You can use Seachem Matrix to reduce the ammonia, nitrite and nitrate levels in your fish tank. So, where should you put this product in your aquarium?
You can find out in this guide at Aquarium Blueprints.
Quick Summary
The best place to put Seachem Matrix is in the biological filter media compartment of your canister. This location has a high flow rate and is able to filter out any small particles to prevent them from clogging the pores.
In addition to being used in a filter, you can also put Matrix directly in your tank. You can either place it in a high-flowing area or use the product as a substrate.
By placing Seachem Matrix directly in a tank, however, you will need to do more maintenance in order to keep the media clog-free.
Seachem Matrix Requirements
For Seachem Matrix to work as efficiently as possible, you need to keep the microscopic pores from getting clogged. Otherwise, the clogged pores will eventually starve out the beneficial bacteria living inside of the media.
We also recommend that you place Matrix in an area where it is able to make contact with the majority of the tank water volume. The best place to do so is near or inside a fish tank filter.
What is the best location to put Seachem Matrix?
The best location you can put filter Seachem Matrix is in the biological filtration compartment of your canister or hang-on-back filter.
The mechanical filtration of the filter will remove any small particles that may end up clogging the microscopic pores of the Matrix media. Furthermore, the biological filter media should be able to make contact with all of the water volume due to the flow rate of your filter.
One last benefit is that you will save some space in your fish tank by putting Matrix in your filter instead. The pebble size of the media is actually quite large and can look out of place in your tank if you care about aesthetics.
Where else can you put Seachem Matrix?
If you don’t have a canister filter, hang-on-back filter, or filter compartment space to put Seachem Matrix, then the next best place you can put this media is near an area with high water flow. This could be next to a bubble stone, sponge filter, filter intake or output nozzle. The high water flow ensures that the media would be making contacting with a majority of the tank water volume.
You can also try spreading Seachem Matrix all over your tank as a substrate. By using this method, you don’t have to put it near any area that has a high water flow.
If you do decide to put Seachem Matrix directly in your tank, then you need to do more maintenance to it in order to make sure that its microscopic pores don’t get clogged.
