Seachem Matrix Bio Media 1 Liter

Seachem Matrix is a great natural medium for colonizing both nitrifying and denitrifying bacteria so important for good water chemistry and the health of ones aquarium inhabitants. I noticed many users have complained about receiving an adulterated product, and frankly I thought I had received one as well. I called Seachem and got the scoop. Heres what I found out: Matrix is a natural, mined product. The mineral has natural variations in size and color. When mined, black Obsidian is sometimes included in the take. The Obsidian is removed by hand before packaging, but some slips into the container from time to time. The packaging does not have a tamper-proof seal beneath the lid. When you open the jar, you immediately see the product. Matrix is sold by volume and not by weight. A minimum weight is listed in the literature (e.g.: 1 liter of Matrix = 400 gram net weight) but this is required by law, and has nothing to do with the actual weight of the product, which can vary greatly due to Matrix absorbing moisture from the air, for example. The 1 liter of Matrix I received weighted 967 grams out of the jar. When you receive Matrix, expect it to vary in color, size, and that there may be a few dark or black rocks in the jar. Now for the actual use. Matrix provides a tremendous amount of surface area. The outer surfaces and crevices provide a very hospitable environment for the aerobic (oxygen consuming) nitrifying bacteria that make up the bio filter so critical to breaking down Ammonia to Nitrite, and Nitrite to Nitrate. Its benefit doesnt stop there. At the end of the aerobic portion of the Nitrogen Cycle, nitrate is left to build up in the water column, and is one of the major pollutants that dictate the frequency and quantity of water changes. Nitrate can be reduced to Nitrogen gas - but this is an anaerobic (oxygen deprived) process requiring another type of bacteria. Nitrate laden water seeps into the core of Matrix after having been stripped of oxygen by the aerobic bacteria on the mediums surface. This oxygen-poor environment is perfect for colonizing anaerobic bacteria that consume Nitrate and release inert Nitrogen gas. This final step in the Nitrogen Cycle helps control the buildup of Nitrate in the aquarium, contributing markedly to the long term health of its inhabitants.

125 gal freshwater community tank. 2 Eheim Classic filters containing 10 yrs Eheim Substrat Pro round, sintered glass media that came when originally purchased and installed in aquarium. 9/19/2018 Added to each filter 250ml Matrix+Stability. Nitrate levels at 20-40 ppm Oct 2018 Continued using Stability at water changes and in between, levels down to 10-20 Dec 2018 Added 1 liter Matrix to each canister (each now have 1250ml), removed all of Eheim substrat pro, now only Matrix, continued adding Stability as before. Jan 2019 Continued adding Stability as before, Nitrates consistently measuring 10-20 ppm; then consistently 10 ppm. Feb 25 2019(Today) Success! Consistently Nitrate level at 10 ppm. Soon I will add another 250ml to each canister and I am pretty confident that it will be below 10 ppm Nitrate or Ill keep adding another 250ml Matrix to each until I get it below 10 ppm.

Excelllent

Basically its essentislly pumice stone that is cleaned. It doesnt fall apart. I recommend seeding it with nitrifying and or denitrifying bacteria if you are wanting this to work sooner. Btw not being able to see pores with the naked eye does not mean its not porous. Bacteria are tiny and the holes for them to live in are tiny as well

I have an adult RES male who if Im being honest didnt have a proper setup for a VERY long time. Ive been chipping away at investing in a better remainder of his life for him and this was a very nice thing to have! Ive been using it for about a year now and its really helped grow the bacteria needed to keep his water level stable and healthy. I havent needed to use much of it either, although I will probably be adding more soon!

I used this product in my canister filter to let the good bacteria take off!

This didnt do anything amazing or help out anything.

I have used this for a while and it works as advertised. My goal was to get my aquariums to be as low maintenance as possible. So i did tons of research and found that bio-media is the most effective way to keep aquarium water at the right parameters. I now use this, purigen and filter floss and my water is not only crystal clear, but also perfect paramaters. My ph is always around 7-7.5 0 nitrates and nitrates and 0 ammonia! I do add water when the tank gets slightly lower and do a 25% water change every couple months! I couldnt ask for a better, low maintenance aquarium! I use this on a 29 gallon angelfish tank as well as a 60 gallon community tank.

Ive only had 2 liters of this in my reef tank for 2 months so chemically I can not say if its working but stability with moderate bio-load has been good. Only a few dark pieces found in each container. Im not convinced these are harmful but I took them out for a quarantine tank. Will purchase additional.

the 1L bottle was the perfect amount to fill up two baskets in my fluval 307. never have problems with amonia or nitrites in my tank so matrix gives ample area for beneficial bacteria