Biomedia?

[Jessica Schilke]

Looking for a good source for bio-filtration media. Was thinking bioballs in a net bag. Anyone have a good source for them? Or ones they like, what is your recommendation? I need about 10 gallons worth. Thanks for your help!

Jessica

www.greenaquaponics.org

[Keith Rowan]

try craigslist.. i've seen them quite often on ebay as well..

for filter "material" try polyester batting from a fabric store (same stuff that aquariums shops sell, for at least half the price at a fabric shop)

i've got a few of those round floor pads for buffing machines that i'm going to try out soon

[Arvind Venkataraman]

Hi Jessica,

Try any of these stores they are pretty good with stocking and shipping, at the end it comes to who gives you the best bulk pricing. 

http://usakoi.com/filter-media/matala-half-sheets.html

http://northcoastpets.com/bioballs.htm

Or Amazon has the Marineland Bio Balls - pack of 90 @ $4.70

Marineland PA11486 Canister Filter Bio-Balls PC 160-360, 90-BioBalls by MarineLand Permalink: http://amzn.com/B000NRXB5G

Hope this worked 

Arvind

[Shai Hasse]

For my goldfish ponds I have been using the cheap dollar store variety of plastic dish scrubbers-much cheaper than bio balls.

[Siggy G]

I used a 55 gal. drum filled with lava rock for a few years on a koi pond and it worked well. It was far cheaper than bio-balls, although you may be able to find some used plastic media from an aquarium on Craigslist. The lava rock presents a small problem for aquaponics due to it's porous structure though, as it also facilitates denitrification in the anaerobic areas beneath the surface. In a fish only system this is an benefit but the loss of nitrogen is counter productive if your looking to provide nutrients for plant growth. I don't know if the nitrate losses would be substantial, but it's something to keep in mind about any porous media.