, protein compounds, chlorine, heavy metals, toxic organic and inorganic compounds. Chemical residues that today are regularly found in our tap water or reach the aquarium water when treating fish are reliably removed or neutralized.
The inner surface of hw® ActivCarbon is around incredible 950 to 1300 m2/g. This means that with only 3 g, more than the area of a football field will be at disposal to act as absorbing surface.
1 liter hw® ActivCarbon for approx. 1000 liters (264 Us gal) of aquarium water.
Before use, briefly rinse with tap water to remove any material grit or fine particles caused by the transport.
Place hw® ActivCarbon between 2 layers of filter cotton in the canister filter or in a mesh bag in the aquarium filter.
Service life:
After approx. 3 to 4 weeks, the hw® ActivCarbon filter medium is saturated with pollutants and should be removed from the aquarium.
hw® ionic
The effective detoxification treatment for fresh and sea water aquariums.
hw® ionic is the ideal filter medium for the removal of dissolved, organic substances in fresh and sea water aquariums. hw-ionic is recommended for filtering overstocked and polluted aquariums and also after medication treatment.
hw® ionic is a two-component filter medium. The first component consists of a special, high-quality active carbon which absorbs colorants, pesticides, herbicides and insecticides as well as chlorine, ozone and other gaseous substances. The second component consists of a unique combination of various ion-exchange resins which absorb mainly ammonia, nitrite and nitrate.
hw® ionic, the ideal filter medium for polluted aquarium water.
With bio filters and all other filter media dependent on nitrification bacteria, ammonia and nitrate are not usually absorbed, but converted into nitrate. As a consequence of this conversion process, a dangerously high concentrate of nitrate can be produced in aquarium water; one of the most frequent causes of sudden mass fish mortality.
Occasional filtering via hw® ionic prevents such unpleasant surprises, because hw® ionic absorbs particularly the precursors of the nitrate, namely ammonia and nitrate, and so harmful nitrate cannot be produced. Other pollutants present in aquarium water are also reliably absorbed:
- All metabolic products such as uric acid, protein and nitrate.
- All pollutants resulting from the dissolution of algae.
- Chlorine, ozone, pesticides, herbicides and insecticides.
hw® ionic also removes the yellow tinge in seawater aquariums and is pH neutral in sea and fresh water ,i.e. the pH is neither raised nor lowered.
To avoid lowering the iron content in aquarium water, which is absolutely vital to plant growth, the high-quality active charcoal used in hw® ionic coated with iron in a special process. This iron is gradually released into the aquarium water as required.
hw® ionic should not be confused with ”plain active charcoal”. Active charcoal filters oversaturated with harmful substances are subject to the so-called ”break-through” phenomenon, where all absorbed pollutants are suddenly discharged into the aquarium water. This is absolutely impossible with hw® ionic, because all pollutant particles present as ions are retained in a vacuum of more than 100 bar. This reliably prevents any discharge of harmful substances into the aquarium water.
In contrast to almost all other filter media, hw® ionic does not require any starting time and is ”fully active” from the very first minute. That means that new aquariums can immediately be stocked with animals, so that the time-consuming ”running-in” of aquariums and filter systems is unnecessary.
For water treatment with hw® ionic, we recommend, apart from purely mechanical coarse dirt filters, sole filtering via hw-ionic (1000 ml of hw® ionic to 100 liters of sea or fresh water).
A filter filled with the prescribed quantity of hw® ionic will last for about three to four months in normally stocked aquariums.
After this time, the absorption capacity of hw® ionic is normally exhausted. This time can reduce in heavily stocked aquariums and increase in lightly stocked aquariums. It is recommended to carry out a nitrate test every four weeks.
For water treatment with hw® ionic, we recommend, apart from purely mechanical coarse dirt filters, sole filtering via hw-ionic (1000 ml of hw® ionic to 100 liters of sea or fresh water).
A filter filled with the prescribed quantity of hw® ionic will last for about three to four months in normally stocked aquariums.
After this time, the absorption capacity of hw® ionic is normally exhausted. This time can reduce in heavily stocked aquariums and increase in lightly stocked aquariums. It is recommended to carry out a nitrate test every four weeks.
Recommendation of use:
1 Liter hw® ionic for approx. 100 liters (26,41 US gal) of aquarium water.
Place hw® ionic between 2 layers of filter cotton in the aquarium filter.
Do not rinse hw® ionic before use!
If you do, the resin component will washed out and is lost.
When switching the filter on, direct the first 2 to 4 liters into a bucket; then operate filter as usual.
Service life:
After approx. 3 to 4 month, the hw® ionic filter medium is saturated with pollutants and should be removed from the aquarium.
Looking for additional hw® products?
You will find all hw® products in our product catalog.