Bioscape 1620L/h Canister Replacement Top PRO Filter Foam (4)

Worth knowing before you order: the BIS541 canister ships from Bioscape with four pre-filter wool pads, and BIS541C is a four-pack. One pack refills the chamber completely rather than partially, so there is no need to work out how many you need.

Bioscape uses two names for the same item – the included-media list calls them pre-filter wool pads, the spare part is sold as Top PRO filter foam. Both refer to the coarse media in the 0.8 litre pre-filter chamber above the main media stack.

Below the pre-filter sits 9.0 litres of media – fine wool, carbon, ceramic noodles and bio-balls. Getting to it means disconnecting hoses, lifting the canister and opening the body. The pre-filter chamber, by contrast, opens on its own.

So the practical question on this filter is not how good the pre-filter foam is. It is whether coarse debris gets stopped in the part you can open in two minutes, or the part you have to strip down.

Each PRO canister has a different pre-filter volume, so the foams are cut to three different sizes and do not interchange. The 1050 and the 1620 share the same 16/22 mm hose, which means hoses and pipework swap between them even though the media does not.

BIS541C does not fit the Bioscape Tropic canisters, the Bioscape Stainless Steel canisters or any Bioscape hang-on filter. The model code is printed on the label on the canister body.

Suitable for

• The Bioscape PRO Easy Clean Canister Filter 1620 L/h, freshwater or marine
• Heavily planted or heavily fed 300 to 400 litre tanks, where the coarse stage does most of the work
• Keeping a full spare set on hand so the chamber is never run half-empty

Not suitable for

• The 1050 L/h or 2000 L/h PRO canisters – the pre-filter chambers are 0.5 L and 1.0 L, so use BIS540C or BIS542C
• Bioscape Tropic canisters, Stainless Steel canisters or hang-on filters
• Fine polishing – this is a coarse stage and will not clear hazy water on its own
• Chemical filtration – foam adsorbs nothing

• Rinse monthly. That is Bioscape's stated interval for the pre-filter media. A tank at the top of the 400 litre rating, or one that is fed heavily, will want it fortnightly.
• Rinse in aquarium water, not under the tap. Even coarse foam carries a bacterial population and chlorinated water kills it.
• Do not rinse the pre-filter the same week you change the fine wool and carbon. Stripping three stages at once takes out more biology than one service should. Space the jobs apart.
• Replace when the foam stops recovering. Bioscape publishes no fixed replacement interval for this stage – a foam that stays compressed after rinsing or tears at the edge should be swapped out, and one that springs back should go straight back in.
• Switch off at the wall before opening anything. This is a 240 V mains-powered canister with an integrated heater, and a heater left powered in air can crack.

• Bioscape 1620L/h Canister Sponges (BIS541A) – the fine polishing stage these foams protect from coarse debris.
• Bioscape 1620L/h Canister Carbon Cartridge (BIS541B) – the chemical stage, on a 4 to 6 week cycle.
• Bioscape Premium Coarse Filter Wool Blue 3 Pack – cut-to-fit coarse sheet for adding a further mechanical stage in the main body.
• Bioscape Canister Seal Ring – cheap insurance against a leak the first time you open a canister that has not been serviced in a while.
• Bioscape PRO Easy Clean Canister Filter with Heater – the filter range these foams are cut for.

Bioscape warrants the PRO canister filters for 2 years. Filter media is a consumable and is not covered by that term. Your rights under the Australian Consumer Law apply to this product and are not limited by any manufacturer's warranty. Ships as a standard parcel.

How many foams are in the BIS541C pack?

Four, which is exactly one full refill of the pre-filter chamber. Bioscape supplies the BIS541 canister with four pre-filter wool pads and sells BIS541C as a matching four-pack, so a single pack replaces the whole stage.

How often do the pre-filter foams need rinsing?

Bioscape's instruction is to rinse the pre-filter media monthly to maintain strong flow. On a tank near the 400 litre rating, or one that is fed heavily, fortnightly is more realistic. Rinse in a container of aquarium water rather than under the tap.

Do these foams have a replacement interval?

No. Bioscape publishes a monthly rinse interval for pre-filter media but no fixed replacement schedule. Replace a foam when it stays compressed after rinsing, tears, or no longer seals across the chamber, because at that point debris is bypassing the stage rather than being caught.

Is Top PRO filter foam the same thing as pre-filter wool?

Yes. Bioscape uses both names for the coarse media in the pre-filter chamber of the PRO canister range – the included-media list calls them pre-filter wool pads and the spare part is catalogued as Top PRO filter foam. BIS541C is the correct code for the 1620 L/h model either way.

Will BIS541C fit my 1050 or 2000 L/h Bioscape canister?

No. The pre-filter chambers are different sizes: 0.5 litres on the 1050 L/h, 0.8 litres on the 1620 L/h and 1.0 litres on the 2000 L/h. Those two models take BIS540C and BIS542C respectively.

The pre-filter lid will not lift off. What am I doing wrong?

Almost certainly nothing – it is a vacuum rather than a jammed lid. Slightly loosening the red cap on the inlet lets a few air bubbles in, which releases the airlock and allows the lid to lift away cleanly. Levering at it while it is still sealed is how the lid gets cracked.