Rio 125 Filter

Hi
I have recently bought a used Rio 125 tank which I am about to begin setting up. I have opened up the filter and cleaned everything out checking the pump (600 lph) is working etc. However, I am not sure what media to put in. There are two holders, each capable of holding three media for a total of six. The previous owner has provided me with a lot of new media in boxes, both coarse and fine sponges, Cirax and Poly Pads. However, I'm not sure how many of these I need to put in and in which order. Does it matter which goes at the bottom and the top, or in the middle? Do I need to fill both of the holders or can some be left empty, and if so which should be filled and which empty? I imagine some people will be familiar with this model and will be able to help.
As a new member I shall write a personal introduction shortly. However, it might be worth mentioning here that I like a quite densely planted tank and so prefer not to have too much filtration as I like the plants (all easy types) to obtain their nutrition from the fish waste etc. I also do not keep any "messy" fish and this tank will only contain small shoals of tetras and corydoras when it is eventually completed.
Thanks in advance.
Richard

I've just discovered there is now a limit to the number of characters in any one post. I presume that's a response the the spamming attack over last weekend. My posts are often long and I've never had this happen before 


To continue from above.......


Now for how they fit. The simplest thing is to give you a link to the manual from Juwel's website. The media order is on page 4. There should be 2 fine blue sponges at the bottom, then the cirax. In the next basket, the coarse blue then the green then the black with the white pad right on the top. If you do have a black sponge, leave it in the cupboard. If you have a green sponge it will be like the fine blue ones rather than the coarse one - reverse the order, have the green sponge in the bottom of the top basket with the coarse blue on top.

The reasoning for this order - in the Juwel filter the water flows from top to bottom. The white pads on the top are to catch any big bits and stop them getting into the rest of the media. The coarse blue sponge catches bits that get through the white pad and is a home for some of the filter bacteria. The fine sponges (blue and green) and the cirax are the main home for the filter bacteria and they go last in the water flow so the previous media gets rid of the bits before it can clog the fine sponges.

Hi Sue
Thanks very much for the information. I actually have one coarse blue and three fine blue sponges (no green or black) plus two lots of Cirax. I assume I can substitute one of the fine blue for the green, but should I put both lots of Cirax in, and if so, where should the second one go? Or should I just leave the top space empty.

I've managed to cycle a couple of tanks in the last year or so, and I think I've got the hang of it OK. These tanks were also both second hand and for those I bought new filters and light tubes. Used tanks are so cheap that it seems to make sense to replace these parts immediately. However, in the case of the Rio 125 I'm not sure how I would get the existing filter out. It seems pretty firmly attached. There is also a moulded background which goes right up to the filter and seems to be bonded onto it. I hope it won't be too noisy ...............
Thanks
Richard

Thanks again for that. I'll set it up as you suggest. I shall have some media from another filter which I'll use. The first tank is always the hardest to cycle, before you have some "seed" material to get you going.

I did wonder about the post size restrictions as I usually ramble on and on, and the restriction only appeared after last weekend. 10,000 characters might just be enough for some of my posts