Seachem Matrix

Matrix™ is a high porosity biomedia that provides efficient biofiltration for the removal of nitrogenous waste. Matrix™ is a porous inorganic solid about 10 mm in diameter. Each liter of Matrix™ provides as much surface (>~700 m2) as 170 liters of plastic balls! Plastic bio-materials provide only external surface area, whereas Matrix™ provides both external and internal macroporous surface area. These macropores are ideally sized for the support of nitrifying and denitrifying bacteria. This allows Matrix™, unlike other forms of biomedia, to remove nitrate along with ammonia and nitrite, simultaneously and in the same filter.
Matrix™ is completely inert and will not breakdown. It need not be replaced. Since the majority of the bacteria are internal, Matrix™ may be rinsed when needed without damaging the filter. Matrix™ is compatible with all types of wet or wet-dry filters.

High capacity biofiltration
Controls ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate
Highly porous – enormous surface area (>~700 m2/L)
Supports aerobic and anaerobic bacteria species

Use 250 mL of Matrix™ for each 200 L (50 US gallons)** of water. Matrix™ may be placed in any kind of filter, and is particularly effective in a canister filter. Matrix™ is sufficiently large that no filter bag should be required for most applications. Matrix™ works well in drip tray systems, but you may find that the larger Pond Matrix™ is better suited for such applications. Use with Stability®to more rapidly establish the bio-filter.

Running Seachem Matrix in Singapore canister filters

We stock Matrix because it suits the way most Singapore tanks are filtered: a canister stuffed with media doing the heavy lifting in a warm, well-stocked freshwater setup. The pumice-like granules drop straight into a media basket or a mesh bag, and unlike sintered rings they do not pack down or clog over the years. We tell customers to rinse it once in old tank water and leave it largely undisturbed so the colony inside stays intact.

Because the deeper pores stay low in oxygen, Matrix can host bacteria that nibble at nitrate as well as ammonia and nitrite, which helps in heavily fed community and cichlid tanks here. Place it after your mechanical floss so detritus does not blind the surface. It needs no replacement schedule, so it quietly works through the monsoon-season power blips that knock filters offline for an hour or two.

Browse the rest of our filter media range, and read our aquarium filter media guide alongside our bio-media comparison if you are deciding how much to run and whether to pair it with carbon.