Surprise Product Review: Seachem Matrix

It's extra fun to do a product review when you don't know what the product will be before it starts! In this video: Ben, Amy, and Charles discuss the biological filtration media Seachem Matrix. This may not be a glamorous product, but it's a fantastic tool for providing a happy home for beneficial bacteria

[@opaw2267]

I think I would remake this video 😂😂😂😂

[@richardgoldstein5600]

I use matrix in a 100L SPS reef with no skimmer, minimal live rock and no other filtration. All I have is three nassarius snails, three turbos, one conch, no other CUC. Three fish and generous feeding. I can't get nitrates to register on any tests and have no growth problem relating to low nitrate! The reef is three years old, I never have to perform water changes and believe matrix is removing the nitrate.

[@benmusic7433]

Is the seachem matrix effectiveness in growing anaerobes dependent on canister flow rate?

[@watercolorsaquariumgallery]

That's a great question! Give me some time to reach out to our friends at Seachem and I'll get back to you.

[@watercolorsaquariumgallery]

According to Seachem, the bacteria should be effective at any flow rate.

[@geoffprince2258]

I'm fishless cycling my aquarium and I change my changeable carbon filters for matrix. But I actually need nitrate at the moment because I'm still cycling. Have I now slowed down my nitrogen cycle? I'm into my 2nd week, have detected ammonia and detected nitrite for the first time yesterday.

[@watercolorsaquariumgallery]

If you switched from existing filter cartridges to matrix, you might see a slight stall in cycling. As long as there's other porous material in the tank that can host them (gravel, driftwood, plants) your media should be quickly recolonized by bacteria. If you have ammonia and nitrite, you're probably pretty close to cycled!

[@geoffprince2258]

I had sponges and below those were the carbon filters. So I still got the sponges and now all so matrix. I did another test today and got little ammonia, little bit more nitrite and some nitrates already on day 9 of fishless cycling. Was using fish flakes for the first 4 days, now switch to a raw prawn. Its cycling quick, can't wait.